MEN IN LINE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS -- 1938
DORTHEA LANGE -- PHOTOGRAPHER
Unemployment figures
Unemployment benefits aid begins. Line of men inside a division office of the State Employment Service office at San Francisco, California, waiting to register for benefits on one of the first days the office was open. They will receive from six to fifteen dollars per week for up to sixteen weeks. Coincidental with the announcement that the federal unemployment census showed close to ten million persons out of work, twenty-two states begin paying unemployment compensation. -- Library of Congress
Unemployment figures
2009 -- 2011
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
How will we ever recover when U.S.companies
are giving jobs, that were once located here, to other countries?
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Hard times again . . .
ReplyDeleteIt is really a difficult time in America.
ReplyDeleteGood question!!! The middle class is shrinking and the very rich are modern day Marie Antoinettes: "Let them eat cake." Am I scared? You betcha,
ReplyDeleteFarmchick -- This is a time to have hope I guess. -- barbara
ReplyDeleteKay -- I agree but the rich can't afford to stand on the backs of others -- historically it backfires. -- barbara
ReplyDeleteVicki -- Hard times again -- yes -- but where do we go from here? -- barbara
ReplyDeleteTarun -- Thanks for stopping by. Was not familiar with the link. Like your views on the environment -- barbara
ReplyDeleteMost of the time I think the more government stays out of things the better. But I have seen some great things accomplished by CC workers when the government used that program to put folks to work.
ReplyDeleteGrampy -- We had some dollars to create a CC type of project to help out the joblessness and we gave it all to wall street. Upside down thinking by Washington. Right now most politicians are scary to me. -- barbara
ReplyDeleteScary scary times. I'm okay but I worry about my children.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just a matter of industrial jobs going overseas, important jobs are being cut in education, social services, fire departments,libraries, health care. Skilled people providing necessary services are losing their jobs. When corporate execs give themselves multi-million dollar bonuses and teachers are being fired the imbalance is immoral. We are seeing other countries in the Middle East and AFrica rise up against that kind of imbalance. Will we have to become, literally, hungry before we demand equity? Yeats said, "the center will not hold"... the century is going to see a lot of changes, and the "first world" countries will have to make changes too. I feel like Casandra when I say these things ...
ReplyDeleteJune -- I understand what you are saying about important jobs being cut besides those that have left our shores. I was thinking that the companies that have moved jobs to other countries setting up infrastructures and leaving those here in the US to rot. But yes, jobs here are as important and are getting the ax with no return of re-employment in sight.
ReplyDeleteLoss of housing, jobs, and price hikes, etc makes for a weak center -- perhaps it will not hold. We are experiencing extremism in the US which is an indication that the center is standing on weak legs.
Your comment was very thoughtful -- appreciate the response -- barbara
Marcia -- yes these are scary times. Like June mentioned above -- when things fall apart the center cannot hold. Most of us are the center. An example of the greed in this country is a piece from Forbes magazine:
ReplyDelete"Koch brothers owns a coal company subsidiary with facilities in Green Bay, Manitowoc, Ashland and Sheboygan; six timber plants throughout the state; and a large network of pipelines in Wisconsin. While Koch controls much of the infrastructure in the state, they have laid off workers to boost profits. At a time when Koch Industries owners David and Charles Koch awarded themselves an extra $11 billion of income from the company, Koch slashed jobs at their Green Bay plant"
-- barbara
It's such a huge problem, I can't think of anything brief to add. Perhaps citizens working to develop strong regional economies by buying local is a start. Do you really need that Chinese gadget from Walmart? Up with Eat Local!
ReplyDeleteSheri -- It is a huge problem and developing regional economics is one big step toward a good working solution. There are many other steps that should be addressed but like you said it can't be addressed in brief comments.
ReplyDeleteAwareness is a word that I use to assess situations -- not political rhetoric.
I'm counting my blessings.
ReplyDeleteTess -- As are all folks except the 9.2% of the folks that are out of a job.
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't for big business hiring where would people get jobs.
ReplyDeleteThe government wants them to pay bigger taxes so they go overseas eliminating high taxes , making bigger profits and we lose jobs here on the USA.
Millionaires helped to build our country, lose them and we are up the creek.
Diane--
ReplyDeleteThe Small Business Administration has an online article that you should read. Part of it is as follows:
Article title "How important are small businesses to the U.S. economy?"
Small firms:
• Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
• Employ half of all private sector employees.
• Pay 44 percent of total U.S. private payroll.
• Generated 65 percent of net new jobs over the past 17 years.
• Create more than half of the nonfarm private GDP.
• Hire 43 percent of high tech workers ( scientists, engineers, computer programmers, and others).
• Are 52 percent home-based and 2 percent franchises.
• Made up 97.5 percent of all identified exporters and produced 31 percent of export value in FY 2008.
• Produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.
"Small firms accounted for 65 percent (or 9.8 million) of the 15 million net new jobs created between 1993 and 2009."
Thanks for stopping by -- barbara