Monday, January 26, 2009

Layoffs Galore

Look through all the papers, newsreports, economic blogs and all you see are reports of LAYOFFS. Not just one or two -- but all over. Lots in retail, tech, Home Depot, Hertz, etc., etc., etc.

Right now, the market is up.

I think this is just an early round of job loss. More firms will be going bankrupt. Some will be liquidated. There will be permanent job loss -- at least until we have a real recovery.

Now, there's an interesting concept, a "real recovery" -- as opposed to another bubble. That is all we really had during the Bush years -- a bubble. Even as the bubble bursts, and TRILLIONS are lost, the "conservatives" do not want to accept the facts before their eyes. Former "middle class" folks are losing homes, hopes, dreams, futures -- and moving forward as best they can, while the wealthy, and formerly wealthy ALL want a bailout. In fact they seem to think they DESERVE a bailout. They can't seem to admit it was all air.

There are times I think our real Oligarchs promote these recessions, simply to teach some of the upstarts where they really belong in the scheme of things. Take the "new rich" down a peg or three -- show them where they really belong.

I've been told that's not so. My friends may well be right. I may well be wrong, but it just seems every new wealth "superstar" gets smacked down after a while.

Be that as it may (hows that for a mealy-mouthed phrase?), I think we are going to see some more really serious job losses -- with a sharp fall of the various stock markets -- until, eventually, the Republicans realize THEIR future might well be in jeopardy -- then we will see public works, infrastructure renewal, of a scale not currently imagined.

Either that, or they do not give a damn about the country.

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