MSNBC: "Concerns about job quality...dismissed by Bush and his allies"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5612752/

On Friday, all eyes will be on the monthly employment report, which is expected to show that about 220,000 jobs were created in July, an improvement over the relatively anemic 112,000 created in June. Several analysts believe the total could be higher, up to 300,000, especially after Thursday’s report of a drop in new claims for unemployment benefits. The unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 5.6 percent, where it has been stuck virtually all year.

Several recent studies have concluded that most jobs created in the past year have been at businesses that pay below-average wages such as retail stores, restaurants and hotels. If so, even strong job gains over coming months might not be enough to lift consumer spending, which hit a troubling slow patch in June.

Concerns about job quality have become a political football, embraced by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and dismissed by President Bush and his allies. They point to sharply rising overall wages and after-tax income, as well as the steadily growing number of jobs, which is crucial.

A report by Mark Zandi, chief economist of consulting firm Economy.com, came to a similar conclusion. Of 1.4 million jobs created over the past year, 55 percent were in “low-wage” industries and about 35 percent in “high-wage” industries. (The remaining 10 percent were in industries that paid average wages.)

[Eric J in MN]

1. sharply rising overall wage?

I've been reading about declining wages.

Maybe the Bush Administration is averaging CEO pay with ordinary pay.

If you average the salary of a McDonald's worker with that of Bill Gates, the two of them are billionaires, on average.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

2. There was a story in the last month on CEO salaries...

...which essentially said that in the last year overall compensation, stock options, bonus, etc. for CEOs skyrocketed.

I didn't bookmark it...I couldn't get past the first paragraph. If you look at the "one percent club," Bush is absolutely telling the truth.

[nolajazz]

4. Yes, compensation for CEO's increased twenty some percent,

while average salary increase for all others was about 4%.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

7. And that opens the door for Bush to say...

...that his tax cuts are working, because if there's one thing we all know, it's the fact that a CEO will take all of that surplus income and invest it back into the economy and create more high-paying jobs.

At least that's what he keeps telling us.

On a happier note, welcome to DU!

:toast:

[Fish08]

12. I have heard of many conservative think-thanks

pushing for an abolishment of the minimum wage because they believe that will allow more people to be introduced into the employed bracket. Total BS of course. This type of protection is crucial to tackling poverty in developed nations but it in the cold eye of the misguided economist anything goes.

[xray s]

3. I guess 2% salary increases are "sharply rising" to Bush

That is what most people experience, if they have a job. All of it and them some gets eaten up in higher energy, education, health care and local tax increases.

Bush needs to keep telling people how their income is sharply rising. I really want to see him only win Texas in November.

[PsN2Wind]

5. You have to remember that

Potus pay doubled for Dubya. Had to increase it to attract "quality" candidates, ya know.

[stevebreeze]

6. keep in mind that a 2% pay hike with a 3% inflation increase

is a "real", or adjusted for inflation pay CUT!

[Ms. Clio]

8. Let them eat Prozac, says Bush Campaigner

Thu Jul 29, 1:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A campaign worker for President Bush (news - web sites) said on Thursday American workers unhappy with low-quality jobs should find new ones -- or pop a Prozac to make themselves feel better.

Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?" said Susan Sheybani, an assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry Holt.

The comment was apparently directed to a colleague who was transferring a phone call from a reporter asking about job quality, and who overheard the remark.

When told the Prozac comment had been overheard, Sheybani said: "Oh, I was just kidding."


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040729/pl_nm/campaign_jobs_dc_1

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

14. If you "Google" Sheybani you get a zillion results...

...but the story just went away.

She said "I was kidding" just like Cheney said "I felt better" after his "go f**k yourself" incident. No apology, no "maybe I should think before I open my mouth." The story just went away, assisted by an aggressive increase in attacks on Kerry's war record. THAT became the focus...that became the source of outrage...people stopped talking about Sheybani.

Bush keeps talking about going to junior college to get "re-educated" for one of the exciting new lower-paying jobs. It's his way of saying if you don't like your job, get a better one...or take a Prozac.

[Ms. Clio]

17. Yeah, go back to school, and watch that job disappear in a decade, too

I know someone who is going back to school to become certified in radiography. She's excited because she has been told that there are lots of jobs in the field and it pays well.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that reading X-rays is another decent-paying job that is also increasingly being outsourced to India.

Did you create that graphic? That is so cool.

[JPJones]

9. They've obviously never worked for minimum wage

My children will, not because they have to do it, but so that they don't become Republicans.

Dems have to not let them talk about average salary. We only accept the median salary.

[Disturbed]

11. The Neo Fascists...

only care about Corporations. They want to turn the Middle Class into the Working Poor without Health Care, Unions, lowered worker's comp. no OT Pay and forced OT. Any Middle or Working Poor person that votes for the Neo Fascists is voting against themself and their children if they have any. The Neo Fascists are the enemy of the Working Class.

[cthrumatrix]

10. facts are usually dismissed or ignored by this WH ..... don't be surprised

[tibbiit]

13. Kick for a laugh

nt.
tib

[rfkrocks]

15. But my "base" has their tax cuts and salary bonus says Shrub

The rest of you workers eat your gruel and be happy-see I like NASCAR and country music like you and be careful "terra,terra, terra" will come and get you dissenters

[Terran]

16. Whatever protestations Bush may make about quality are moot

since only 32,000 jobs were created in July--a loooong way from the 300,000 they were hoping for. I mean, I wish 300,000 *decent* jobs *had* been created, but this just shows that Bushco doesn't know wtf it's doing on the economy.

[SidDithers]

18. Don't forget about the downward revisions...

for May and June.

June 112,000 becomes 78,000
May 235,000 becomes 208,000

http://www.thestreet.com/markets/rebeccabyrne/10176918.html

Sid