Talking Down the Economy

TC Rider and the Raleigh News and Observer ^ | 05/30/2004 | TC Rider

[TC Rider]

I always expect the worst from the our local Democratic Party Organ, the Raleigh, NC, News and Observer.

I derive some small satisfaction that they usually have to give it away. I canceled our daily subscription back in 2000. Mrs. TC demands the weekend editions so we subscribe to Sat and Sunday delivery.

This morning I could not believe the front page. Nearly 2/3s was devoted to this headline:

State's workers suffer in a global economy

PRICE OF PROGRESS: A FUTURE THAT LOOKS WORSE THAN THE PAST

See the actual front page here (pdf file).

It's worth noting that unemployment in NC has fallen to its lowest level in years here.

Is this story an aberration? Hardly, here are some stories from the past few days:

Like it or not, the jobs keep leaving

More seeking help in N.C. Gas, utility prices affecting the poor

Holiday travelers ready to brave high gas prices

Legislators talk of gas-tax relief

They keep harping on the high cost of gas (the sole remaining poor economic indicator), yet their lie is betrayed in their own paper, buried on the City/State page is this headline:

Big beach year seen

"Who cares if gas is $2 a gallon?

Want to read it on the web? Too bad, follow this link. You'll find this message, "We do not have permission to reproduce this story on our website". Now the article was written by a N&O correspondent, why would they not have permission to post a N&O correspondent's story on their own website?

Probably because the story is good news. The NC beaches are literally packed this weekend. You cannot buy a parking space at Wrightsville Beach. The article interviews beach goers who say the price of gas is insignificant. The beach merchants are expecting their best summer in years, thanks to the thriving economy. This is the kind of good news the N&O can't stand.

According to the article, requests for tourist information are up 100% from last year. Revenue collections for the state from room taxes are way up from last year, $2.9 million from last year for March alone. "That's a record" said Woody Hall, an economist at UNC-Wilmington.

But the N&O will keep hammering the Bush economy and how horrible it is for women and minorities.

The sad thing is, we really don't expect any better from them.

Even sadder are polls that say most Americans don't believe the economy is improving. No wonder.

[TC Rider]

My .02 cents.

[Montfort]

I noticed the bias when I visited the RTP area. Truly loathsome newspaper.

[Captain Rabbit]

"But the N&O will keep hammering the Bush economy and how horrible it is for women and minorities. The sad thing is, we really don't expect any better from them. Even sadder are polls that say most Americans don't believe the economy is improving. No wonder." This is status quo for the DNC. They excel at attempting to, and many times succeeding in convincing the American public that only through the government can the economy improve. This DNC tactic gives many people in America a scapegoat. "Lose your job while the Republicans were in office? Well that's because this administration doesn't care about you! I, , will make sure you get a job and keep a job!" The whole debate cements their position, in the minds of many Americans, as all powerful deities who control jobs and inflation the way Henson controlled Kermit. BTW: Good article.

[xrp]

More seeking help in N.C. Gas, utility prices affecting the poor

I am so sick and tired of hearing how utility bills affect the poor so much. I wish this news source would bother to do investigative reporting on the full story.

It would be interesting to see if these so called poor are out buying lottery tickets, beer and cigarettes, THEN complaining about their utility bill while cooling to 68F (in summer) and heating to 80F (in winter). I cool to about 79F and heat to about 62F and my utility bills for 1400 sq feet average $75/month, easily affordable for ANY income.

[singlemomofone]

Here's what I find amazing. I keep reading in the N&O and elsewhere, stories such as those found in today's article. A person that used to make $60,000.00 as a graphic artist, lost his job due to jobs going overseas. Now he moans about making $9.00 an hour assembling bikes and toys at Toy's R Us. Then there is the woman who said she was making $35,000.00 as a clerical worker in manufacturing, and has lost her job due to companies closing down to go overseas, and is working at Walmart for a much lower salary. I also remember reading a few weeks ago about a technology worker who had lost his job - same circumstances - and was now bagging groceries at a grocery store.

I work for a company that provides mortgage servicing to lenders. We have been in a reach crunch to find qualified people to work in telephone customer service, tax analysts to research and pay real estate taxes, etc. We can't seem to find enough qualified workers. So where are all these people?

The truth isn't being told here. While the huge salaries are not available at our company, I would think that making $25 - 30K in an office environment, where you can work towards supervisory positions, get benefits, etc... certainly is better than bagging groceries and working at Walmart for minimum wage and unaffordable benefits. The people I describe above would be fine for these jobs. The "overqualfied" issue doesn't exist right now because employers understand that folks are having to start over. But none of these people are applying.

What I think is happening is that the high salary people are working menial pay jobs so they can continue to collect benefits given to those who are unemployed such as a check for doing nothing more than writing down two websites a week where you allegedly "applied" for work. And how about the free "re-training", school, etc. they get. If they took a real job, they would lose these benefits.

I'm tired of seeing the media report that all these highly-paid people can now only find minimum wage jobs. That's untrue. People aren't making the efforts to find them because it would mean going back to a life of honest work for your pay and benefits. And they'd lose the sympathy factor also.

Sorry to sound so unsympathetic and cynical, but in the industry I'm in, I've been displaced and laid off over and over, and I've always found a comparable - if not better - opportunity with a bit of effort and ambition. And by the way - I don't have a college degree.

[Willie Green]

They keep harping on the high cost of gas (the sole remaining poor economic indicator),

Not true.
Mortgage rates are climbing and Housing Starts have declined.
And the Trade and Budget deficits remain at astronomicly unacceptable levels.

[Willie Green]

My .02 cents.

That only gets you about 2½ tablespoons of gas.
You're not going to get very far on that.

[TC Rider]

It would be interesting to see if these so called poor are out buying lottery tickets, beer and cigarettes, THEN complaining about their utility bill while cooling to 68F (in summer) and heating to 80F (in winter). I cool to about 79F and heat to about 62F and my utility bills for 1400 sq feet average $75/month, easily affordable for ANY income.

The truely poor in NC have plenty of public and private agencies in NC to provide winter heat. We have pretty mild winters with a few cold snaps that last a day or two. Most of the 'poor' heat with kerosine heaters or wood stoves.

As far as lottery tickets go, the poor are forced to buy that $2.00/gallon gas to drive to SC or Virginia to get their lottery tickets, and believe me, they do

[Willie Green]

Whoa! Finish your coffee and check your math, WG.
2½ tablespoons of gas is for 2¢
.02¢ gets you only 1/100 of that.
Gotta ditch the measuring spoons and get-out the eyedropper.

[TC Rider]

I'm guessing you're going to be getting behind the Nader/Buchannon ticket.

It's no surprise the mortgage rates are starting to creep up, that's indicated in a surging economy (supply/demand).

I've not seen the numbers on housing starts.

[Hardastarboard]

I agree. I work in the software industry, and currently we're courting a client out West. They're trying to hire several qualified people, and can't because they aren't getting enough resumes. Admittedly, those positions require an education, but these guys are willing to be flexible. It's just amazing to me to hear those stories in what is supposed to be such a horrible economy. And we're losing people as well. That wouldn't happen if there weren't jobs out there.

[TC Rider]

Settle down and check again.

.02 of gas.

$2.00 a gallon times .02 is equal to .01 gallon equal to 2.56 tablespoons.

Try this: http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

[ricks_place]

The Raleigh News and Observer often seems overly homo-friendly.
...Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[TC Rider]

Let's just say that they enthusiastically support the Gay/Lesbian/Transgendered agenda.

[Willie Green]

I'm guessing you're going to be getting behind the Nader/Buchannon ticket.

That's a silly assumption.
But that's to be expected from anybody who's adolescently cavalier and irresponsible to publicly state "Who cares if gas is $2 a gallon?"

[usapatriot28]

2½ tablespoons of gas is for 2¢
.02¢ gets you only 1/100 of that.

Uh, better check that again.
$2.00 per gallon = $0.0078125 per tablespoon
$0.02 / $0.0078125 = 2.56 tablespoons

[rodguy911]

Remind me never to argue with you guys.

[Willie Green]

$0.02 / $0.0078125 = 2.56 tablespoons

Which is why I originally rounded it to 2½ tablespoons.
But then I noticed he was only offering 0.02¢, not $0.02.

[TC Rider]

But then I noticed he was only offering 0.02¢, not $0.02.

Ooops, my mistake.

But please don't hijack my thread over a misplaced decimal point.

The point of this thread is not how much gas you can buy for 2 cents.

The point is that while most economic indicators are up, and unemployment in NC is down, the N&O persists on playing the victim/race card to tar the burgeoning economy while downplaying any good news.

According to the N&O there was no poverty in NC during the Clinton years, the poor feasted on caviar, truffles and croisants. They all had new cars, their kids all got straight A's and no one was homeless.

[Willie Green]

But please don't hijack my thread over a misplaced decimal point.
The point of this thread is not how much gas you can buy for 2 cents.

I agree. I certainly don't want to get into any lengthy debate over the placement of decimal points and rounding of fractions.

The point is that while most economic indicators are up, and unemployment in NC is down, the N&O persists on playing the victim/race card to tar the burgeoning economy while downplaying any good news.

Well you're the one who selected the price of gas as one of the examples to illustrate your point.
Frankly, I really don't care what you're political philosophy may be, liberal, conservative, libertarian, etc. etc. etc. My only real objection is your cavalier dismissal of the economic impact of oil prices. I really don't like having my intelligence insulted with such flagrant stupidity. America has been dumbed-down far enough, don't you think?