The Labor Dept admits there are not enough jobs for the unemployed.

[kentuck]

In todays NY Times, they say that "Job seekers now outnumber openings six to one, the worst ratio since the government began tracking open positions in 2000. According to the Labor Department’s latest numbers, from July, only 2.4 million full-time permanent jobs were open, with 14.5 million people officially unemployed." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/business/economy/27jobs.html It has now become obvious that this is going to be a very slow recovery. Mr Bush and Mr Cheney left us in a hell of a pickle with their laissez-faire economics and unregulated markets.

This is what the TARP money needs to be used for. There are presently 12 million people that cannot find a job. Pay them to go to school and learn a trade or pay them to fix our roads and parks and other infrastructure. We need to re-build our country anyway. What better time than right now when we have so much excess labor?

I would hope that President Obama, Secretary Geithner, and the economic advisers reach the conclusion soon about what needs to be done. This economy is not going to start creating jobs very soon. It's going to be a much longer process than anyone imagined. They should consider starting a program for the unemployed, and model it after FDR's WPA program. It saved many a family back then and it could do it again. It is a necessity. It is not a choice.

[PSPS]

1. Unfortunately, that ship has already sailed

When Obama became president, he decided to, instead, use $13 trillion to backstop wall street and the banksters. True, it would have been better to use the money to actually employ people to do the incomprehensibly long list of necessary things that need to be done in the country, but it's too late now. I'm afraid there's no going back, at least that I can see.

[kentuck]

2. There is still some TARP money left..

I do believe? Since the banks still owe us for the loans that we made to them, if they cannot pay us back now, we will borrow our own money back from them to put these people to work. There are ways.

[rucky]

3. We need to stabilize and grow small businesses.

Expand the SBA program.

[kentuck]

4. That also..

I agree.

[Le Taz Hot]

16. Unless the SBA starts

making loans instead of merely acting as a guarantor for the banks (in a creditless market), they're pretty much useless. I speak from experience. Unless that agency starts actually helping small businesses, I think they're a total waste of taxpayer monies.

[debbierlus]

23. We need grants for small businesses, not loans.

Starting a small business is an incredibly risky venture, and we need to help people make this bold step without the fear that they will be financially ruined for the risk.

[SoCalDem]

5. We don't "make" much these days. We sell to and service each other

Whatever we buy and sell, is made in China or some other 3rd world country

That's no way to run an economy, and our excesses finally caught up to us.

There will NEVER be "enough" jobs, until we rev up manufacturing and start making stuff that others want to/need to buy.

As long as the majority of us have jobs that entail paper-pushing, & waiting on each other, there will never be enough "good jobs" again to support a middle class..

For decades, people have maintained their "middle class" lifestyle by using vapor-equity and plastic cards, because their incomes were flat or declining, and now those two avenues are shut down for many people, so they have no way to continue.

[Triana]

9. BINGO! Ya said it all, SoCalDem. n/t

[downeyr]

11. I Was Actually Thinking This Same Thing

This morning when I looked at the suit jacket I was about to put on that said "Made in China." It got me thinking about how much things might be different if all the clothes in my closet said "Made in U.S.A." How much would be different? I'm not sure, but I know that more jobs would exist if all our companies hired within the U.S.A. instead of outsourcing for cheaper work. This is capitalism in action and we're screwing other countries over--we're screwing ourselves over. It's sickening.

[Deja Q]

17. Then I'd recommend reading the following with a grain of salt:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=6598506

And you are 100% correct. Real wages have been swapped out in favor of credit cards. Surreptitiously and quietly.

$12/hr is the wage people want to give out. Well, that's great! Only if minimum wage goes down to $2.90, bread goes down to 60 cents per loaf, your average automobile goes down to $7200... Gas was $1.19/gl... a good blouse was $16... milk was 85 cents per half-gallon... $19000 was the average annual take-home wage... (about $9/hr)

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1980s.html
(source for most statistical values)

[mrcheerful]

18. Well according to mid michigan wing nuts the EPA caused all of these employment problems

along with unions and tax burdens on the poor businessmen in the state. It seems that the whole problem stems from the EPA stopping businesses from dumping toxic wastes into the sewers and unions demanding lazy people get a high wage so now the finished products cost the consumer more then they are worth. And the goberment are taxing the poor business people to death so they are forced to make their customers pay out the nose for their products.

What I find odd is China with its slave labor costs and few environmental laws has yet to manage to really lower the cost of products sold more then a few dollars. Sure we know that its the greedy CEO behind these products costs to drive the price up to the consumer, but the wing nuts are under the delusion that we haven't figured out how they are doing business.

Consumer/cunsumer lol

[kevinbgoode]

21. Absolutely true. . .I received my annual "raise" that was about $1k

this summer. . .within the same couple of months, my rent went up $300 a year, my electric went up $600 a year, the landline telephone service increased $210 a year, my required union dues $400 a year, one credit card interest went up 8%. . .!!!, health insurance increased $96, car insurance $12, and this doesn't even touch food/basic living expenses. Essentially, my standard of living took a loss.

Even when Americans are resisting further use of credit to maintain their lifestyles (and mine is decidedly frugal) they are running out of ways to trim expenses - and it only takes one MINOR medical situation to throw the budget into chaos. I found that out this summer when I needed car repairs and had minor surgery. Even with "insurance," I have new bills that are difficult to fit into any sort of budget.

Just ask a teabagger why health care is now one-sixth of the economy. They'll likely not be willing to discuss that we have nothing else left in this country but artificial "services," manufactured "fees," and televangelism scams. No wonder the conservatives are so anti-education - they already know we are headed into Third World country status, and they are trying to dummy-down the population to accept their role as serfs.

[AspenRose]

6. I read that NYT article and felt sick to my stomach.

[Nikki Stone1]

7. Six to one? Good Lord!

The jobs really AREN'T there.

[Triana]

8. GREEN jobs - where are they? Infrastructure jobs? Where are they?

How stupid of anyone in DC or anywhere to believe we wouldn't end up like this when we insource and outsource damn near every job there is that can be done for the cheapest wages. Americans won't "do" them anymore because CORPRATS won't HIRE them. Why the hell should they when they can get a 50 cent/hour laborer or Indian to do it with NO time off, NO health insurance, NO benefits WHATSOEVER - and the corprat CxOs (and Wall Street) pocket the difference.

Duh.

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. Where are those jobs? Just an illusion, never intended too be anything else.

Hope Change Slick campaign slogan, nothing more.

[earth mom]

10. Welcome to 3rd World U.S.A!

I, and many other thousands or millions could have told the government that there are not enough god damn jobs-YEARS AGO!

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that making every fucking thing in China or overseas somewhere takes jobs away from THIS country!!! :argh:

[area51]

25. +1 (n/t)

[Wilms]

12. ,

[justabob]

13. 2.4 million jobs open for 14.5 million people unemployed?

How can They even begin to be talking recovery with disparity like that? It is incredible. I understand the point that employment is a lagging indicator, but those numbers are breathtaking! The only thing that is going to make a difference with numbers like that is WPA style job creation. Like you, I hope the powers that be come to that conclusion soon.

[Obamanaut]

14. With over 14 million unemployed, there are enough people to

fill the 2.4 million vacancies. Fill them, and there will be fewer unemployed.

[TheKentuckian]

15. We're still losing a quarter million jobs a month or more

and what is being created is either low paying service crap or requires specific skills already in high demand.

The 2.4 will be filled but when you check back next month even more are likely to be unemployed. That simple answer doesn't get to the root of the problem at all. This will get worse as long as we are net losing jobs and their is no growth in the sector. Then there are still no answers for the problems that were vexing us before the collapse of the ever declining wages, benefits, and overall buying power.

We need some real ideas and paradigm shifts not advise to suck it up and dreams of more of the same.

[PSPS]

19. And that's using the 'pretend' figure. U-6 shows 26 million un/under-employed.

[SoCalDem]

26. The "empty" positions are not really "available". Many are transitional part-time

jobs with few, if any, benefits, or are jobs that others are doing now as an "extra" feature of the remaining employees' jobs.

Fat-cats trim jobs, to preserve their own fat salaries, and to pump up imaginary "profits" for the stockholders.

Old-timey businessmen used profits to pump back into their businesses, for improvements, or to hire extra people (who might also be customers).Modern businessmen love to shake down their own companies, cannibalize them for their own benefit, and when an opportunity (for them) arises, sell out for a quick buck, even if it means the death of the company and mass unemployment for their workers.

[KharmaTrain]

20. Credit Crunch Is Killing Any Job Creation...

We live in a two level economy...those that live by the wage and those that play the market. The TARP bailout went to do two things. First, to prop up a banking system in free fall that would have taken millions of more jobs as companies would have gone bankrupt or equity. The rebounding of the stock market is indicative this goal was accomplished...the bleeding was stopped. Sadly it meant throwing money at the crooks and robber barons that created the problem and reform is long overdue. It's hard to think but things could have gotten far worse had the market totally collapsed, the dollar imploded and not only would millions more be out of jobs but the dollar would have little to no value. It was eating a big shit sandwich, and once health care is moved through, it's time to demand reregulation of the markets and preventing the speculating that led to a near total economic meltdown.

Unfortunately, the real economy...the one a majority of us face are based on wages...producing and consuming. It's driven by the middle class that has been given the shaft non-stop for the past 30 years. Between outsourcing and "downscaling", corporations have taken the consumer side for granted while showing nothing but disdain to the earning side. They tried to keep the "balance" through easy credit that no longer exists. If anything, to keep the markets going, credit rates have to remain high and as long as that's the case, debts will grow, more people will go into bankruptcy and few jobs can be created as there's little capital out there to start a new business or expand one. It's a bad cycle, too as people aren't spending which means corporations are tightening further. Until credit rates are eased and the debt mess is truly addressed will a full economic recovery occur.

[kentuck]

22. When we look back at history...

We cannot help but believe that the free ticket given to those employers and manufacturers to take their jobs overseas, with NAFTA, GATT, and the various trade treaties, are mostly to blame for our present jobs deficit.

[amandabeech]

27. If we Democrats cannot get anything done about this,

the pugs will make real gains in 2010.

If we still can't get anything done, Obama will be out in 2012.

If his pug successor can't get anything done, there will be serious, serious problems here by 2014 or 2016.

[blues90]

28. Well now there's a shock.nt