Obama Live CNN! Obama tagging high tech layoffs by name, company by company is a stroke of genius

[bridgit]

By laying out his policy at a signing ceremony via naming firstly companies that are contributing to the suffering of Americans, and then acknowledging that suffering and standing square in support of alleviating that...Barack Obama has now the attentions of many from the top to the bottom of the problem

I'm ready for this tack, I'm tired of having watched bush hand Levi's massive tax cuts, as a for instance, and then watching them and faceless corporate entities like them shut their doors and take it all overseas to China, or off-shore

"Now is the time to make tough choices." Go!

[bamacrat]

1. Its so exciting to have a president that knows what is happening.

I cant think of a time where Bush used the actual names of companies that are laying people off. It makes it hit home a little more to hear these big names are having trouble. Its great having an intelligent mature president, who doesnt place blame on us but admits the governments and businesses mistakes. GObama.

[WinkyDink]

14. Bush didn't govern, period.

[Zech Marquis The 2nd]

2. he sure did call them out!

Microsoft especially :argh: call 'em out and don't show them any favors!

[customerserviceguy]

3. Naming names is fun

but it's not going to give people their jobs back. Calling for tax law changes that limit all compensation to a defined dollar ceiling based on the company's profitability would be more effective. I don't mind paying some high-powered salesperson the big bucks for successful efforts, but paying the muckety-mucks megamillions to run a company into the ground has gotta stop.

[bridgit]

7. Not the point, accountability is the point; Obama is calling for corporate accountability...

At least that is what I am hearing and agree with. "Calling for tax law changes that limit all compensation to a defined dollar ceiling based on the company's profitability" is I am sure what many corporate folks consider fun but in a consumer driven economy & society there's another way to do it and I care less what Limbaugh & Hannity say,

You give any stimulus to the people directly and if that's socialism then that's what it is, cause we already seen what happens when you give it to faceless corporate entities...and they by each other $8,500 trash cans and so it is my sense you're most correct here:

"paying the muckety-mucks megamillions to run a company into the ground has gotta stop"

[customerserviceguy]

9. Accountability is a good point

and that includes the wise expenditure of money. I used to be a tax accountant (always for the people, never for the big corporations) and I saw that there are no reasonable limits on what the big boys can spend on crap like that $8,500 trash can you mentioned.

One of the tools we have to rein in the excesses of the last eight years (really, I go back to 1981 as to when the excesses started!) is to limit tax deductability of things. When corporate muckety-mucks see that they've got to pay corporate income tax on money they've already pissed away on expensive frills, it focuses them marvelously.

Again, naming names is OK, and it makes some of us feel better, but we need to use a LOT of tools to get greed back in the box where it came from.

[bridgit]

20. Understood, I am all for corporations being seen for what they are...

If they're the good guys that's fine, if they're the bad guys that's not fine. If they need to make tough decisions and we all do, then part of their corporate betterment *is* in understanding that we all do. The market is subject to forces, or so we are told over & over. I do tend to believe it. If the market is no longer responsive? There is a way to attenuate it back into a prior state

Lauren Fix, Salaried Automotive Analyst to be sure, is now speaking on CNN becoming rather animated in her threat of higher auto prices in the course of just regurgitating the Rush Limbaugh line about cow flatulence as being the reason for global warming now seriously...

Clearly there's a disconnect in corporate thinking. So that if by printing their names in the same size & font as mine on a pink slip and splashing them across the newspapers they already own; risking then more targeted expenditures of dwindling funds via their layoff schemata' on our parts proving Reagan's (ala your 1981 mention) "let them vote with their feet" to be a two way street of sorts well...

Hasn't that chicken just come home to roost? In the forms of boycotts or constricted spending patterns? Let them eat cake for a while, I'd like to see them try it


It was nice posting with you for a time, but today like most days I gotta get out there myself and make a buck :hi:

[antigop]

15. deleted--wrong spot. n/t

[ensho]

12. naming names is Important!

the named have to own it or explain why not.

the named can't hide anymore.

others will try not to be named.

[bridgit]

28. Most def, corps are designed like onions, too often it takes lots of time & money to peel away...

the layers; and when you do there's like 3 guys standing in a circle all pointing to the next one or one noodnik pointing a to some 'operations guy', or green eye-shade numbers/finance guy, or back out to the first layer it's ridiculous plus they enjoy more rights & tax breaks than the people that live in the communities they operate in, criminy!!

If they want to remain personally faceless while they do their strange things maybe that's the way corporations are supposed to be; but there's nothing that says they can't be tagged as the self-serving corporate entities they are: Microsoft, Caterpillar, IBM, (fill in the blank), etc..

In a consumer driven society where word of mouth is your best form of advertising...let that become part of their marketing strategy and you're right,

Soon they will not want to be found on that list, it will be bad for their business

[Thrill]

4. You wonder if companies really have to make these cuts

or just using the recession as an excuse

[antigop]

11. BINGO! Here is what I think...

Companies will use all of this as an excuse to cut wages and benefits. Some of the people will be hired back as contractors WITH NO BENEFITS. That's where all of this is going, imo.

NO health insurance, NO 401(k), NO benefits, NOTHING--- you're a hired contractor who gets paid on an hourly basis.

<edit to add> They will use all of this as an excuse to do what they have wanted to do for some time, but were too afraid of the negative PR. Now that lots of companies are doing it, they can all pile on.

Watch how many more companies drop the 401(k) match, drop retiree health insurance and pensions, etc., etc.

And once those benefits are gone, the workforce will have to UNIONIZE to get them back. We are going to have to go through the labor movement all over again.

[WinkyDink]

16. And then tax-payers will be more loathe for teachers, police, etc., to get health-care, pensions,...

[antigop]

18. Yep. It's a downward spiral. It's a race to the bottom for all workers. n/t

[antigop]

19. And look for more excuses to offshore jobs. n/t

[bridgit]

21. The quick numbers on the MicroSoft layoff are $255,000,000 and that's at 85K/yr

which some of their folks make more and doesn't include bene packs & stuff like that. That's allot of money and it does make you wonder :dilemma:

[senseandsensibility]

25. Hey! You changed your name too?

I always liked your name. Oh well...pretty soon I won't know anyone around here.

[mrsadm]

5. What companies?

Did he mention IBM?

[bridgit]

22. They just replayed the clip, and he didn't mention IBM

[crikkett]

6. Anyone have a video link for those of us w/o TV?

thanks

[bridgit]

8. Good Q, check back by I'll see if I can locate

nothing yet maybe hasn't been formatted but I'm sure it will be

[antigop]

10. If he's not going to honor his campaign promises, then it's just empty rhetoric

Here is what he promised:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/#trade

# End Tax Breaks for Companies that Send Jobs Overseas: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama and Biden will also fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies that are committed to American workers.
# Reward Companies that Support American Workers: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers. The legislation would provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America if it has ever been in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

The stimulus should provide for the above. I have seen NOTHING that indicates either of these items is in the stimulus. If someone has proof that they are, then please post it.

We need to keep jobs here in the U.S., employing U.S. workers. Until we do that, the bleeding will continue.

[enid602]

13. business

Business has pretty much been in the shitter for the last year; interesting how major companies have waited until a Dem assumes office to lay off hundreds of thousands of workers. Seems like business is trying to say that this is what you get with a Dem Admin.

[bridgit]

29. sure, just another form of hedge bet being driven up & down with more & more smack-talk anything...

but admitting they have no new ideas on which to capitalize, 'business' made this bed they can sleep in it

[antigop]

17. He needs to push Congress to pass the EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT now. n/t

[ecstatic]

23. kick! I agree nt

[Cha]

24. Thanks, bridgit..I was at

work and missed it so this is a welcome recap.

[bridgit]

26. You're welcome, Cha...

The DU artist formerly known as zidzi ;) :toast:

[AtomicKitten]

27. He made it real and personal and pressing.

That juxtaposed with the announcement that companies are using bail-out money to buy $50 million luxury jets and $1.2 million to redecorate an office was indeed a stroke of genius.

[AlCzervik]

30. i saw this thread yesterday and this morning my sister called me, she was just laid off

from the high tech company she's been working at for 19 years. It hasn't quite sunk in for her yet.

[bridgit]

31. That blows, Hon, tell Sis I feel her...

We drive by boat loads of closed up store fronts everywhere from here to Napa valley and beyond. This thing is hitting everyone & everything. Let me know if you need seeds, you'd be surprised how many people we interact with that are starting to grow their own food wherever they can

[AlCzervik]

32. Thanks Brigit, i feel for her, her husband has a good job but as we all know that can

go away tomorrow. It's her, my 2 nieces and him plus his family that moved here from another country so my bil has a lot on his plate right now.