Those jobs aren't coming back-Now he tells us

[kj]

Sending the crap jobs elsewhere and keeping the good ones here is an old idea that didn't work out, and isn't going to work out. We need all kinds of jobs, including manufacturing. kj.

[AlphaDog]

kj wrote:
Sending the crap jobs elsewhere and keeping the good ones here is an old idea that didn't work out, and isn't going to work out. We need all kinds of jobs, including manufacturing. kj.

Yup.

[Mac1337]

The ironic part is that it were the Democrats who were the sole advocate of the blue collar folks with "thick fingers". This notion that we can't make this or that in this country is bogus.

[swampy]

The liberals think that everyone should go to college. Yes, a college education is desirable, but not necessary for all kids. Plumbers, auto mechanics, exterminators, electricians, air conditioning/heater repairmen, and many other vocational jobs don't get shipped over seas. They are good paying steady jobs that keep our country moving and often overlooked by our leadership.

[$tevie]

A failure of someone's imagination to understand that old jobs are gone and new ones can be created is not a failure on Obama's part.

'These jobs aren't coming back'

The breakneck pace of job losses - 2.6 million in the past four months - may reveal a reshaping of the U.S. economy.

"These jobs aren't coming back," said John E. Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia in Charlotte, N.C. "A lot of production either isn't going to happen at all, or it's going to happen somewhere other than the United States."

For decades, the government has reacted to downturns by handing out temporary unemployment insurance checks, relying upon the resumption of economic growth to restore the jobs lost. This time, the government needs to place a greater emphasis on retraining workers for other careers, these economists say.

President Obama pointed to the latest evidence of distress as justification for a strong, government-led effort to generate jobs quickly.

"This country has never responded to a crisis by sitting on the sidelines and hoping for the best," Obama said in an appearance in Columbus, Ohio. "Throughout our history we have met every great challenge with bold action and big ideas."

http://www.startribune.com/business/40877407.html

Maybe it is time to stop mocking the "bridges and roads" effort, as this is an area of employment that in no way can ever be sent out of the country.

Or for a different hypothetical situation: a man who is no longer employed at GM could be retrained to work on the building or installation of wind turbines, or installing and maintaining elevators, or environmental cleanup, or constructing or operating load management systems. Yeah, his old job is never coming back. That doesn't mean he remains unemployed.

Like I said, it's about imagination and looking forward, instead of sitting on one's butt grousing that things are changing.

[swampy]

My only objection to the "roads and bridges" effort is the fine print that Congress felt necessary to insist on. That being that the hiring preferences go to Union workers and minorities. Can someone explain why that was necessary?

[$tevie]

Because of the reality of today's politics with lobbies and PACs and negotiating and horse trading and such. There's a lot that is goofy in DC, I don't deny it.

[davester]

This should be known as the "straw man thread". The righties are merrily quoting a few campaign promises, then putting their own spin on what they should mean (meanwhile ignoring the reality and context) and (surprise, surprise) their straw men don't meet expectations. Any idiot can complain about things (especially self-invented problems). No, Obama is not "sending jobs overseas". He is simply stating the reality...they have gone overseas as a result of the last decade of outsourcing and it will be a lot smarter to create jobs that can take advantage of the resources and goals/needs of the US than to try to compete with the low-cost labor markets of the third world.

[kj]

davester wrote:
This should be known as the "straw man thread". The righties are merrily quoting a few campaign promises, then putting their own spin on what they should mean (meanwhile ignoring the reality and context) and (surprise, surprise) their straw men don't meet expectations. Any idiot can complain about things (especially self-invented problems). No, Obama is not "sending jobs overseas". He is simply stating the reality...they have gone overseas as a result of the last decade of outsourcing and it will be a lot smarter to create jobs that can take advantage of the resources and goals/needs of the US than to try to compete with the low-cost labor markets of the third world.

I think it's a completely legit topic, and the idea that we don't want the kinds of jobs we're losing right now is wrongheaded. But unfortunately, it's one that sounds good to a lot of people. We're going to give away jobs that involve making things people in this world want to buy, for jobs wanking around, paid for with borrowed money. I understand the reasoning, but I don't think it's smart. I guess we'll see. kj.

[davester]

Who is "giving away jobs"? Politicians are not in control of this. In our capitalist system, unless there is specific regulation to protect jobs (something that the repubs are completely against), the jobs will go where the low cost labor is. The only way to bring jobs back that have left for economic reasons is to either: 1) lower wages/benefits; 2) install protectionist tariffs or negotiate tit-for-tat trade restrictions with other countries (these are highly anti-conservative policies and can cause a lot of collateral economic damage also). If that is unfeasible then it is necessary to look for opportunities to create jobs that are more economically suited to our own economy.