What will you have?
The Unemployment issue is getting really juicy and interesting. I’ve been doing a lot of looking into the subject because I thought that there was already going to be a decision made on Unemployment Extension by now. But I just checked and it looks like Unemployment Extension is in a really fuzzy area. Some Democrats are attempting to link an Unemployment Extension with the upcoming Tax Cut issue. But the reality is that no one really knows what is going to happen with Unemployment benefit extensions. There was talk of Tier 5 Unemployment benefits for people who have been unemployed for long periods of time, but that didn’t go to far. I’ve been reading many articles that are from different online periodicals that are specific to certain states like Illinois and others. They all show a certain level of concern regarding the issue of Unemployment Benefits running out for oftentimes hundreds of thousands of people.
A major argument that I see used on these publications is that there is a benefit to people spending the money that they will get from the unemployment checks. This makes some sense because if people don’t have money, they don’t spend it. And thus the economy suffers because of lack of movement and growth. But the problem is that the United States isn’t in a state of growth anymore. People don’t want to admit that. A great deal of newscasts and blogs talk about how the economy is either going to “Double Dip” or else get better. No one really knows. But there is one fact that we do know for sure. And that is that automation of labor is increasing at an ever more rapid rate than a decade ago.
Physical machines and digital computer software are making it possible for businesses to give employees multiple hats and duties. A secretary from a few years ago had a certain number of responsibilities. And now he or she most likely has even more tasks to do, because of downsizing and computer software. With the advent of social networking and social media, advertising has had some new jobs pop up. But at the same time job openings are looking for people with social media and networking skills and experience for many entry level positions in the online world. So these new mediums for employment are often getting lumped into the requirements for positions that did not previously require them.
The end result that no one really seems to be talking about is that the United States of America is in a state of contraction and the pupa stages of metamorphosis. This is a really intriguing time to be living in, because we get to observe such rapid change on global and national levels.
One thing that needs to be considered is that a great deal of wealth creation occurs as a result of some sort of exploitation. Now this exploitation can be via natural resources, like how we cut down most of our trees in Europe and the USA. Or that exploitation can be through making other people do work that is part of a system of creating finished manufactured goods. So one less developed country may distribute natural resources or unfinished items that are transported to a wealthier nation-state that then finishes the products and then sells them to other countries, oftentimes the very same countries that sold the unfinished goods in the first place. Cycles likes these are, just part of the reality for wealth creation. People are always searching for new markets.
But what happens when the search for new markets turns up empty? People can get flat screen TV’s for $500, or less. Families only need one of these things every decade or so. Even with systems like planned obsolescence, there is still the unavoidable idea of, “I don’t have room for or want any more crap.”
This is why this unemployment issue is in such a fuzzy area. It is because we are dealing with the nasty symptoms of a much more serious disease. And that disease is an economy that is experiencing a form of Anorexia/Bulimia.
Another thing to consider is that even if people are able to find jobs, there is no guarantee they will earn as much money as they used to. So if people stay on Unemployment, then there will be continual drain on the deficit, which will help to continually inflate our currency and make the dollar even more worthless. And the alternative is having these people go back to work with lower paying jobs. And then they will be spending less money because they won’t have as much in their bank accounts and credit lines. Thus the amount of money being introduced into the economy will contract. The end results for either scenario are grim and do not lead toward economic growth in any way, shape or form.
That’s why I’m getting into Hip-Hop.
-Tyler
