Those elusive jobs

[ProSense]

Those elusive jobs

by Joan McCarter

The Republican line du jour of there being plenty of jobs out there for the taking if the snooty, lazy, drug-addicted hobos would just deign to fill them is completely blown away by The Atlantic's Daniel Indiviglio, with this simple chart.



Indiviglio states the obvious:

This chart shows a serious problem. That giant gap consists of Americans who are unemployed, and couldn't get a job even if they wanted to. This emphasizes the need for Congress to extend unemployment benefits. It's pretty clear that millions of Americans remain unemployed because the jobs aren't there -- not becuase they aren't trying hard enough to find them. In fact, it's not even close.

More stimulus to create more jobs would be a really smart solution right now, but that seems not to be on anyone's to-do list. The only solution available in the immediate term--extend unemployment benefits. But it also means extending the critical assistance to states that the Republicans have also been blocking, because another half a million jobs are likely to be lost without it.

[PurityOfEssence]

1. One thing we know for certain:

"Jobless Recovery" is not a liberal concept...

[LiberalEsto]

2. Thanks for posting this

Some folks seem to think we, the unemployed, can just go out and find jobs if we are willing to try hard enough. I've had 2 interviews in the past 2 years. As soon as they look at me and see an older woman (now 58), they back off. When I was in my 20s I must have gotten spoiled, because I was almost always hired as soon as I walked in the door for an interview.

By the way, today's print edition of the Washington Post had 2 jobs in the help wanted classifieds.

There were 6 1/2 pages of ads for trustees (foreclosure) sales in the same classified section.

[ProSense]

3. This country needs a new economic driver

The Industrial Revolution has run its course.

America is bleeding jobs. The Gulf is bleeding oil. When will everyone realize it's time to move on a climate change bill and an entirely new model for job creation and sustainable growth?

I wonder how many people have lost jobs making things that are now or on the way to being completely obsolete?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.