Jobs Growth Strong

[biker]

The Great American Jobs Machine---the wonder of the world---continued in July.

Economists had predicted an increase of 180,000 jobs. Instead, new jobs of 207,000 were registered.

Thus beginning the third year of the latest jobs recovery.

[biker]

The jobless rate---5%---was unchanged from June.

Because of the strong growth, economists surmise that the ranks of those actively looking for work have been swelled by those categorized as "discouraged workers".

[biker]

As a matter of fact, job growth for the last twelve months has been so strong, that the econimists believe that we are close to exhausting the "slack" in the labor force.

Which would stregthen the hand of labor in bargaining for higher wages.

Except for public employees in the City of Buffalo.

[WNYresident]

Biker doesn't state if these are the jobs that "would you like fries with your order"

[NCnewbie]

Or if you have to do the Wal-mart cheer every day at work.

Gooo Wal-mart! :D

[biker]

Rez:

I reported what I saw on TV. They don't go into that type of detail, although avg hourly earnings were up 0.4% (a monthly) comparison.

The reason I started a thread on this is because you won't be hearing much about this. Compare to last year, when it would have been endlessly discussed throughout the day as either evidence of a jobless recovery or the greatest result since WWII.

180,000 jobs gained beats none, hands down.

NCnewbie:

There are people on this site who would cream their shorts to be able to attract another Walmart, whatever you or I think about them.

Boost Buffalo would give his eye teeth to develop the site for the next Walmart store (unless he's pledged them several times over already).

Finally, the County and City are about to pony up $14.0 million (that's 14 followed by six zeroes, more dough than you will touch in your ENTIRE life) for a tackle box store.

Do y'all think Bass Pro pays more than WalMart?

But back to the real message: 180,000 jobs in one month is great news!!!!

[WNYresident]

180,000 jobs in one month is great news!!!!

Yes and no.

Any job is better than no jobs but:

Replacing 180,000 manufacturing jobs with 180,000 fast food/walmart type jobs is a net lose over all.

[biker]

Who said they were.

Just you.

And where is your source.

[biker]

I guess I've got to harp on you, Rez, cause you're not using your noodle on this.

The 180,000 was an increase in jobs, not a replacement.

I'm getting worried about you: through osmosis, the reading of so many doofus posts is addling your brains:D

[WNYresident]

Originally posted by biker
Who said they were.

Just you.

And where is your source.

I was just making an example of 180000 jobs of one kind versus another. I didn't say the 180,000 jobs gained were walmart/fast food type jobs.

[biker]

Abject apology accepted.

[WNYresident]

Originally posted by biker
I guess I've got to harp on you, Rez, cause you're not using your noodle on this.

The 180,000 was an increase in jobs, not a replacement.

I'm getting worried about you: through osmosis, the reading of so many doofus posts is addling your brains:D


Are they a net gain this year? Or just a gain from jobs that were lost over the last 6 years? If we lost 1,000,000 jobs over lets say 6 years but this month gained 180,000 we are still down 820,000 jobs...

[biker]

You're grasping Rez, out of your element.

Yes they're complety new, a plus.

Just remember back to last year: "George Bush will be the first President since Herbert Hoover to have a net loss in jobs during his term." crooned the Kerry campaign, cleverly linking Bush with Hoover.

"Nay, nay" said Treasury Secretary John Snow, "By the end of Bush's first term we will have net job creation and this fuss will be seen to be no big deal."

"Republicans say job losses are no big deal" screamed the headlines that day. "We've always told you the Repubs were heartless b@stards; here's the proof." chimed in the Kerry campaign.

The press and the Dems had connived to distort the Secretary's statement.

Quietly, in early February of this year, on page Q-17 of The News, a small article appeared noting that there had been a small net job gain during Bush's first term.

So---leaving aside how someone as erudite and clever as you can be fooled by a Dem smear campaign---the job growth since January have been new.

And I don't know the composition of the jobs.

And neither do you.

So there.:cool:

[buffknut]

I pulled this off www.polipundit.com It has the relevant links to the stats within the write-up.

But of course, since this is good news to report during the Bush administration, it must be either wrong, biased, or bad.

Background/Perspective

137.771 million = Total employment as of Jan. 2001.
142.076 million = Total employment as of July 2005.

Ergo:

4,305,000 = net gain in total employment (payroll and non-payroll jobs) since January 2001.

Of that net gain in total employment, 1,332,000 have been non-farm payroll jobs.

Regarding that gain of 1,332,000 non-farm payroll jobs, since January 2001, the following high-paying sectors and subsectors have added net W-2 positions:

Finance and insurance = + 349,700 net payroll jobs.
Legal services = 91,000.
Engineering and architecture = 43,900.
Construction = 418,000.
Real estate = 138,100.
Health care = 1,312,000.

And that’s despite the dot com meltdown, 9/11, those corporate scandals, and oil and gas prices.

July 2005

The economy created 438,000 net jobs last month, of which 207,000 were on non-farm payrolls (as stated above). That brings this calendar year’s net job creation to 1,337,000 (payroll) and 1,920,000 (payroll and non-payroll).

In other words, this year the economy is averaging net gains of 191,000 jobs per month (on payrolls) and 274,000 jobs per month (on and off payrolls).

Net payroll job gains in July were posted in the following high-compensation sectors and subsectors: Commercial banking, securities and investments, real estate, legal services, accounting, computer design systems, architecture and engineering, business management, construction, and health care.

The unemployment rate remained at 5.0% last month.

Over the past year, weekly wages for lower-tiered employees (i.e., production-line workers and non-managers in the services sectors) have risen by 2.7 percent. That’s in line with total consumer inflation, which also posted an increase of 2.7 percent over the same period. (See here.)

[biker]

Whooweee.

Blew me away.

If I didn't know before, buff, I'd spot you as a non-lib.

You gave a citation, used facts and didn't resort to cheerleading or invectives.

Which I do all the time.

With mucho gusto.

[biker]

I just looked at your site, Buff.

I don't think it'll pass the objectivity standard adhered to by some here.

It didn't have the imprimateur of the Main Stream Press. For example, the CBS News Dan Rathergate Project for Plausibly Not Forged Documents Project.

Hoo boy, the nerve of some folks.

[Linda_D]

from the actual report on Current Labor Statistics from the Dept of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)

Total nonfarm employment rose by 207,000 in July to 133.8 million, season- ally adjusted. This followed job gains of 126,000 in May and 166,000 in June (as revised). In July, there were employment gains in many service-providing industries, including retail trade, professional and technical services, financial activities, food services, and health care. (See table B-1.)

Retail trade employment rose by 50,000 in July, following little change in June. This industry has gained 197,000 jobs over the year. In July, retail employment gains were widespread, including growth in clothing stores (13,000), motor vehicle and parts dealers (10,000), and building material and garden supply stores (7,000).

Employment in professional and technical services increased by 23,000 in July. Over the year, this industry has added 211,000 jobs. Management and technical consulting services, as well as architectural and engineering services, contributed to the July gain.

Employment in financial activities rose by 21,000 over the month, as credit intermediation and real estate showed continued strength. Since July 2004, employment in credit intermediation has grown by 93,000, while real estate has added 54,000 jobs.

Elsewhere in the service-providing sector, employment in food services and drinking places rose by 30,000 over the month. This industry has added 262,000 jobs over the year.

The health care industry continued to grow in July, adding 29,000 jobs. Ambulatory health care services (which includes doctors' offices and outpatient clinics), hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities all contributed to the employment gain.

Temporary help services employment was flat in July and has shown little net change since April.

In the goods-producing sector, construction employment continued to trend up. Thus far this year, job gains in construction have averaged 21,000 per month, about in line with the average monthly increase for 2004.

In July, manufacturing employment was about unchanged. The motor vehicle and parts industry shed 11,000 jobs, reflecting larger-than-usual shutdowns for annual retooling. Employment in wood products fell by 4,000. These losses were partly offset by small increases in several other manufacturing industries.

Mining employment remained about the same over the month.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm)

[NCnewbie]

Retail trade employment rose by 50,000 in July

Gooo Wal-Mart! :D

Elsewhere in the service-providing sector, employment in food services and drinking places rose by 30,000 over the month. This industry has added 262,000 jobs over the year

Would you like fries with that? :p

[biker]

Thanks for the stats, Linda.

It looks like the transformation to a service industry---dominated by accountants, engineers and architects---is continuing.

I would have thought more from your side would have joined in the cheering, as boatloads more people are working.

But I guess they're crying in their beer, signing off-key versions of "Solidarity Forever", mourning the one bit of bad news in your piece: auto jobs down.

Probably has little to do with the outmoded UAW contracts, though.

Again, thanks for the additional detail.

[Boost Buffalo]

just heard the NPR report regarding the job growth. Their direct response was the war in Iraq resulted in deaths and how unfavorable the president should be.

Libs...good grief

They use our brave defender's deaths as cheap diversions.

[therising]

Biker, I'm stealing from the playbook that your and your friend Boost Buffalo use, when I post

THIS CHART SHOWING MONTHLY JOB GROWTH SINCE THE TRUMAN ADMINISTRATION (http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/1323)

...looks like the Dems have held their own. Even Carter!

Granted, the chart is over a year old, but I still like it.

[steven]

I wish there was more growth in traditional industrys. Farm steel etc. I hate that we are becoming a country of nothing but consumers.

We used to be so self sufficent as a nation. Now..............

[biker]

Originally posted by therising

Granted, the chart is over a year old, but I still like it.

You would like it then; a year ago was in the middle of the campaign, when all the screaming about how bad things were was going on.

Too bad things picked up, huh?

Too bad the American people weren't fooled by all that hot air, huh?

[biker]

Originally posted by steven
I wish there was more growth in traditional industrys. Farm steel etc. I hate that we are becoming a country of nothing but consumers.

We used to be so self sufficent as a nation. Now..............

I find myself wishing for that, too, from time to time. It goes against my grain to keep piling up debt.

Then I stop and think about those "good old days", when we were self-sufficient. When exactly was that?

America was a net debtor nation through the end of the 19th century. Because it was growing so rapidly, it was constantly borrowing to finance new ventures. Those cattle herds were made possible as much by British capitalists as by cowboys.

I, too, am more comfortable with understanding manufacturing companies. "What's good for GM is good for the country." is something I grew up with.

Financial markets are not so misty-eyed. When GM hit a low of $24.00 a share this year, it was worth $16 billion. At the same time, Microsoft was worth over $300 billion. That floored me. Where are all the Microsoft plants and showrooms? Old fashioned of me.

So, as this job growth shows, America is still the growth and innovation engine much as the world admires and envies. It just isn't the same one we were familiar with.


Say-aren't all those Microsoft programmers in the service sector?

"Would you like Windows with that?"

[Linda_D]

Originally posted by biker
I find myself wishing for that, too, from time to time. It goes against my grain to keep piling up debt.

Then I stop and think about those "good old days", when we were self-sufficient. When exactly was that?

America was a net debtor nation through the end of the 19th century. Because it was growing so rapidly, it was constantly borrowing to finance new ventures. Those cattle herds were made possible as much by British capitalists as by cowboys.

I, too, am more comfortable with understanding manufacturing companies. "What's good for GM is good for the country." is something I grew up with.

Financial markets are not so misty-eyed. When GM hit a low of $24.00 a share this year, it was worth $16 billion. At the same time, Microsoft was worth over $300 billion. That floored me. Where are all the Microsoft plants and showrooms? Old fashioned of me.

So, as this job growth shows, America is still the growth and innovation engine much as the world admires and envies. It just isn't the same one we were familiar with.


Say-aren't all those Microsoft programmers in the service sector?

"Would you like Windows with that?"

I'd settle for the Microsofts keeping their designers and software engineers in this country and not off-shoring. I worry that it's not just low skill, low pay jobs that are being sent overseas, but more and more high skill, high paying tech jobs are as well -- like engineers, accountants, and computer programmers.

[Boost Buffalo]

seems in the good old days the worker's slogan was they wanted a better life for their children than they had themselves.

They wanted their children to go beyond the mindless, redundant, dirty, dead end jobs that these factories and mills offered.

They hoped and labored to afford an education for their children that would qualify them to be doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers, inventors, even scum real estate developers etc etc etc.

Not long ago they said it was all over for America being in front. All the smarts are realized and American ingenuity is dead. Then Bill Gates and the other American pinheads changed that thinking.

America's leading industries are now bigger than ever before and are based on employee intelligence and education and clean healthy work environments.

Be careful what you wish for.

God has been good to America.

[biker]

I just heard a news report on the terrific job growth on WBEN. This was the national feed.

"July saw an increase in jobs of 207 thousand." was the first sentence.

The next: "But President Bush's job approval rating is still just 42%."

Why the immediate linkage to negativity. And there are doubts about there being an agenda with the Main Stream Press?

There could have been comments to put that one number----which in isolation is meaningless----into perspective. Like what it was expected to be (180,000) or if the prior couple of months had been revised (they were; upwards) or what the growth has been in the year to date or trailing twelve months.

Instead, a lurch to a disconnected, if accurate, datum which does nothing to further enlighten the listener as to the meaning of the lead sentence.

But it did succeed in creating a vague feeling of "oooh, that's bad."

[steven]

Originally posted by Boost Buffalo
seems in the good old days the worker's slogan was they wanted a better life for their children than they had themselves.

They wanted their children to go beyond the mindless, redundant, dirty, dead end jobs that these factories and mills offered.

They hoped and labored to afford an education for their children that would qualify them to be doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers, inventors, even scum real estate developers etc etc etc.



I understand that and agree with you to a point. BUT the big question in all this is how many Americans have the aptitude to be a lawyer doctor or engineer? I doubt half. You can educate all you want IMHO that just wont change. I remember talking with a professor that taught engineering and he told me almost 40% of his students don't make it and these are people that thought they could.

There are 295,734,134 Americans if 1-10th of the population doesn't have the aptitude to do any of those nice desk jobs (and I believe the number is way higher then 1-10 ) that leaves a boat load of folks out in the proverbial cold of the American dream. There was a time steel workers where paid a decent wage. Off shoring has almost destroyed the industry in the United states.

An ever deeper concern for me along these lines is what happens when our country is totally dependent on other countries for all our goods? Before last winter how many of us realized we don't even produce our own flu vaccine anymore. How many are aware there isn't 1 American TV company left? ( Zenith was the last) What happens when we don't produce enough food to feed our own people because "farm labor" is suddenly a dirty ugly job that we are to good to do? What happens when we have to buy all the goods to build our own infrastructure (concrete, steel etc)?

What will our children do for a living? We cant all be doctors, lawyers or computer programmers (although that's almost out of the equation as well since programming is starting to out sourced). Will all are children have work at Wal-Mart or McDonalds?

[steven]

Originally posted by biker
I just heard a news report on the terrific job growth on WBEN. This was the national feed.

But it did succeed in creating a vague feeling of "oooh, that's bad."

I didnt say it was bad, its very good news.

[biker]

The myth of the vanished steel industry persists.

As expanded on in detail in other threads a couple of months ago, the domestic steel industry has not vanished.

As compared with 35 years ago, the US steel industry makes almost exactly the same amount of steel, with 75% fewer employees.

In places with hidebound, inflexible labor forces, it has vanished completely.

Like here.

[steven]

Originally posted by biker
, the US steel industry makes almost exactly the same amount of steel, with 75% fewer employees.


My point exactly. thanks for agreeing with me

[biker]

You must have thought "lots of people doing stuff" when you wrote "destroyed the industry".

The industry is producing just as much steel as 35 years ago.

The industry had to transform in order to keep its customers (which it did). Those facilities and people who were flexible and adaptive survived.

Those who weren't, didn't.

You must be a real fan of governmental entities, no increases in efficiencies, same number of people (usually more) as 35 years ago. Heck, for most of their work, there is no measure of efficiency.

Not everyone is going to be a brain surgeon. But there are a lot of jobs that require constant doses of learning beyond the 12 th grade. Like machinists, auto mechanics and technicians.

Life-long learning takes a different mind-set and commitment than "I work 7 to 3 on what they tell me."

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by biker
Abject apology accepted.


Let that be a lesson to you WNYresident. Never apologize to Biker or anyone of the extreme right-wing machine.


To apologize is a sign of weakness, not honesty, to such people.

Sad though it makes me to say it, may I suggest you take a page from their playbook? If you are caught posting something that is in error or that you can't defend -- do not apologize!!! Just pretend it doesn't exist!!!! Or maybe you could launch a personal insult -- another old standby.

I know my advice seems juvenile, and I would respect your decision if you decided to rise above it.

But you know the saying: When in Rome......etc.

[steven]

Originally posted by biker
You must have thought "lots of people doing stuff" when you wrote "destroyed the industry".


When the industrial revolution happened it didnt take one guy 10 days to make a chair and people had the same fears as I have now. The difference is the assmbly lines and such of that technology created a cheaper product that the masses could afford, this spurred additional production of existing products. Offshoring has no such benifit it just ships the work to another country.

Originally posted by biker
The industry is producing just as much steel as 35 years ago.


Please point me to a verififiable source of these numbers you keep quoting

Originally posted by biker
You must be a real fan of governmental entities, no increases in efficiencies, same number of people (usually more) as 35 years ago. Heck, for most of their work, there is no measure of efficiency.


The measure of efficiency at the physical labor level is did the job get done, right, and on time. Its a chilling testament to how far America is sinking when people disparage someone that makes an honest living with there hands and the sweet of their brows.

[therising]

Editorial in today's NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/06/opinion/06sat2.html

August 6, 2005
Some Caveats on Job Growth
With yesterday's announcement that 207,000 new jobs were created in July - nearly 30,000 more than had been forecast - Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao took to the airwaves to repeat the administration's mantra about the economy being "strong and getting stronger." But if you look behind the headline number, the jobs picture - and what it says about the economy - is considerably more nuanced

[biker]

Originally posted by therising
But if you look behind the headline number, the jobs picture - and what it says about the economy - is considerably more nuanced

Uh-oh.

There's that "nuanced" thing.

Keep using it; it worked so well last year.:D

[biker]

Originally posted by steven
[B.



Please point me to a verififiable source of these numbers you keep quoting

[/B]

Original stat froma BusinessWeek article on productivity last Sept/Oct. Sorry, I no longer have the issue.

Follow up research ate the Energy Information Administration.

I'm not too good at links, so bear with me: eia.doe.gov/emeu/mecs/iab/indes5e.html.

Then emeu/mecs/iab/steel/page1c.html

[biker]

Originally posted by atotaltotalfan2001
Let that be a lesson to you WNYresident. Never apologize to Biker or anyone of the extreme right-wing machine.


To apologize is a sign of weakness, not honesty, to such people.

Sad though it makes me to say it, may I suggest you take a page from their playbook? If you are caught posting something that is in error or that you can't defend -- do not apologize!!! Just pretend it doesn't exist!!!! Or maybe you could launch a personal insult -- another old standby.

I know my advice seems juvenile, and I would respect your decision if you decided to rise above it.

But you know the saying: When in Rome......etc.

Res is a friend, to whom sarcasm is known and from whom apologies are rare.

None was actually given.

So, if I'm keeping track of your posts correctly: 1)reverential references to the golden Clinton years by flaming libs is okie dokie, but mention by conserves is verboten as it's "over and done with"; and 2)victory dances around a foe who might be admitting a change of opinion is allowable---nay, laudable--only when done by flaming lib/labs.

No whining here. Just want to make sure you and me sees the same double standard.

I'm ready to carry on.

Up with your dukes!!!

[WNYresident]

awe shucks :)

[biker]

Yet another accolade for Speakup: the Wall Street Jounal is monitoring our posts.

They even late out the reasons to be cheerful: "First, more Americans have jobs today than at any other time in history. Second, over the past two decades or so, the US has created more than 40 million jobs---twice as many as Europe and Japan combined. And third, the US has one of the lowest jobless rates of all developed nations."

Not partisan here. Just glorying in the greatness of America.

Want stats?

"In the past 24 months 3.5 million more Americans have found work, which is the equivalent of of a new job for every worker in the entire state of Indiana."

Is this a great way to start the day or what!!!

[Boost Buffalo]

wow, very impressive.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by biker
Yet another accolade for Speakup: the Wall Street Jounal is monitoring our posts.

They even late out the reasons to be cheerful: "First, more Americans have jobs today than at any other time in history. Second, over the past two decades or so, the US has created more than 40 million jobs---twice as many as Europe and Japan combined. And third, the US has one of the lowest jobless rates of all developed nations."

Not partisan here. Just glorying in the greatness of America.

Want stats?

"In the past 24 months 3.5 million more Americans have found work, which is the equivalent of of a new job for every worker in the entire state of Indiana."

Is this a great way to start the day or what!!!

I wish I knew what kind of jobs were created, though. When Wal-Mart is a country's largest private sector employer, it makes you wonder what kind of new jobs we're talking about....

[biker]

Why do you people jump right to your expected lines. Don't just wonder, look it up. You all are better at that than me.

Go back to the beginning of this thread.

Architects, programmers, engineers, lawyers are all service workers. OK, I'll concede that lawyers add nothing productive.

This is the Goldilocks economy. Jobs up, unemployemnt down, deficit down, producitvity up.

Even the Fed can't hold this back. After raising interest rates ten times in the past year, real long-term interest rates are lower than they were at the beginning of 2004.

Forget "Would you like fries with that?"

Try"Would you like Windows with that?"

[speaker]

There must be a lot of jobs vacated by the National Guardsmen called to service, and the dead and wounded. The workers who no longer receive unemployment are no longer on the books, and, especially in WNY, the number of off the books jobs people fill, underpaid and no benefits.
The number of jobs per capita is questionable seeing the population of the US has risen.
If there were 40,000 jobs created (over the last two decades or so) I wonder how many of those jobs are still in existence.
Those "figures" don't mean too much. They are out of context.
We think it's bad here in WNY, but other states keep coming up in the news, who have it just as bad.
The people who do have jobs must work longer hours or lose it. To live comfortably, both mother and father must work, and the children suffer. And then society suffers. Health insurance constantly rises and the benefits decline, housing and food costs always going up, education sky high, keeping a stranglehold on the parents of this nation, to hang in there until their kids grow up.

[WestSideJohn]

Jobs growth is better than no jobs growth.

But...

You're right Speaker, population growth is not being taken into account when Biker trumpets the "more jobs than ever" statistic. I also seriously question his implication that "service industry" job growth refers to lawyers, engineers and programmers. I have a feeling it really means jobs a little lower on the pay scale.

We need manufacturing jobs, and by manufacturing I don't mean the newly-reclassified fast food jobs, either.

[biker]

Speaker:

You are incapable of taking in stats and spout all sorts of pre-conceived nostrums to try and turn a great story into something terrible.

I don't speak to you; your lens is already ground.

Some jobs are in fast food. I bring up the other types of service jobs (where did i say all were engineers, etc.) to counter the tireless repetition that these are all dead end jobs.

Average wages are up.

Average work week is up.

Number of jobs is up.

People have to work two jobs to survive here in WNY, but not in areas that are growing.

"Both mother and father have to work." Put that another way: the great American jobs machine cranked into high gear twenty years ago just as more and more women chose to work outside the home.

[biker]

Originally posted by speaker

If there were 40,000 jobs created (over the last two decades or so) I wonder how many of those jobs are still in existence.

That was 40 million, as in 40,000,000.

Lots are no longer in existence.

That's one of the miracles of capitalism: "creative destruction" is what JOseph Schumpeter called it.

To socialists everywhere it has always been a mystery.

I'm not surprised it's something not understandable by you.

[WestSideJohn]

Originally posted by biker
That was 40 million, as in 40,000,000.And in that same time period (I'll use 1980 - 2000 just for reference, since hardly any of that job growth has happened since 2000) the population grew by just over 55 million people.

Again, we need more manufacturing jobs... not low-level service industry jobs. And fast-food jobs are <i>not</i> manufacturing jobs.

[Boost Buffalo]

Originally posted by WestSideJohn


Again, we need more manufacturing jobs...

that's what Hillary's latest slogan is too. And she claims that some day she will actually accomplish something for her constituents...but dont count on it.

But, not only has the excessive union demands and liberal corporate taxes sent our work offshore, but it has also provided a need for the advancement of technology based automation to kill off many a manufacturing job, as well.

Even the Indians/asian's labor is complaining bitterly about automation.

The world continues to evolve.

[biker]

Many of you know the story about how a Russan deals with his neighbor's cow thriving while his own is withering away: he hopes his neighbor's cow dies.

In the 1960's, the South "took away" a lot of the textile manufacturing that had been the mainstay of the New England economiy for over 100 years. The same South pilfered lots of manufacturing in upstate New York.

Last week, the last Plartec mill in North Carolina closed, succumbing to competition from China.

Bet that comforst some of our local socialists.

[speaker]

Originally posted by speaker

"40,000 ..".

my bad.....

[WestSideJohn]

So let's recap:

Me: we need more manufacturing jobs
Boost Buffalo: it's all the Liberals' fault
Biker: I'll bet you're glad China is taking American jobs

In December of 2001, when my mechanic told me "you need to start thinking about getting a new car" I didn't realize he meant 29 hours later. So when my car died for good on Christmas Eve, I had to start shopping for a new one. I wanted to buy American or at least American-made, but in my price range there were simply no options. I ended up buying a Hyundai.

It's the same with television sets or clothes. Many people want to buy American, even if it means spending a little bit extra, but there are simply no options. Meanwhile our jobs are shipped overseas and our trade deficit grows ever larger, but I'm supposed to be excited because service jobs are up and the job running the cash register at McDonald's is now classified as manufacturing.

We don't need more of the same tired "it's all the fault of _____" we need solutions.

[biker]

One last thought.

A lot of jobs are filled through temporary agency. Even in manufacturing concerns. They allow the employer to "test out" the employee, or wait to see if their business upturn is sustainable or to craft a different benefit structure as between temporary and full-time employees.

But all jobs filled through temporary agencies are listed as service jobs, no matter if the underlying placement is for an engineer, a machinist or a production worker.

So the next time it looks like all the jobs growth is at MacDonald's, remember this distortion.