Category Archives: unemployment

Sun flurries and sportswear in South Philly


On Sunday there were sun flurries. Very pretty, swirling on the parking lot under a semi-clear sky, but only for a few minutes. I was working outside a big-box store that sells sportswear. Ball caps bearing team logos, shiny clown … Continue reading

Posted in humor, life in the big city, pop music, sports, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

There will be blood (or more apathy)


There’s nothing new about eras in which the rich grow richer as the majority slips into the ditch. Or about gilded ages being followed by periods in which worker incomes rise. In between are those interesting chapters in which the … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Depression, history, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama’s jobs plan… Is that all there is?


OK, here it is, the one substantive suggestion regarding job creation in Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, dutifully reported by The Hill: “Tonight, I propose a ‘Fix-It-First’ program to put people to work as soon as possible on … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Will Obama get real about jobs?


[Hard to tell why the woman in the video is working herself up to jump off a bridge. Maybe it’s Jolson’s voice.] I’m posting this right before the State of the Union address, in the hope that my remarks will … Continue reading

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Are permatemps here to stay?


One of the things I can’t stand about Barack Obama is his glib complacency regarding the job market. He’s a great talker, but I’ve never heard him make a truly impassioned speech about putting the unemployed and the underemployed back … Continue reading

Posted in globalization, history, mainstream media, Obama, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Joking about the jobless in The Times


There are many jerks in positions of authority, but this fact isn’t likely to hit you on a gut level unless you’re unemployed and in debt and sending resumes to that black hole in the Internet where job applications disappear. … Continue reading

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A rear-view glance at Lance


Between Lance Armstrong admitting he was doping and Jodie Foster coming out as a lesbian, it has been a rough week for the clueless. — Bill Mayer, Real Time, Jan. 18 I groan when the corporate media declare a new … Continue reading

Posted in bicycling, dirty rotten scoundrels, economic collapse, humor, liar, mainstream media, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Safety measures too ‘costly’ for Walmart


Officials at the retail monster called Walmart couldn’t install emergency exits at the Bangladesh factory where more than 100 workers died in a Nov. 4 fire. Too cash-strapped, it seems: … In a meeting last year, Walmart officials decided against … Continue reading

Posted in dirty rotten scoundrels, economic collapse, unemployment | 1 Comment

Grayson: Grand Bargain is bunk


Alan Grayson’s tie is goofy, but I like what he has to say about the false need for a so-called Grand Bargain: “An artificial crisis is being instituted to steal from us, to steal from the middle class, and to … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, taxes, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , | 1 Comment

What would you say if Barry came knocking?


President Obama was at the Jersey shore yesterday to signal support for those who got slammed by Frankenstorm. If I lived there and Barry came to my door, I’d ask for help but expect him to say, “We’re gonna see … Continue reading

Posted in climate change, economic collapse, environmentalism, humor, mainstream media, Mitt Romney, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment