What does it mean if the jobs never return?

[kentuck]

And most likely, the jobs that have been lost will not return. We do not have the capacity to create enough jobs for those that need them.

The Republicans argue that "government is too big". It should not spend more than 18% of the GDP.

However, that is the argument that needs to be challenged. Government does not need to be cut, it needs to be expanded.

The times have changed. Businesses and corporations should get used to the idea that profits will be smaller and taxes will be higher. They have to change as does every other American.

Instead of 18% of GDP, perhaps it needs to be about 30%. We need more socialism to take care of our people as the times change. Nowadays, computers have replaced human assets. One computer may do the job of a thousand workers. We are living in a new world. It is unrealistic to expect our government to operate on 18% of GDP.

Which means less profits for big businesses and corporations. If they expect to make humongous profits without hiring people, then they will need to pay more in taxes. Perhaps that is the argument that needs to be made?

[Fumesucker]

1. I don't agree that we lack the capacity to generate the jobs we need..

What we lack is the political will.

[dkf]

4. Perpetual federal spending you mean?

[Fumesucker]

17. More and more of the income in this nation goes to an ever smaller percentage of the population..

That's a political problem and our political class lacks the will to address that problem.

[HughBeaumont]

9. Scorching the earth is far more important than repairing infrastructure, apparently.

Occupations of choice have consequences.

It's Plutocratic America's choice to keep these useless and costly occupations going.

There aren't any protests anymore. If there are, they sound exactly like Ron Paul/Teabirther rallies rather than anti-corporate rallies, where the blame should really go.

It isn't like our "leaders" see anything wrong with what we're doing now. And it's painfully obvious that our opinion doesn't matter one iota.

[Kali]

21. yep

no jobs here = join the military (or become a criminal or some other part of the drug/prison industry)

[RKP5637]

28. Yep! Sad but true, that's the new employment route in the New America. n/t

[RKP5637]

2. We're living in the 21st century expecting job creation and distribution of

wealth to work as it did in the 20th century. It's not going to work that way. The US has become a herd of dinosaurs.

[kentuck]

7. I think you are correct.

We have not adapted to the new reality.

[CleanGreenFuture]

29. Dinosaurs (and algae) are tied to these trying times, but not in the way you describe.

[RKP5637]

31. What a coincidence. Your post to me was number "666."

[dkf]

3. Yet some people here think social security is going to fix itself by employing more people at higher

Wages.

I had to laugh at that one.

[kentuck]

5. It's all a matter of priority.

Do we want to take care of our elderly or do we wish to spend it elsewhere?

[dkf]

11. No, the argument was that we will employ more people at higher wages to increase

The revenues without cutting spending or raising the payroll tax.

They see our future so much more rosy than I do.

[kentuck]

18. I'm sorry.

I had not seen that argument. If we must make choices, I would think taking care of our elderly and sick would be near the top of the priorities?

[peace13]

6. I have to laugh that some think social security is broken!

If we leave it to the politicians it will be!

[dkf]

10. Or you raise taxes in the future. They might as well set the funding mechanisms now.

Otherwise it's in doubt as to if there will be cuts in benefits. But the bigger problem is Medicare

[kentuck]

12. Medicare is not the main problem...

it is the healthcare system in the country that drives up the costs of Medicare.

[dkf]

13. Same thing.

[kentuck]

16. Not hardly.

Fix the healthcare delivery system and you fix Medicare.

[RKP5637]

22. Exactly! These various health care approaches are ridiculous. It should be

one seamless health care delivery system. There is absolutely no need for a separate health care system, Medicare. What we have is a ridiculously patched together health care system that is laughable, that supports greed and ridiculous health care costs. But I've lost faith in America's ability to fix much anymore, except to be an aggressive nation waging war / MIC as a top priority.

[Warren Stupidity]

26. medicare could be fixed tomorrow and our economy given a huge boost at the same time

by expanding medicare to everyone and funding it through taxes. Every business currently paying huge healthcare costs would get an enormous reduction in per-capita expenses. Overall health care costs would be reduced by at least one third from current levels. It is absolute corrupt madness that we have not done this.

[Warren Stupidity]

8. We have been stuck in low,no,negative job growth for the last 10 years.

What will it look like? Like this. And we are not responding by increasing the social safety net, we are responding, at the direction of Wall Street, with the standard Shock Doctrine treatment for failed economies of austerity and privatization of public assets. Our commonwealth, and I mean that literally, is being sold off to Wall Street, and I meant that euphemistically, piece by piece, just like the rest of the formerly proud nation states that have gone through 'the treatment'.

[RKP5637]

23. Wall street, banksters and major corps. bought/own the US including the

gov. Any thinking Obama and congress make the calls really aren't paying attention. Obama is a puppet and takes his orders from the same, and congress is bought/bribed for the most part. And the validity of elections is questionable IMO.

[Autumn]

14. It's the "new normal"

:shrug:

[treestar]

15. horse and buggy jobs will never return

new ones are invented all the time. There was no such thing as a computer job in 1950 (maybe a very rare few).

Why not look for the next horizon rather than obsessing with the ones that are gone?

[kentuck]

19. The very idea of "work" is becoming obsolete.

How do we adapt? How do we live in such a world?

[The2ndWheel]

20. It's difficult to have things go your way if you're not needed

If you're not really necessary to either the production of goods and services, or even the consumption of goods and services, what weight do you have in negotiations? What can you take off the table that would make the other side say hold on?

[RKP5637]

24. Most of us have become dispensable in the new America. We are not needed and

in the way. USA, Inc. is only about bottom line profit for those holding the wealth. The rest of us are dispensable, have no voice and IMO we will really see how dispensable we are in the coming years. And jobs... jobs are not coming back in the new USA under the current model. Jobs are a liability to the new America.

[Bonhomme Richard]

25. Unfortunatly those with the power to decide the country's direction are....

"short term" people. By that I mean those that only look at a very short term financial gain for themselves. They truly believe that they can reap the rewards before the shit hits the fan and they will be enjoying life on some island. It has been no different in manufacturing since the late 70's. Short term profit became the end game and financiers didn't want to hear anything about long term growth or investment. That want their return and they want it now. So it is with Wall Street.

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. Most of the jobs that went away will never come back, and there are two things

the government can do to address this.

1) Make starting small businesses easier - 'start up' tax breaks, low cost small business loans, government health insurance to relieve the business the cost of employee health insurance, etc.

2) Free k-16 education. Government-subsidized colleges that actually focus on education instead of football, available to anyone who can make the entrance exams. If you can't make the grades, you can pay to get into a private institution. This would include tech schools, community colleges as well as 4-year degree programs. Additionally, have low-cost subsidized continuing education, for retraining displaced workers.

The first would pay for itself in job creation, increasing the tax base.

The second would feed into the first.

Together they would cost less than what we spend on prisons every year.

[RKP5637]

30. Your solution is too sensible, logical and workable for the US to handle. n/t

[TBF]

32. If? nt

[Fire1]

33. The solutIon: STOP BUYING SHIT!!!

ONLY BUY WHAT YOU NEED!!! Food, medicine, gas. THAT'S IT!!! Do this for a WEEK and see what happens to corporate america. Hit em where it hurts. I know many on this board have long since stopped filling their pockets but there are too many of us who do nothing but CONSUME! If EVERYBODY did this and started a grass roots movement in this direction, we would reclaim our voice. WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER, 2012!!