Well, I heard the news yesterday about the unemployment picture. I suppose you heard the news also. The employment outlook is bad: Companies are laying-off workers, the high percentage of unemployed workers includes people who have been out of work for a very long time, and some economists fear these are signaling the start of another recession.
The news didn’t surprise me, or angered me. I resigned myself, a long time ago, to the idea that we have become a nation that is committed to operating on a “repeating-pattern” of economic insanity. First, we begin the pattern by telling the American people we need to lower taxes in order to create jobs. Second, we lower taxes. Third, no new jobs are created; instead, companies rehire laid-off workers to perform their previous jobs for wages that are one-half of their previous salaries, and do not include previous benefits. Fourth, workers who are till earning decent wages with decent benefits are laid-off, and this brings us back to the first step in the “repeating-pattern.” For once again we’re told we need to lower taxed in order to create jobs. Once again we lower taxes. Once again, no new jobs are created; instead, companies rehire laid-off workers to perform their previous jobs for wages that are one-half of their previous salaries without previous benefits. Once again, workers who are still earning decent wages with decent benefits are laid-off, and we’re back to the first step of this “repeating-pattern,” which has gone full cycle at least five times in the past 11 years, and will in the future continue its cycles of economic insanity.
It is clear to me that the Republican Party, in general, and the Tea Party more specifically, have figured out that they are the dominant voices in political communication. They know they have the backing of corporate America (including the oil companies, the insurance companies, the defense contractors, and many others) who determines net work programming on radio and television. They also know they have the backing of those who own and control the majority of radio and television stations, including Fox News, CNN, and conservative talk radios. They know that is easy, therefore, for them to coerce the American people into swallow anything they serve-up, if they can keep the American people too afraid to try anything different.
My fellow Americans, if we are loosing jobs, and we decide to try a new strategy, the worst we can do is to continue to loose jobs. However, the best we can do could include returning our nation to the part of steady growth, prosperity and employment for all.
I think it is worth trying. Don’t you?
By
James A. Porter
