Economic Recovery in America

[DGuller]

I assume most of y'all are in favor of some sort of income redistribution?

Can you think of a way to change the corporate culture more toward benefitting employees than we currently see that doesn't involve government redistribution? Serious question.

Bring back the unions?  Not sure that would be better, since in US, unions are less about organized labor than they are about organized crime.

[Admiral Yi]

Can you think of a way to change the corporate culture more toward benefitting employees than we currently see that doesn't involve government redistribution? Serious question.

I interpret "corporate culture" as incentive systems.  The only way to incentivize managers to pay more in wages than the market will bear is to nationalize everything.

[Admiral Yi]

Bring back the unions?  Not sure that would be better, since in US, unions are less about organized labor than they are about organized crime.

Unions need a closed system to work.  In an open system you would get the same results the UAW generated.

[Siege]

From 2009-2012:

Worker productivity: up 4.5 percent
Median hourly wages: down 2.8 percent.

Cue Comte d'Argent and Ideologue.  Go get 'em.

Who is Cue Comte d'Argent?

CdM?
Are you speaking francois?
I thought Count was Compte, and Argent was silver?

I'm probably totally wrong as always...

[Admiral Yi]

Argent is money is French.

[Siege]

Oh...

So Argentine means money?

[jimmy olsen]

Seems like every recovery is a jobless recovery at first.

Except, for instance, the New Deal.

There wasn't much of a recovery from the Depression until the war.


On the other hand, as far as IICR none of the recoveries between 1950-2000 were of the jobless variety.

[Jacob]

Oh...

So Argentine means money?

Silver, actually. From the Latin word for silver, which then became the French word for money.

[MadImmortalMan]

I assume most of y'all are in favor of some sort of income redistribution?

If so, what form would you prefer?  Monthly check?  Refundable tax credit?  Make-work jobs for the unemployed and/or underemployed?  Housing vouchers? 

Who should get it?  What's the income cap?  24K for a single, 48 for a family of 4?  All 99%?

I'm not a huge fan of income redistribution, but I don't intend these questions ironically.  And I think with winner take all markets a reasonable case can be made for redistribution.

I'd guess the make-work projects are the best. My old high school is still playing their football games in a stadium built by one of those things back in the 30s. It's a solid asset still providing a function decades later. Much better than just dumping cash into black holes or digging and re-filling ditches.

[The Minsky Moment]

Except, for instance, the New Deal.

There is a HUGE difference between 25% unemployment and 15%.

[Caliga]

My company is growing like crazy.  Three new hires started this week (all three being newly created positions).

[CountDeMoney]

There is a HUGE difference between 25% unemployment and 15%.

Between the deliberate elimination of government and the most popular way to increase of shareholder value, we'll get there soon enough.

[The Minsky Moment]

Who is Cue Comte d'Argent?

Tabulation of the swag?
That portion of the indictment alleging pecuniary gain?

[fhdz]

If so, what form would you prefer?  Monthly check?  Refundable tax credit?  Make-work jobs for the unemployed and/or underemployed?  Housing vouchers?

Public works projects and their attendant jobs is probably tops on my list. Further extension of the mortgage assistance program would be a good second. Federal job retraining programs would be another good one.

[fhdz]

Except, for instance, the New Deal.

There is a HUGE difference between 25% unemployment and 15%.

Indeed. There's also a huge difference between 15% and 5%.