Mr. Brooks
As I know that you will more than likely not read this email personally rather sorted by a junior employee, or possibly an intern, I have still decided to let my voice be heard via an NYT emial link on your page.
I have been an avid reader or the New York Times and its opinion section since high school, and have enjoyed reading your articles over the past few years. I am a sophomore in college now and consider myself a liberal leaning moderate (if that even really exists these days), yet I believe that your slightly more conservative view challenges me to in many cases look at an issue or situation with another lense, the views of which I respect, trust, and consider.
However, I had trouble with your recent article "Where the Jobs Aren't." I do not plan to refute any of your data or call you a liar in any sort of way. I have read about other instances in which public green energy investment has ultimately not lived up to its promise or potential. Nonetheless, that does not mean that the money was not effective. In what one may call a job-loss another a technological advance. Moreover, the data does not signal the ails of government investment into these so call "job killers."
I believe that in this dawn of a new "Green Technologies" not all investment in that sector is going to lead to job growth. And if you take it one step further, many investments, especially on a large scale, in a majority of today's markets or private companies can't yield the same number of job creation that it once could-- i.e. the economic success of the mid to late 80s.
Right now, our country is for the first time seeing what a mess the 2008 crisis was. However, this hindsight is coming at the worst possible time: the European Zone is proving to be almost disastrous; and the American conservative right are doing everything they can in this vulnerable political climate to seize power in 2012. We cannot control much of anything that is going along less of sending some smart advisors and showing moral support (unless, of course, something crazy and unexpected happens, but fingers crossed). The latter, unfortunately, is causing some real pains and problems. Not only have they effectively demonized and even belittled the president in many ways (which don't get me wrong he has made some significant mistakes and has deserved some of the criticism), but also they have almost certainly made any sort of substantial job creation legislation virtually impossible to pass. The best that we, political junkies as some may say, can hope for is a couple of fries although we really need the full Happy Meal-- and the toy.
My point is that don't criticize one specific sector in which Obama and most other liberals support investment. What you should criticize is the way Washington has wasted its summer on debt ceiling talks when it should have focused on the effect of the economic withdrawals that come any time a lengthy stimulus bids its farewell.
We lost 34,000 public sector jobs in July. The real kicker though is that the private sector gained 17,000 jobs in August and the public sector lost 17,000. Hence the big fat 0-- or bagel as my old spanish teacher used to say when you didn't do your homework.
Shouldn't we be doing everything we can both fiscally and monetarily to stimulate this stagnant economy and nervous market instead of creating uncertainty with all of the Dodd-Frank back and forth shenanigans or the job killing legislation such as large budget cuts to state agencies and federal agencies.
Yes, you are correct in your analysis of green investment. It does not create jobs. But thats how it is when the jobs you create are for qualified solar technicians or engineers. Because let's face it, the steady middle to low wage jobs that are so desperately needed do not exist in this country any more as they used to. The reason why India and China are doing quite well economically even after 2008 is that they are having a surge of middle class- middle wage workers that we saw in the 1980s in the Detriot Motor plants or the 1990s Russel plants.
But recently there has been a shift in supply-- geographically. And This shift caused a large number of jobs to just disappear. And this time, many of them are not coming back.
Our country is about to undergo a considerable amount of economic change over the next few years. Technology is increasing at such a rate that many of the jobs and tasks that kept people employed are now becoming computerized like never before. Just walk into a Wendy's or Burger King along the New York interstates-- most of them have automate computers that take your orders. There are still several employees to make and serve the food. But not as many are needed during lunch rush or dinner rush. Other restaurants, especially small businesses and locally owned, are choosing to higher fewer people for longer hours. It saves them money to know that each employee will be at work for 40 hours a week or more (including overtime pay), rather than many employees that work less hours that can still earn benefits.
In cruddy economies, employers try to find the best ways to attract consumers while saving money. Whether its a multinational chain of restaurants or a locally owned Bottleshop / Meat-and-two diner, a green energy engineering firm or a municipal government office, they are going to react based on the effectiveness of our government and the stability of our markets.
There is a lot to blame. On both sides. By not producing legislation or by overproducing bad versions of bills, both sides of the aisle have refused to show that they can lend help when its needed.
I'd Like to hear your opinion, Mr. Brooks.
Sincerely,
Mitchell Parrish
No comments:
Post a Comment