Comments on: SCENES FROM THE NEW ECONOMY http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/ OPIATE OF THE ASSES Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:57:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jjack http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-29374 jjack Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:34:25 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-29374 Let me tell you, this 90% pay cut is a blast! Barely being able to cover my rent and saying "fuck it" to every other bill is very liberating. Let me tell you, this 90% pay cut is a blast! Barely being able to cover my rent and saying "fuck it" to every other bill is very liberating.

]]> By: Christian Parrinello http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-29291 Christian Parrinello Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:48:57 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-29291 My last comment is jammed full of typos and just plain incorrect words. Apologies. My last comment is jammed full of typos and just plain incorrect words. Apologies.

]]> By: Christian Parrinello http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-29290 Christian Parrinello Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:47:33 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-29290 Although the conservative bloggers can't help but being obnoxious about it, they have a point -- extensions to unemployment benefits creates a disincentive to get back into the workforce. I don't intend to state that as a means of painting broad strokes about people collecting unemployment, but it's still worth mentioning. Another great anecdote: my girlfriend lost her job earlier this year, and she has a smile child. Daycare had been incredibly expensive, and most of the jobs she was looking at paid far more poorly than her previous position. Which means that she was basically given the choice of making less money while incurring the same costs, making living much harder, or accepting the unemployment when employment was available so that she could spend more time with her son and save money both on commuting and daycare. Which would you choose? The argument is then that the money creates demand, which then creates jobs -- except that we've already observed this to be untrue. It creates demand, but frequently for industries either already saturated and capable of meeting this demand, or in industries almost entirely divorced from the majority of the unemployed populace that need the benefits. Quite frankly, I'm not sure why we don't use more of the money for public works projects/infrastructure spending. Why not put people to work using that money and give them valuable vocational skills which can then be used later, in the private sector? Repair more of our fucked up roads/bridges/telecommunications? Rather than constantly extending benefits with little gain to the government, we could improve public life with the spending while simultaneously improving our workforce and giving them back a sense of pride by getting them out of unemployment. Although the conservative bloggers can't help but being obnoxious about it, they have a point — extensions to unemployment benefits creates a disincentive to get back into the workforce. I don't intend to state that as a means of painting broad strokes about people collecting unemployment, but it's still worth mentioning. Another great anecdote: my girlfriend lost her job earlier this year, and she has a smile child. Daycare had been incredibly expensive, and most of the jobs she was looking at paid far more poorly than her previous position. Which means that she was basically given the choice of making less money while incurring the same costs, making living much harder, or accepting the unemployment when employment was available so that she could spend more time with her son and save money both on commuting and daycare. Which would you choose?

The argument is then that the money creates demand, which then creates jobs — except that we've already observed this to be untrue. It creates demand, but frequently for industries either already saturated and capable of meeting this demand, or in industries almost entirely divorced from the majority of the unemployed populace that need the benefits.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure why we don't use more of the money for public works projects/infrastructure spending. Why not put people to work using that money and give them valuable vocational skills which can then be used later, in the private sector? Repair more of our fucked up roads/bridges/telecommunications? Rather than constantly extending benefits with little gain to the government, we could improve public life with the spending while simultaneously improving our workforce and giving them back a sense of pride by getting them out of unemployment.

]]> By: Robert http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-28899 Robert Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:21:18 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-28899 The saving grace for me, regarding the Cornfed Manatee's post, was that a preponderance of his commenters (at least when I checked in) were attempting to correct his faulty reasoning. The saving grace for me, regarding the Cornfed Manatee's post, was that a preponderance of his commenters (at least when I checked in) were attempting to correct his faulty reasoning.

]]> By: Chris http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-28829 Chris Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:53:30 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-28829 Hang in there Crazy. It took me 6 months, and a major stroke of luck to land a job. I sent dozens of resumes, hundreds of inquiries, ran across the country twice for interviews, and was having discussion with the wife about catching squirrels to supplement our food budget (still have the snare wire). 'Fun' it ain't. In related news, I saw an article last week that companies are _not_ considering unemployed people. Some have even gone so far as to put that in the job ad. It explained some comments interviewers made during what seemed like good interviews. Odd that all the 'true Americans' have not focused on that. It seems to me that helping your fellow countryman is part and parcel of patriotism. At least for this patriot it is. Hang in there Crazy. It took me 6 months, and a major stroke of luck to land a job. I sent dozens of resumes, hundreds of inquiries, ran across the country twice for interviews, and was having discussion with the wife about catching squirrels to supplement our food budget (still have the snare wire). 'Fun' it ain't.

In related news, I saw an article last week that companies are _not_ considering unemployed people. Some have even gone so far as to put that in the job ad. It explained some comments interviewers made during what seemed like good interviews.

Odd that all the 'true Americans' have not focused on that. It seems to me that helping your fellow countryman is part and parcel of patriotism. At least for this patriot it is.

]]> By: Crazy for Urban Planning http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-28787 Crazy for Urban Planning Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:11:35 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-28787 Good comments. Thanks for wishing me well. Good idea about guns and bullets. Good comments. Thanks for wishing me well. Good idea about guns and bullets.

]]> By: Hann1bal http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-28786 Hann1bal Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:29:50 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-28786 And the worst part of that whole damn CY post was that his major evidence was totally anecdotal. He literally used his brother and two brothers-in-law to demonstrate why the only thing keeping all these people on unemployment is their laziness. That's the complete polar opposite of a good argument. And the worst part of that whole damn CY post was that his major evidence was totally anecdotal. He literally used his brother and two brothers-in-law to demonstrate why the only thing keeping all these people on unemployment is their laziness. That's the complete polar opposite of a good argument.

]]> By: Nunya http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-28763 Nunya Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:32:27 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-28763 @ Monkey Business - I believe you're channeling Chris Rock with your argument: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuX-nFmL0II @ Monkey Business – I believe you're channeling Chris Rock with your argument:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuX-nFmL0II

]]> By: merl http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/06/30/scenes-from-the-new-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-28762 merl Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:19:54 +0000 http://www.ginandtacos.com/?p=3776#comment-28762 I think a lot of rightwingers must not realize that there are unemployed conservatives. I think a lot of rightwingers must not realize that there are unemployed conservatives.

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