Layoffs at new high: Gallup

John McCain's recent co-chairman says they're all a bunch of whiners.

Maybe McCain can work out an Enron loophole for them.

Is anyone surprised? Oh wait- I'm sure Georgie W is.

The economy is strong.

Most layoffs are due to outsourcing and offshoring.

What plans do McCain and Obama have to penalize the companies that do this billions of dollars?

So what do Republicans offer as a solution? Nothing. All they do from Bush, to McCain, to Limbaugh, to FOX, is boast how great the economy is doing under them & any issues are the the result of liberal media, Obama, Daley, etc.

The tax stimulus package earlier has been proven useless, as I've argued as well as others in the financial world. Those payments didn't even cover the cost of living increases for most families for the 1st half of this year alone. A growing economy is not defined by paying more for life's necessities while getting less.

The US economy is experiencing stagflation. Look it up if this concept confuses you, as it seems to have befuddled republicans. It's going to get worse.

Obama will need an economic miracle to right all that Bush has fubared.

The UAW has bled the proverbial golden goose to death! The whirlwind has finally come around. How could any company stay afloat with all the perks the members have! No forethought for the future!!

This is great! Corporate profits will rise. CEO bonuses will skyrocket. Only loony leftist commie pinko marxists could have a problem with american workers being fired. The top 1% are doing better than ever. The other 99%? Who cares. Let them eat cake.

DRILL here and see how much better things get. You can thank Pelosi for things getting worse in this area. First off, numbers of unemployed always go up when you force higher minimum wages. Not everyone can or choose to eat those costs, guess who pays for that brilliant plan. Add the high cost of operating with gas prices up like this.

Want a job? Get yourself overseas, preferably, India, and apply for an H-1B visa. Microsoft will be happy to hire you.

from our president who made his fortune on oil to a candidate who is worth over $800 million to a bunch of very rich senators, how can these guys understand the plight of the middle class?
What this country needs is a revolution of the middle class to right the wrongs all of the greedy money-hungry baby boomers have done to this once great country.

Posted by: What a mess 3:32 PM>who are you voting in there, NADAR? Because Obama is one of those RICH MILLIONAIRES silly goose.

When are these govermental agencies who report unemployment figures going to report the true unemployment in the USA; insted of just who shows up to register for unemployment compensation?
And, I agree with "What a mess." It is time for a revolution. It is time that we position people to run for public office who are in tune with the common man and woman insted of these fat cats who are multi-millionairs. Wake-up people. It is time for a change!

you say you want a revolution of the middle class? should we get rid of all free elections, not just those to decide whether workers pay union dues to elect Obama?

Illinois unemployement is at 7.3%. It is good McCain is proposing continuing to spend to rebuild Iraq.

I agree, it is time for a revolution. Vote the common man into ALL offices, not just president. After all, the government is supposed to be "by the people and for the people"!

Posted by: billp | August 19, 2008 2:03 PM

Yep, it's all the line workers fault. If they didn't want decent pay, healthcare and safe working conditions everything would be just great.

Certainly management had nothing to do with the auto industry's problems. They earned those huge bonuses in the years the company lost money. Their decisions to make cars no one wanted had nothing to do with the company's problems. Their decisions to ignore new technologies like hybrids has nothing to do with the company's problems.

Nope, it's all the workers fault. If they would just accept third world wages and working conditions everything would be just perfect.

"by the people and for the people"!

Yeah, no "by the unions for the unions." Obama's bound to taking away the right to vote in private in union elections and that's not "for the people."

With Barack talking of taking corporate earnings because he decided they constitute a windfall, don't be surprised when others take the hint. When the rewards are removed only fools will take a risk.
The Democrats want to nationalize oil and socialize medical costs which will ruin both systems and our free though imperfect economy.

I see lots of jobs around, well paying ones. People are lazy and just dot wnat to work. they want to wait around for the perfect job. And why should people work, so much welfare is available: food stamps, housing assistance, SSI, disability, utility assistance, medicaid pays for all kinds of things. People need to learn about hard work and stop cying about things. If they can't afford something, they shouldn't buy it.

Its not the line workers' fault. It is the fault of the principle of majority rule in workplace representation. Under majority rule (50% +1) in deciding whether a union got a workplace, the union that got it usually encouraged an adversarial approach to management, which often responded by giving workers as little as possible and looking out for themselves. FDR supported proportional representation, which would have permitted different viewpoints and more workplace cooperation, but he gave in at the last minute. The so-called "majority card-check" law will just make more adversarial workplaces without employee elections.

The Republicans down here are protesting the closing of Pontiac prison. I bet you not one is protesting outsourcing or layoffs or private industry readjustments.

Why are they not?

Because the industry heads are not Democrats.

Politics. Gotta love it.

should we get rid of all free elections, not just those to decide whether workers pay union dues to elect Obama?

Posted by: John L. | August 19, 2008 4:46 PM
_________________________
Versus elections where consumer dollars that are profits for Exxon go to elect J Bush/McCain? If the worker doesn't want to pay union dues to elect someone, they can always go find another job in a right o work state. But the consumer has to buy gas, right?

1. Which do you think is a better indicator of the economy: a Gallup survey about layoffs or the actual unemployment rate?

2. Why do companies outsource, or move operations overseas? (anyone, anyone?) Taxes, government regulation and labor costs. Companies move to where they are lower. You want higher employment? Move to a state with less of the above. You want lower employment? Raise taxes and wages, i.e., move to Europe. It's pretty basic stuff. (the governmetn can't "penalize" a company for outsourcing; it can only encourage them to stay)

3. The media affect people's perceptions of the economy. There is currently NO recession, which by definition is two quarters of negative growth.

Lies, lies, lies. What we're not being told is the layoffs are a result of massive corporate welfare. We're not being told that the layoffs are a result of India being prodded to liberalize its economy 15 years ago. In fact, 4 men are responsible for the massive amount of corporate welfare, and the same 4 men are responsible for prodding India to liberalize its economy 15 years ago. We need to impeach Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and McCain as soon as possible. Only by doing so can President Obama keep his focus on governing, and also his reelection campaign.

If you think it's bad now. Wait a year, and then another year. I wonder how long it will take the brainless to realize this isn't going to get better for a very, very, very long time. I'll see everyone in the soup line. Bring your own spoon....

"I agree, it is time for a revolution. Vote the common man into ALL offices, not just president. After all, the government is supposed to be "by the people and for the people"!
Posted by: Pat_M | August 19, 2008 5:22 PM"
Yeah, that would be nice, but we live in a oligarchy, not a democracy.

What a mess,
I can't wait for my first Social Security check; I'm going to use it to buy a case of expensive gin and a lap dance. Thanks buddy!

We love it!
The monied classes that have owned an operated America since, well since the beginning are not blamed for the mess, yet the workers are blamed for everything.
What a beautiful system! It's perfect!
What's really amazing; Those workers that actually raise a whimper about it.
What are they thinking?

High unemployment is a feature, not a bug, in Bushonomics. You see, when unemployment is high, the cost of wages go down! Supply and demand! So just hold on, workers, soon the labor market will pick up and you can earn minimum wage again! You can be sure that the CEOs aren't standing in unemployment lines.

What, you say you can't live on minimum wage? Welcome to Republican paradise.

One more thing, if you like having a weekends off, you can thank a union. If you like having employer provided health care insurance, you can thank a union. If you like having the opportunity to earn overtime, you can thank a union.

pd - for Illinois, look no further than the dysfunctional state gov't that discourages business with high taxes and regulations.

Do you think Obama's tax policies will be a job creator?

Posted by: Debbie | August 19, 2008 6:45 PM

Debbie, do you demand that your boss pay you no more than the minimum wage so that they can keep their profits as high as possible and so they can remain as competitive as possible? Do you demand yearly pay cuts? Have you asked your employer to not provide you health care coverage so that their labor costs go down?

Why aren't you doing your part? Why aren't you striking a personal blow to make sure that US labor costs are the cheapest in the world? If it's basic stuff, you should be demanding those things for yourself if you expect other workers to do the same, right? Or are you just too special for that?

The bushing Republicans are at it again. The distortions, the lies and fear and smear groupies must be working overtime. They can't lie fast enough, because the Bush-McCain record is being published all over America and it isn't a pretty picture !! From the death and disaster of their Baghdad policies to their Bankers's mortgage practices, they have this nation in hock up to their WMDs. Still, there are some who want to continue the dismantling of a government that helps all of the people, not just the Corps !! Let's order those Oil Corps to give us back some of those 600 BILLION DOLLARS, IN PROFITS, they gouged from us , since the Bush-Cheney tag team were handed the presidential belt!! A wind-fall profit tax sounds good, even if Oilyman Pickens is spouting alternative fuel sources. It's all another one of their endless line of gimmicks !! The Republicans have nothing else to offer, but more gimmicks !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

Liz, your logic is backwards. The economic system here is capitalism, not communism. Capitalism values the individual over the collective good. Communism values the collective good over the individual.

It's simple. Lower taxes, lower regulation and lower labor costs lead to more employment. When the cost of something rises, people buy less of it - when the cost of labor rises, employers buy less of it.

I have done my part, by working hard and studying hard. I therefore earn more and spend. Others benefit from my spending, even in the simplest of ways - the hairdresser, the cleaning lady, etc. They are not oppressed. The more their input is valued, the more they earn. That's EARN, not ARE PAID. The harder they work and the harder they study or otherwise develop their talents, people increase demand for their own personal labor, and thus can earn more.

People on this board talk like another Great Depression is nearing, and nothing is further from the truth. How many laborers have a cell phone? a car? an iPod? A television? How many of them go hungry? (if they are going hungry, have they applied for an existing welfare program?)

Debbie, you claim to value the individual over the group, but then you complian that the individuals are overpaid, and that hurts the group. I think you're a bit confused.

I guess it's just the little people like you hairdresser that you think are overpaid right? It's the little people like the cleaning lady who should have less so that you can do better.

I value the well being of the individual. All of them. Cleaning lady, hair dresser., all of them. Even snobby elitists like you. I would never dream of complaining that others are overpaid. I know that they work hard. I know that they've earned every penny they get. I would never want others to be paid less so that my economic situation would improve. You are the one that puts the collective over the individual.

Cuts, Layoffs, HEY, sounds like a great time for some TAX INCREASES. Lets go after Corporations and see if they hire more employees. That's a solution that's sure to put some of these out of work people into jobs.

Obama Sr. described his own economic plan, his counterproposal, as it were, as "scientific socialism — inter alia — communism." Yes, Obama's father was a communist who wanted to put socialist theory into action — by "force."

HE TRUSTED THE COLLECTIVE OVER THE INDIVIDUAL, a theme he successfully instilled in his son, also Harvard-educated

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=303952499910291