Companies don't hire workers because they have money.

They hire workers because there is increased demand and they need them to keep up with it.

No demand = no jobs.

People have no money. People are not buying. Therefore there will be no significant increase in jobs.

Anyone that says any different is blowing smoke.

on all the traffic around and in the shopping centers, as well as the reported sales. And that doesn't include online buying.

of regulatory bodies by an activist and whacked out House, which will permit a higher level of fleecing after the new year.

So it's a vicious circle as long as we allow all the jobs to be created elsewhere, and import foreigners to take the few jobs that remain here.

My solution: import lawyers. By the millions. Same cut-wages/indentured servitude terms as H1-Bs and illegal aliens get. You'll see "free trade" hit the exit door so fast you'd get whiplash trying to follow it.

Too many people on both sides try to sum things up with one page from their econ 101 book or a few examples.

Here's one of those not-representative examples: I know one big company (> 10,000 employees) that decided 18 months ago that this was the best time to GROW. Cheaper land/labor for building, better tax deals from government, people willing to take jobs for less. It may take raises to keep new employees when things pick up, but they'll have gone through their learning year(s) and be fully productive. They're diversifying their product line to create demand to allow them to create jobs.

And another: A small company that's been growing employees 10-15%/year for about 10 years. They're still doing that and giving very good salaries and raises and the millionaire owner takes less (he'll get it back when things get better and he's 20-30% bigger than he would have been).

On the large scale you're right that demand needs to go up for significant job increases across the board. But many companies are not short-sighted, evil entities and will be the ones that help get us out of this. All companies seem to get lumped together around here by people who don't know much about business.

We need to figure out how to produce what they want to buy.

.. but it is nothing short of a pipe dream to think China or India will EVER buy substantial amounts of our products, period. Their governments will PROTECT their markets unlike Clinton and the Repugs who GAVE AWAY our markets to the Chinese with predictable results.

I'm making a serious point here and please bookmark this page so you can come back and tell me I'm wrong (not going to happen).

THE CHINESE AND INDIANS WILL NOT OPEN THEIR MARKETS TO OUR GOODS NO MATTER WHAT.

The only fun point to consider is that we have shitloads of Chinese products and they have our paper (Treasury notes).

They think we cannot fuck them without fucking ourselves but that isn't necessarily completely true. The bottom line is that RUNNING HUGE TRADE DEFICITS OR SURPLUSES WITH ANY COUNTRY IS EVENTUALLY UNSUSTAINABLE.

Little do Americans realize they've spent all their wealth and given it up buy low cost goods. Our consumer economy has suckered them into doing so. Now they have no retirement, no nest egg, all for silly disposable goods.

.... you are basically right. I have been watching the Chinese for aw while. They let us in JUST ENOUGH TO STEAL OUR TECHNOLOGY and that is ALL.

Americans better run, not walk from consumerism because it is game over for that.

China imported $72 billion worth of US made goods in 2009. That rose by roughly 30% in 2010.
China is the third largest port for US exports (after Canada & Mexico).

The US exports over one trillion worth of goods to other countries making us the third largest exporter (behind China & Germany).

.... compared to what we buy from them. What planet do YOU live on. They will NEVER buy anything close to what we buy from them.

Still your original claim is China doesn't buy US goods and never will. Both false claims.

What about all the countries that run trade deficits with the US? There are over 180 countries that run trade deficit with the US. Should they shut their ports?

Or is it only good for the goose and not the gander.

... is whether we can depend on nations like China or India to buy enough of our goods to keep our economy afloat.

It's not going to happen. The Chinese look out for their own, unlike our government.

The day we have a trade deficit (export more than we import) from China, you let me know and I will eat my words. It's not going to happen.

We simply need to export more in aggregate. In 2010 vs 2009 and 2009 vs 2008 exports to China are growing faster than imports to the US. This is indicative of China economy maturing.

Should every country with a trade deficit to the US close their ports? Of course not. Both sides can benefit from trade.

We do need to work on closing the trade deficit but the deficit with China ($226B) is less than 2% of GDP ($14.2T).

If Nov and Dec look the same as 2009, we are at $88B in exports vs $353B in imports for a net negative $265B. That rivals 2008s record $268B deficit.

If we just evened up trade with China we would be in a nicely positive space indeed.

That is unsustainable. 2009 was similar.

Or is trade only good when it is a net positive for the US?

i.e. Netherlands $32.3B imported from US, $16.1B exported to US.
So the Netherlands should close their ports to US goods? Should all 87 nations with net trade deficits to the US do the same?

If so why not? What makes the US different/special?

The good news is China net imports are growing at much faster rate than their net exports. Within a generation they could be closer to Canada (relatively balanced accounts).

Without that we are in trouble.

On another board awhile back

"It's not business' responsibility to employ people"

.... and giving billions to the banks will not create demand, but giving billions to the people would.

But don't worry, that is not going to happen. Pork for banksters, austerity for you.

Because it's true.

The problem is that many people seem to base their positions on what benefits them the most personally. Reality doesn't figure into it. They simply don't give a shit about anything greater than that.

Arguing is never going to change their mind. Data isn't going to change their mind. They're only advocating for their own bank accounts.

I'd say that when a society has an establishment full of people like this, it must be an indicator that something is very, very wrong. This place is like Hanoverian England. It's eating itself.

Seems the demand for foreign affordable products is up though. I wish manufacturing, and a sense of pride in American made goods was in the forefront though. People have too much access to foreign goods at reasonable prices. I think we are all spoiled. I include myself in that. I don't look too hard at where it was manufactured, but even so; seems everything is made somewhere else.