06.08.09
Ah, those kinds of jobs!
I’d been seeing this headline on the Yahoo homepage for a few hours now, “Obama says 600,000 jobs to be created or saved this summer with stimulus.”
You know me, always ready to give TCM and the FHers the benefit of the doubt. My first thought was, some numbers wiz at the Department of Labor or in some “czar’s” office must have come up with a sure-fire formula for estimating how the particular kinds of stimulus spending going on are going to allow privately-owned, profit-making enterprises to recall or hire that many people. You know, numbers based on some kind of catalyst that brings about exciting new products and services and markets for them. (Really, I did think that; you believe me, don’t you?)
Alas, it’s more of that summer-youth-corps / pick up trash in the national parks / divert the farm animal excrement / put extra cops on the beat “public works” stuff.
One form the spending will take is getting “disadvantaged” types “work-ready.” “Training” them in stuff like getting their iPod earbuds out of their ears so they can hear customers, co-workers and supervisors.
Man, was I surprised. You believe me, don’t you?
Mr.Dings said,
June 8, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I believe you but did not believe right wing conservie fundie Cal Thomas in the article you posted in January after Obama’s visit to “Elkhart where he said a review of postings on careerbuilder.com revealed all these jobs out there for the taking. Maybe Obama is just sitting on those unemployment figures which are among the worst in the nation, remaining at 20%. Expect higher figures now that the auto plants have gone bust. I really do not think the cause is yet Obama, but, well, it certainly bodes ill for the future that there is still a lot of finger pointing going on. Why oh why didn’t your Dick Cheney run? Kinda unusual for a sitting veep who’s still so involved and who says he has so many answers, dontcha think? I am beginning to think that Obama is going down the same slope his immediate predecessor did in sticking to his guns while the ship sinks. Of course I’m talking about the long delay in admitting serious errors in the execution of the Iraq mission that haunts us still. At least with the free market there’s nobody to bitch about. Just blame it on freedom, eh?
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
June 9, 2009 at 2:36 am
9.4 percent and rising.
I’ll bet Lynn Cheney told Dick, “That’s enough federal gummint for you.”
Mr. Dings said,
June 9, 2009 at 10:55 am
That also puts a whole lot of people in a world of hurt regarding health insurance too. Tragic what the “freer” markets done done to us! I doubt whether majorities of Americans blame Obama so much as Bush. At least yet.
Mr. Dings said,
June 10, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Article in your detested NYT (Rush is now so diplomatically calling every outlet not “with” him “State run media.”) explains where the blame lies. And it still lies largely not with Obama, which is my current understanding as well. But you guys would rather cast aspersions and hype your hyperbolic nonsense than talk reasonable resolutions. I realize reasonableness is damned here too. What to do? Well, you can’t get nice now. You would view it as getting soft.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/economy/10leonhardt.html?_r=1&hp
Mr. Obama’s main contribution to the deficit is his extension of several Bush policies, like the Iraq war and tax cuts for households making less than $250,000. Such policies — together with the Wall Street bailout, which was signed by Mr. Bush and supported by Mr. Obama — account for 20 percent of the swing. About 7 percent comes from the stimulus bill that Mr. Obama signed in February. And only 3 percent comes from Mr. Obama’s agenda on health care, education, energy and other areas.