A note on the Amazon ads: I've chosen to display current events titles in the Amazon box. Unfortunately, Amazon appears to promote a disproportionate number of angry-left books. I have no power over it at this time. Rest assured, I'm still a conservative.
Saturday, August 06, 2005 Finish the sentence: From today's New York Timeseditorial page (boy, I'm gonna miss it when they start charging):
Some Caveats on Job Growth The 207,000 new jobs created in July are a boon to the people who landed them. But American workers are not yet in a position of strength. [. .]
Not too well, Jon. My dad was an engineer, and the poor live better today than we did. We had a black and white TV until I was 5. Now there are 4 color sets in this house, and only 3 people living here now. We had one car then. Now three. There are three computers still in use, not counting a couple of junkers. This house is at least 50% bigger than my parent's house. I'd say inflation lost in my lifetime. I'm 55.
Pretty much anyone who wants to work and improve himself can. Yes, you need to be flexible and keep learning, but the alternative is something like my wife's employment at a unionized grocery store. They've been in and out of bankrupcy as their more nimble competitors take their business and Wal Mart looms. You really can't expect to improve your situation if you keep doing the same work. It makes sense for her to hang on and build her pension, but I'd not advise a young person to treat it as more than a way to get some experience and move on.
Put yourself in the employer's shoes for one second. Why should he pay you more money for the same work tomorrow?
Let's see--your dad was an engineer and you (not sure what you do) live in a bigger house and have more toys--so the poor live better today. How does your life prove that? Based on your age, you imply that you got a color TV in 1955--they must have been very expensive if even available at that time. I didn't get a B&W TV until 1952 and a color set until 1968 and we weren't poor. So you started out well off and maintained or improved your lifestyle ergo inflation lost and the poor are better off, unions are bad, Walmart is good. Can't quite follow the logic on this comment!