Comment on Reich's Pessimism

Where did Reich's optimism go? To begin with the unemployment figure will drop by next Nov. because the stimulus will kick in more. Of course, I would rather see a greater share of employment go to serious manufacturing jobs, but that will not happen anymore since we are so damnably attached to foreign made gadgets. Still--no matter how sad symbolically--an increase in hiring at Kmart, Wallmart, and Burger King will help the deceptive figure of unemployment, which for too long, whether low or high, has been an icon for poor quality jobs.

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an increase in hiring at Kmart, Wallmart, and Burger King will help the deceptive figure of unemployment, which for too long, whether low or high, has been an icon for poor quality jobs.

Low or high? or Right or wrong? Regardless, retail is a sucky job with sucky wages. And - whether fortunately or unfortunately - is not conducive to unionization.

But quality is a charged word. Quality is what YOU make it, not what others make it. I have a son and brother in retail (they did not learn from my past), and they enjoy it For them the quality is fine. The pay sucks, but they enjoy what they are doing.

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In my youth I enjoyed working for the A&P and later driving laundry and postal trucks. Comparatively they all paid well. Today, any job is welcomed, especially if its' supplemented by a spouse or partner. Of course not all manufacturing jobs are better oaying either. In the old days there was security and an opportunity to advance. A gal behind Macy's counter had dignity while dreaming of becoming a purchasing agent.

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+350

Reality bites, doesn't it? With most of the world willing to work for far less in real purchasing terms (since it's a huge increase in purchasing power & standard of living for them), what did we expect?

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In the old days there was security and an opportunity to advance.

YOu more than most should know that nothing stays the same. We are deeply impressioned by our childhood because a year seems to be a long time. As we grow older, we realize that "the way it always was" is only in our minds and left over from childhood. Since then, nothing is "the way it always was".

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Reality bites, doesn't it? With most of the world willing to work for far less in real purchasing terms (since it's a huge increase in purchasing power & standard of living for them), what did we expect?

There's no doubt we benefited after WWII as we were the only industrial power not bombed out. So for a time we became the world's producers. But we also rewarded the globe with foreign aid, particularly the Marshall Plan, so we saw it coming and was ready for global competition, but did not prepare for the devaluation of labor, though Germany is an exception, for they believe as we do that it is a blight on the globe for everyone to be poorer.

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