Several points about this seemingly mundane story in the 7/23 Register caught my eye. The first is what page it was located on. During administrations past, when the liberal media was trying to help out a Democrat challenger, these type of stories would be on page 1, not buried on the lower half of page 4.
Secondly, it is interesting to note that the economists talked to were of one mind, whether they were liberal or conservative, they felt our economy was in the tank and was headed for rough sailing.
Thirdly, many folks are simply stopping the search for jobs, and the unemployment is moving to the suburbs.
Fourth, and perhaps most interestingly, is what one economist said were the “larger” issues. He pointed to “globalization, automation, outsourcing, immigration and less unionization…”. There is nothing inherently wrong with “globalization”, except that the trade deals up till now have been purposely and grotesquely unbalanced against the American worker. If we did have Fair Trade, we’d be cleaning everyone else’s clock. “Immigration” is only half the truth. We take in more immigrants than the rest of the world combined. We do take in too many immigrants. But left unsaid in the article is any mention of the millions of illegal immigrants in these depressing economic times. A bottomless pool of cheap labor guarantees plummeting wages. “Less unionization” is because the jobs that used to be union, just aren’t here anymore. They always forget to mention that. It isn’t some aversion to higher pay.
Jim Roach
