President Blames Unemployment On Lack Of Tech Skills

IEEE ^

[Florida_Irish]

During a Wednesday morning (July 30th) press conference, President Bush was asked a question about jobs going overseas as a result of technological innovation. His response was:

"I fully understand what you're saying. In other words, as technology races through the economy, a lot of times worker skills don't keep up with technological change."

Many people have taken his response to mean that unemployment in the high-tech sector is the result of American workers who allowed their skills to become obsolete. This is an unacceptable explanation.

[dirtboy]

No, I'm posting facts. The facts in this case **refute** your claim that average salaries declined in 2002.

I did not claim such - I claimed that the middle class was shrinking.

Try and keep your spin straight.

[dirtboy]

Now, after seeing that government did quite well last year, let's see how information did:

Information............................................... 47,087,558 -2,365,010 -4.8

Down 4.8 percent. Yep, those are largely good-paying middle-class jobs, exactly what Bush says folks should be training for.

[Southack]

"Q Thank you, Mr. President. Staying with that theme, although there are some signs of improvement in the economy, there are sectors in the work force who feel like they're being left behind. [now notice the 2 part question] They're concerned about jobs going overseas, that technology is taking over [their] jobs. And these people are finding difficulty finding work. And although you're recommitted yourself to your tax cut policy, do you have any ideas or any plans within the administration of what you might do for these people who feel like there are fundamental changes happening in the work force and in the economy?

THE PRESIDENT: Sure. Listen, I fully understand what you're saying. In other words..."

Bush rephrased the multi-part question using the key phrase "In other words...". Bush then answered the part about technology overtaking jobs with his government retraining/jobsearch program.

[dirtboy]

The closest number I saw was December 2001 - November 2002, and it was 2.2 percent. That meant that average incomes did not keep up with inflation, and, using the link you provided, non-governmental salaries went up about .8 percent - or about 1.4 percent LESS than the rate of inflation.

Thanks for the link, BTW. It's helped my case a lot more than it's helped yours.

[dirtboy]

Bush rephrased the multi-part question using the key phrase "In other words...". Bush then answered the part about technology overtaking jobs with his government retraining/jobsearch program.

Which meant that he was oblivious to the larger problems that have been debated in depth on this thread. As you seem to be as well.

[Southack]

"I claimed that the middle class was shrinking."

Care to show some statistics to back up how our middle class is supposedly "shrinking" when average national salaries are going up?

[ninenot]

Rove got a blast of unhappiness from Harley-Davidson when Evans made his pilgrimage to Wisconsin.

Harley released a 4-page letter (and a bunch of appendices) telling the President that Red China was making it IMPOSSIBLE to sell Harley products in China, despite the treaty provisions supposedly designed to make trade "free."

I don't think that this is simply a memorandum, and although many may interpret it this way, reading between the lines will give one a better sense of Harley's unhappiness. In addition, of course, Harley spoke for numbers of OTHER firms who export.

You can also bet that Chao, Evans, and (some other Cabinet-type) who visited Wisconsin this past Tuesday did NOT get bouquets of love and kisses from the Wisconsin industrialists and plants they visited.

Maybe Rove will get the hint...

[dirtboy]

Care to show some statistics to back up how our middle class is supposedly "shrinking" when average national salaries are going up?

I thought you wanted me to show how average salaries are decreasing. But, whoops, I just did, once inflation is factored in. And that doesn't even reflect the millions of unemployed.

[Southack]

"Which meant that he was oblivious to the larger problems that have been debated in depth on this thread. As you seem to be as well."

What an odd conclusion to draw. Bush answers one question, and you somehow extrapolate from the fact that he didn't address a different, unasked question...that he is somehow "oblivious" to said unasked issue?!

[MatthewViti]

and because we just sold your jobs to India.

[MatthewViti]

What is the fax and phone numbers that are best to use?

[Southack]

"I thought you wanted me to show how average salaries are decreasing. But, whoops, I just did, once inflation is factored in."

Your spin is getting a bit out of control. You haven't shown that national average salaries are decreasing. All that you've done is to show that a single technical field had a 3% decline. And inflation has nothing to do with this, and it won't, until we get into **relative** declines rather than absolute declines.

[dirtboy]

What an odd conclusion to draw. Bush answers one question, and you somehow extrapolate from the fact that he didn't address a different, unasked question...that he is somehow "oblivious" to said unasked issue?!

Outsourcing was part of the reporter's question. Bush responded that training was the answer - when there are many, MANY well-trained and experienced IT workers on the unemployment line.

You just keep circling around and around, pretending that you're debating. But you're not fooling anyone, except for maybe yourself.

But others who were initially on your side agreed that the party that addresses these issues will be in the catbird seat come 2008.

[dirtboy]

Your spin is getting a bit out of control. You haven't shown that national average salaries are decreasing.

Adjusted for inflation, they did just that. Take out governmental jobs, and average salaries after inflation went down about 1.4 percent. That ain't spin. That's the ground truth.

All that you've done is to show that a single technical field had a 3% decline.

Try 4.8 percent - BEFORE inflation. And that is ALL of information processing - once touted as the future of the American economy. But you downplay it - again.

You're really getting more and more contemptable by the minute. Decent folks who support Bush would NEVER go this far to downplay the suffering that millions are facing in this country. But all you can pretend is that down is somehow up.

[ninenot]

WOW!!

Whatta passage!!

happy to see you have returned to the posting game. BlackElk pinged...

Yeah--seems that Newtie Gingrich and Billo-Clinton forgot about Adam Smith's admonition when they decided "free trade" was the greatest thing since Gummint giveaways.

Taxes and Regs, Taxes and Regs: make-a the Tariff equal Taxes and Regs...

[MatthewViti]

Idiot of the year award.

[dirtboy]

You haven't shown that national average salaries are decreasing.

OK, Southack, tell me how an increase in average salaries of 1.8 percent, coupled with an inflation rate of 2.2 percent, is a net positive.

[ninenot]

Then there's the Chicago Sun-Times piece (7/19) in which the writer, a banker and industrialist, states that REAL wages are less now than they were in 1947.

...and while anybody can get a raise of 3-4%, if the COL increases by same or more, that's a REAL wage decrease.

[dirtboy]

and while anybody can get a raise of 3-4%, if the COL increases by same or more, that's a REAL wage decrease.

Which I subsequently demonstrated - average wages went up 1.8 percent last year, whereas inflation increased about 2.2 percent. But Southack assures me that I am wrong for saying that's a net decrease. And, considering that government average incomes went up by 4.9 percent, the average salary in the private sector went up by only .8 percent - or about 1.4 percent BELOW the rate of inflation. But according to Southack, I'm all full of it.

Someone help me to to understand Southackenomics, please. Must be that new math.

[dogbyte12]

In 1947... a high school graduate could get a factory job, and buy a house after a few years. Try that today.