Dubya Wants to Improve Moving Jobs to China

[JoseCuervo]

It's The Economy, Stupid!!!

If there's one thing you have to give the Bush administration credit for, it's its delicious sense of irony.

Intent on showing the American people it was doing something about the massive bleeding of manufacturing job losses, the White House created a new position in the Commerce Department, assistant secretary for manufacturing. (The one new job was presumably meant to balance the 2.78 million manufacturing jobs lost during Bush's term.) It was so important to the White House that the position went unfilled for six months, during which America lost 67,000 manufacturing jobs.

The administration finally found someone to fill the position and was poised to announce his nomination today. And who did George W. Bush choose to reverse the nation's manufacturing job losses? Anthony Raimondo, CEO of Behlen Manufacturing, who laid off 75 workers in 2002 just after announcing that his company was opening a factory in China.

Exactly what was Raimondo supposed to do at Commerce? Give companies advice as to the best locations for factories in China? Create guidelines for the best ways to tell employees they're losing their jobs? Unfortunately, Raimondo couldn't be reached for comment, since he was in China.

Update: The Associated Press is reporting that Raimondo has withdrawn his name. We hardly knew ye…

 

[Ithaca 37]

That's pretty comical! I just can't bring myself to vote for someone as stupid as Bush. I'm sorry, too, 'cuz I had high hopes for him and I do believe his administration handled 9/11 better than any Democratic administration coulduv but, other than that, he's been a disappointment.

 

[JoseCuervo]

I guess maybe Manufacturing was just not that important to ol' Dubya.... It would be interesting to see if he ever tries running on any record for the last 3 years, of if he just keeps parading pictures of firemen carrying coffins....

And all the Bush fans who claim Al-Quaida is done, and not attacking, any of them care to explain the Madrid trains????

 

[pawclaws]

Yep; you ought to hire the guy that knows all the ins and outs of the problem. (Actually it is called free enterprise and if you really want to change it you better come up with something really spectacular.) And you know what, as long as Rocky Boot makes a product equal to Acme Boot, and charges less; I'll buy Rocky. Chinese kids got to eat too; and I need to save a buck here and there.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Looks like somebody in Dubya's administration decided they didn't really want somebody that failed at keeping jobs in the US to lead a Commerce position.

And Paws, glad to hear you can get buy with a lesser quality boot, just to save a buck. I buy my boots from Bozeman, Montana, without regard to price, as there is none better in Quality. I guess if I was a non-hunter, I could get by with lesser boots.

 

[pawclaws]

As often as you stick that boot in your mouth I'd opt for "best tasting" if I were you!

Rocky does a fine job and their boots last three or four seasons.

 

[JohnSWA]

Guys, like it or not we are in a free enterprise system. I don't care which party is in the White House, consumers will always look for a product similar in quality and cheaper in price. It doesn't have to be China or Mexico. We all demand low prices and try to get the most for our dollar. The problem is that we've priced ourselves out of the market for most consumer goods and no beaurocrat can or will stop this!

Am I offering a solution? No, but I think that we must look ahead in the future for our families because the job market will be completely different than it is today. Wallowing in anger and self pity will not feed your family in the future. I'm curious how Kerry will save American jobs? Whatever either candidate says, it will be just lip serving rhetoric. They can't single handedly provide jobs for us and we shouldn't be reliant on the government to provide jobs for us.

To me it seems that we are becoming more and more reliant on government. We are being trained to think this way by both parties. Republicans used to stand for smaller government, but now they are no better than the Democrats by their creation of more and more useless government agencies ie. the "Homeland Securtiy" agency.

I personally vote my conscience and not by party. I left the Republican party a long time ago and I honestly feel that neither party represents their true philosophy anymore.

Ok, I'm done with my rant. I just get so tired of the "he said, she said" vitriol by our potential leaders and their "fix all" solutions.

 

[Nut]

John I agree with you on your post.

Today my youngest didnt want us to purchase something because it wasnt made in the United States (Must gonna be a union person and be a lazy no good slacker). I then said it didnt make any difference because everything is made in China or Mexico now.

 

[cjcj]

Ok lets get real here, you have to blame some of [maybee 50%] or more of the Manufacturing job`s loss on 9/11. The truth is this event "crushed " the airline/aerospace industry, Boeing for example had billions in orders cancelled, that caused a ripple effect all the way down the line to tire manufactures, layoffs at honeywell/motorola/and other electronics [avionics] suppliers. thousands of aircraft just sitting on the tarmac [not getting their retirement hours] this event 9/11 crippled the airline industry, and trickled down the line to auto`s etc. so if you think he did a good job after 9/11 then how can he be blamed for "all" of the manufacturing jobs loss? Didn`t Slick Willie help China? remember his support of WTO [the riots] its not all of bush`s/clintons fault. Except for my main "bitch" illegal immigration! Isn`t building houses manufacturing? [ manufactured housing] its all being done by you know who [illegals] and at a low wage too. that is to be blamed on "any" president who rewards lawbreakers and does not stearnly enforce our laws.

 

[pawclaws]

The only way for free enterprise to work is to remove all forms of third party intervention. For the most part this is government subsidies, tax breaks, wage controls etc. However the act of the government buying goods and services also affects the outcome. Is a "Lasaiz Faire" policy a price we are willing to pay? I'm not sure because many of the consumer items we enjoy are absolute necessities; like food! Much of our agriculture is maintained at artificially low prices by government programs simply to keep the price within reach of all of us. Our minimum wage laws are written to establish a floor and discourage "slave labor." Then, there are the safety and content laws which require so much additional cost for consumable commodities. It is really comforting to know that you are consuming no more than .001 percent rodent facal matter in your Snicker's bar; but, it does raise the price. How much of our standard of living are we willing to forgo to reduce prices, create jobs, and get off this merry-go-round??

 

[MarlandS]

Wow!! Dubya really has cause a bunch of unemployment !! OMG it's awful the highest ever! look at the stats http://www.bls.gov/cps/prev_yrs.htm

and here: http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_faq.htm#Ques4

 

[MarlandS]

Someone write this down...

By 2005 or 2006 the number of Baby Boomers retiring and the number of Generation Xers entering the work force will become imbalanced. There will be more retirees than replacements this will start causing a glut of unfilled jobs estimates are 12 million by 2008. Whoever wins the 2004 election will reap the benefits of the "economic turn around"

The Social Security Administration is currently running with a surplus of tax collected and won't reach negative cash flows until 2018 AT THE PRESENT RATE OF TAXATION

Going to be interesting times ahead.

 

[JohnSWA]

911 didn't really cripple the airline industry. What it did was expose the major airlines which were using foolish, long term accounting processes. The major losers were invested in the wrong sectors and got caught with their pants down ie. United Airlines. The other major carrier which went chapter 11 but recently recovered(soon going back into chapter 11, maybe 7) is US Airways. US Airways was on thin ice before 911 and was looking for a foriegn merging partner, British Air I believe. US Airways sort of got caught with their shorts down, so to speak. This is what really caused the cancellation of new aircraft orders for United and US Airways.

American as well as United and US Airways saw this as a golden opportunity to force wage concessions on their employees. Of course the higher level executives jumped on this opportunity to give themselves tremendous salary increases, golden parachutes and above all "Retainment Bonuses"! The CEO's of the three thought that they should be enticed to stay aboard the company while it was sinking in financial ruin! In other words, "I'm at fault for the mess we're in, but if you want me to stay on and fix it, it'll cost ya"!

Lower cost carriers such as Southwest, JetBlue and Frontier were still making profits, ordering new airplanes and were still hiring people as they are today!

You can't blame 911 for the sole reason of the airline debacle. It just enlightened the public and the employees of the failing business practices of the arrogant major airlines!

 

[JohnSWA]

Marland is right and even worse, in 2008/2010 the majority of the baby boomers will be drawing their 401k's out of the stock market causing a major sale condition possilbly creating another stock market crash! There are many books forecasting a bleak future when this happens. You can't argue with Allen Greenspan and both of the former Treasurer Secretaries.

 

[MarlandS]

Thanks John, I didn't even think about the 401K's

HMMMM if GW gets re-elected and Hillary follows in 2008.........

 

[JoseCuervo]

And what happens to all that money that gets drawn out in 08 and 2010? It gets spent on purchasing retirement homes, Winnebegos, Health Care, Vacatio Cruises, Geritol, and Prune juice, thus helpiing the economy.... Hiring more Bosnian waiters for Liberian flagged ships and supporting the Prune industry....

If you believe Dubya, you don't want people saving money, you want people spending money, so then, the economy will gett better when the Boomers quit saving, but start spending...

 

[pawclaws]

Yep! Greenspan is a pretty sharp cookie. Also, there will be a tremendous shift in lost support for the FICA or social security system. With a loss of employees and a glut of retirees qualifying for benefits you can expect three things: 1-Increased FICA taxes (I expect 30 percent), 2-An adjusted benefits eligibility age (I expect 70), and 3-Reduced benefits(I expect something like income matching the first "X" dollars of private sector retirement funding from various passive sources.

 

[MarlandS]

Yeah and as soon as they start to draw and create a sale situation, the markets crash or devalue rapidly and the rest of the 401Kers money goes away , plus, I believe, the rest of the money the Baby boomers have in their 401K's unless of course they draw it all at once, which would make the situation even worse. Counter that with shuffleboard fees..

 

[pawclaws]

Unfortunately Elkgunner the MPC is around 97 percent pretty much continually. The Multiplier and MPS only work when funds are expended by the government. Increased income; expecially from retirement accounts fail to generate additional significant income. Additionally the 401K extractions will be done on a periodic basis rather than as a "lump Sum" which will negate what small benefits would exist from potential MPC increases. You have nothing to worry about; by the time you reach retirement age you will be well past the average life expectancy of a SWASPM.

 

[pawclaws]

Mars; this look familiar: 65.238.0.4? Fixing to bust 'em.