OK, Explain This To me Like I'm a Complete Idiot, Part 12: Working Harder and Making Better Choices?

[HughBeaumont]

If education and lack of skills were the crux of America's economic problems (as most Conservative pundits and peasants will repeat ad nauseum), can you explain to me why we now have the most educated workforce; more credentialed and certified than any time in our history, but a 13-year track record of such dismally weak job creation and wage gains to SHOW for it?

It's just that they say "Supersize yer skill set, haw haw"; but the thing is, lots of people HAVE done that and ARE doing that, whether it's through degrees, certification, credentials, training, etc. and it doesn't really appear to be paying off as it should be. Wages haven't moved with inflation since 1979. We're creating jobs, but what are they paying? Are they on par with the birth/death rate and the incoming/outgoing work force? They don't appear to have answers other than "life isn't fair".

[raccoon]

1. Nowadays, a person can do all those things and still end up with a crummy paying

minimum-wage (or not much better) part-time job.

The elephant in the living room is the fact that the number of good paying, full-time jobs has decreased considerably over the last few decades. Anyone who's been paying attention can see that.

You can do all the right things nowadays--and you still need a good bit of luck.

[TheFrenchRazor]

7. EXACTLY. it's not about what any one individual could possibly do to get a better job;

it is about the total number of good paying, living wage jobs vs. the number of poverty wage jobs. if 50% of american jobs pay poverty wages then 50% of americans will be living in poverty, regardless of whether any particular individual "works harder and makes better choices" and gets a higher paying job. the problem is that the total number of jobs in the american economy which can provide even one person with a reasonable quality of life is completely inadequate, and shrinking every year.

[jsr]

12. +1

[bvar22]

2. Because Supply Side (Trickle Down) Economics is a SCAM.

and the Party of the Working Man/Woman should toss it aside as the heresy that it is
and begin focusing on getting money directly into the hands of those who will SPEND it.

Tax Incentives for Businesses to "create" more jobs does NOT work, and only reduces revenue
NO company is going to use Tax Incentives to Create Jobs if there is no DEMAND.
If they do, their Board of Directors should be fired.

I cringed hearing this ]Supply Side Job Creators BS being touted from the podium during the SOTU.
That used to be Republican Bullshit, but it isn't just for Republicans anymore.

[HughBeaumont]

4. Bumper sticker solutions to cure long-standing problems.

And if it WERE just that easy, why would they land on a solution as cockamamie as Trickle-Down? Even the people who built it disowned it as bunk, and yet peasants worldwide defend it.

[Doctor_J]

5. Too many Republican talking points from this WH

Job Creators, Competition make good schools, private sector does everything better, teachers are the bottom of the barrel, TPP will create jobs, Heritage Foundation health plan is good, etc. Really a train wreck for the party and the country.

[Doctor_J]

3. conservative pundits and politicians are evil.

Their constituents are as dumb as rocks.

That's pretty much it

[Skittles]

6. "lack of skills" is coporate dog whistle-speak for "we really want to hire cheap folk overseas"

[TheFrenchRazor]

8. or cheap people here. there is no skilled worker shortage. there is an ethical employer shortage. nt

[Skittles]

9. excellent point

welcome to DU, TheFrenchRazor

[Doctor_J]

11. They also fight AGAINST UHC, which means the employees are often chained to their

employers.

[MadrasT]

10. I continually hear executives and managers complaining about a shortage of suitable workers.

I wait until they're done their ranting, and say "You are offering crap pay, what did you expect?"

Then they make every excuse in the world why THAT is not the problem.

Oh yes it is. I see it every day.