Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"Why Don’t the Unemployed Get Off Their Couches?" and Eight Other Critical Questions for Americans
https://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/06/03-41) What does Thomas Piketty have to do with the 99%?
French economist Thomas Pikettys surprise bestseller, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, is an unlikely beach read, though its selling like one. A careful parsing of massive amounts of data distilled into only 700 pages, it outlines the economic basis for the 1%-99% divide in the United States. (Conservative critics, of course, disagree.)
***SNIP
2) So why don't the unemployed/underemployed simply find better jobs?
Another way of phrasing this question is: Why don't we just blame the poor for their plight? Mention unemployment or underemployment and someone will inevitably invoke the old "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" line. If workers don't like retail or minimum-wage jobs, or if they can't find good paying jobs in their area, why dont they just move? Quit retail or quit Pittsburgh (Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis) and...
***SNIP
3) But aren't there small-scale versions of economic rebirths occurring all over America?
Travel through some of the old Rust Belt towns of this country and youll quickly notice that economic rebirth seems to mean repurposing buildings that once housed factories and shipping depots as bars and boutiques. Abandoned warehouses are now trendy restaurants; a former radiator factory is an artisanal coffee shop. In other words, in a place where a manufacturing plant once employed hundreds of skilled workers at union wages, a handful of part-timers are now serving tapas at minimum wage plus tips.
***SNIP
4) Can't people just get off their couches and get back to work?
There are 3.8 million Americans who have been out of work for 27 weeks or more. These are the countrys long-term unemployed, as defined by the Department of Labor. Statistically, the longer you are unemployed, the less likely it is that you'll ever find work again. Between 2008 and 2012, only 11% of those unemployed 15 months or more found a full-time job, and research shows that those who do find a job are less likely to retain it. Think of it as a snowball effect: more unemployment creates more unemployable people.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
3 replies, 856 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (11)
ReplyReply to this post
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
"Why Don’t the Unemployed Get Off Their Couches?" and Eight Other Critical Questions for Americans (Original Post)
xchrom
Jun 2014
OP
Another problem: many of the new jobs are minimum-wage jobs. If you're older, not only do you
winter is coming
Jun 2014
#2
msongs
(67,193 posts)1. the feds could give H1B visas to US citizens instead of importing people :-) nt
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)2. Another problem: many of the new jobs are minimum-wage jobs. If you're older, not only do you
have to deal with age discrimination, you get hit with the "overqualified" club: people won't hire you because they're afraid you'll leave when something better comes along.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)3. None of this is really new.
Not around DU anyway. But nothing is being done to address any of these issues.