Other Views about the Carrier Deal

[Dave Roberts]

One of the things to which many of us can attest is the fact that the economy is a very uneven economy. For example, I live in Virginia which statistically has done extremely well in the past six years and has an unemployment rate below the national averages. However, recent statistics showed that 60% of the Virginia economic activity is taking place in three areas. Those areas are the northern Virginia suburbs joining DC, the greater Richmond area, and the Tidewater area. Two of these three have both heavy federal government or defense related incomes. The third is the center of state government with a major workforce relating to that. At the same time that unemployment is almost zero, smaller cities that were once heavily linked to major industries are struggling with unemployment rates of 15% or more: ie: Danville that was a major hub for the textile industry, Martinsville that was central to furniture manufacturing, and Roanoke that was the hub for railroading for many years. While the overall numbers look good, the economy is very uneven, and it has been that way for a generation or more. In the area where I reside, the single largest employer is corrections. Keeping a few jobs in Indiana will not solve the economic malaise. We are first going to have to train people to work in a 21st century economy which means upgrading school programs, especially STEM subjects and vocational educaiton. It can be done because I have experienced it. Those of us in public education saw a vast infusion of effort when the space race was at its height. The central concern was, "What does Ivan know that Johnny doesn't?" We are still teaching offset printing at the local high school vocational program. Guess how many offset printing shops there are in this digital age. The skills of yesteryear are not in demand, and we have to teach the ones that will make us competitive. We can't rely on government jawboning to get the job done.

[Jim]

[KeithE]

[David Flick]

[Jim]

K: And the stuff you bring up in red above is just plain unsupportable, cynical nonsense - cleverly worded though.

Don't sweat the tangential stuff. I can work my way through it and the la-la-land expertise. As for changing the subject, it's easier to accuse one of that than attempting to refute anything that has been “changed.” As Paul might put it rather indelicately, “It's hard to kick against the pricks.” If a certain mindset or correct mentality should overcome your ideology, you might profit. Trying to prop up Obama is a terribly lost cause and people with walking-around sense understand that.

[Sandy]

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

There is a reason the Robber Barons were not just called the Barons. There are reasons why so many of our forebears were willing to struggle, suffer, and in some cases die for the right to organize labor.

[William Thornton]

To Sandy, this is a Marxist/Leninist struggle for the soul of America. To Trump, it's pragmatism and theater. There's a difference between tariffs and gummit incentives to keep jobs from fleeing the country but both involve gummit picking winners and losers of private businesses.

And I'm not sure if Sandy is pleased or disappointed that the Carrier jobs are staying here.

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Well, the rhetoric is just about straight from the m/l playbook.

Did I miss where you were pleased or displeased with the jobs staying here?

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Obama does have the habit of taking credit when none is due an assigning blame where it should reside with him...but he's a likable person. Hillary is not.

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Barack spent his first term blaming Bush for problems. All politicians take credit.

I'm glad to see that both Keith and Sandy express some pleasure that jobs are staying here. Might be good in regard to winning future elections if Dems were less grudging about such things. Trump is running circles around the disgruntled Dems at the moment, sort of like Bill Clinton used to do.

Keith's candidate, Jill "tinfoil hat" Stein, isn't going to win anything, ever. Quite a display she put on Sunday.

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

The ineptitude of Hils campaign is a matter of history the popular vote is not what counted. Dems failed everywhere: congressional races, senatorial races, electoral college.

We will see what happens starting January 20.

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Yeah. Guess all that success is why democrats are celebrating so much.

[Haruo]

Pizzagate security clearances - nepotism. I'm sure in the long run, privatizing the military will be in everyone's best interests!

[Sandy]