I AM AMUSED AT THE 1930'S TONE OF THE PROPOSED "JOBS PROGRAM" IN THE OBAMA STIMULUS PACKAGE...
IN THE 1930'S AMERICA WAS MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM A RURAL ECONOMY TO A MANUFACTURING ECONOMY...AND THE AVERAGE WORKER WAS YOUNG AND UNDER-EDUCATED...
IN THE 2000'S...AMERICA IS A SERVICE ECONOMY...WITH AN OLDER AND BETTER EDUCATED WORKFORCE.
THE CURRENT SERVICE ECONOMY PROVIDES MANY LOW WAGE JOBS FOR YOUTH, WOMEN AND ILLEGALS...
THE REALLY DISTRESSED PARTS OF THE WORKFORCE ARE OLDER MIDDLE AGED MALES...
THESE WERE THE MIDDLE MANAGERS OF THE NOW DEAD MANUFACTURING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTORS....
OK. NOW FAST FORWARD TO 2009...WHO IS GOING TO TAKE THESE "ROAD AND BRIDGE BUILDING JOBS"...?
A 50 YEAR OLD WHITE GUY WITH A NOW USELESS MASTER'S DEGREE...?
IS AN UNEMPLOYED STOCK BROKER IN NEW YORK GOING TO GRAB A SHOVEL... AND START "BUILDING ROADS" IN MID LIFE...? I JUST DON'T SEE IT...!
IN THE 1930'S, FEDERAL MAKE-WORK "ROAD BUILDING JOBS" WERE GREAT FOR THE YOUNG "JUST OFF THE FARM" MALE WORKERS OF THAT ERA...
BUT TODAY? WILL THESE NEW WORKERS BE YOUNG ILLEGALS FROM MEXICO...OR FORMER MORTGAGE AND STOCK BROKERS?
CONSIDER: IF THE TYPICAL PRE-DEPRESSION CONSTRUCTION WORKER WAS A YOUNG ILLEGAL MEXICAN MALE...?
HOW CAN WE EXPECT OLD OUT OF WORK WHITE GUYS TO BECOME CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN THIS ECONOMY....? OLD WHITE GUYS WITH COLLEGE DEGREES ARE SIMPLY NOT "QUALIFIED" FOR THOSE JOBS ANY MORE THAN THEY ARE FOR WORKING AT MICKY D's...!!
LOW WAGE JOBS FOR WOMEN, YOUTHS AND ILLEGALS ARE NOT IN SHORT SUPPLY...THEY ARE AVAILABLE...ONLY THEY ARE NOT JOBS THAT CAN SUPPORT A MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY!
"REAL JOBS" FOR GROWN UP EDUCATED WHITE MALES...ARE THE JOBS THAT ARE "DISAPPEARING"...
AND MAKE WORK "SHOVEL JOBS" FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL NOT REPLACE THOSE JOBS FOR THAT DEMOGRAPHIC...
SEE THE POINT...?
THIS IS NOT A 1930'S ECONOMY OR DEMOGRAPHIC...!!
SO A 1930'S STYLE "JOBS PROGRAM" SIMPLY WILL NOT WORK... DO THEY REALIZE THIS...? OR ARE THEY JUST SO HELLBENT ON SPENDING BORROWED MONEY FROM CHINA THAT REASON IS OUT THE WINDOW...?
