Wesley Clark says jobs aren't coming back

[Myra]

Yes Wes! Keep the pressure on.

"I keep hearing about recovery," Clark said during an interview with radio station WMOU. "You don't see the signs of recovery. People are very concerned with holding onto their jobs and keeping their lives together."

While visiting a Main Street restaurant, Clark told patrons the country has lost manufacturing jobs for 40 consecutive months. Berlin relies for jobs almost exclusively from two paper and pulp mills that have been in and out of bankruptcy recently.

...

"The only way to increase profits is to fire people," Clark said of the business mentality. "That's what's happening. Some of the jobs will never come back." He said he would "re-employ America" by pumping $100 billion into the economy."

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2003/12/18/clark_jobs/index.html

[voice of reason]

1. Sadly, he is correct . . .

specifically with his comment: "The only way to increase profits is to fire people," Clark said of the business mentality.

Too many execs are too concerned with short term gain (and their bonuses tired firectly to those gains), rather than focusing on strategies to improve long-term productivity. What do they care, though? They won't be there in a couple years. They'll be runing some other business.

Unlles an exec is actually indicted they're almost guaranteed a similar position elsewhere (and and indictment isn't even a guarantee that they'll be stopped).

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. This concept

The concept that execs are too concerned with short term gains is the exact same reason that tax cuts, while in theory pumps money into the economy, really does nothing because execs see it simply as adding to the profit margin.

[IronLionZion]

2. Yes he is right about manufacturing jobs

there is nothing any president can do to bring them back. Completely new jobs have to be created and maybe Clark's infrastructure plan will help with that.

I'm looking for an IT job myself so I hope some of those will be created as well. A lot of them have been outsourced to India.

[grannylib]

4. He is so right. This misadministration's agenda is to create mass

unemployment and to create more means of transferring more money to those who already have, and keeping it out of the hands of those who have little or none.
It's so damn blatant I really find it hard to believe sometimes that we have not risen up in revolt...honest. This whole cabal of extremists scares me.

[Blue_Roses]

5. I agree because the only

way to boost the economy and build jobs is with new resources that will implement a move towards the new century with which we currently live. Putting a "bandaide" on the problem such as taxcuts doesn't help with the real problem, it only continues to build a false hope.

Look what happened in the '90's with Clinton. It wasn't just a "coincidence" that jobs grew under his administration. It's because he was open-minded enough to try new things. Not the same-old-tired-out "possible" solutions.

There is one thing that is definitely true--either you regress or progress. You never sit in one place.

I think we know where this administration sits.

[maddezmom]

6. this is so true - head count is a theme at most large companies

At my husband's company, they keep doing job elimination to reduce headcount. Which means folks that don't lose their job have to pick up the slack, and most folks are salaried....so it means a 60+ hr work week.