Forget tax cuts & politicians, HERE's how you create jobs!

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1) Buy items made in the USA!

If each American changed their spending habits by $1 a day/$30 a month, it would make a $110 BILLION 880 MILLION change in the US economy.

I am not saying you need to spend more, just make a conscious effort to buy a US product instead of a foreign made product.

Not only will it create more jobs, it will use less gasoline, and the product will probably be healthier for you.

American Made Products and/or Services Made in USA

Made in the USA Products Directory

Still Made in USA.com - American-Made Products for Home and Family

2) Buy items made locally or from local stores!

3 times as much money stays in the local economy if you buy from a local business rather than a chain store.

3) Don't shop at Wal-mart!

Each job at a Walmart-store means 1.5 jobs lost at a local retail store.

Wal-mart employees make 20% less than the average retail employee employed by a local business.

Wal-mart has the highest percentage of its workforce on Medicaid of any company in the US. Your tax dollars are subsidizing their profits.

You assume no domestic jobs depend on global business. You also assume that underwriting high domestic manufacturing salaries that don't require much skill or that can be done by a machine is sustainable. I think manufacturing jobs, except those building products that will be out of reach of most consumers, are gone. Trying to get them back is a waste of time. The best long term strategy is to put more money into educating Americans in skills they can use to better compete in the new global economy.

Do you really think Medicaid's rolls would shrink if Wal Mart magically went away?

No, you made those assumptions.

Greater demand for products produced in the US means more American manufacturing jobs. We still make a lot of things in the US and sell them - both here and abroad.

And yes, if we magically got rid of a humongous employer whose business model depends on dictating price through monopoly, paying wages lower than their competitors, and making the taxpayers foot the bill for healthcare, Medicare rolls WOULD shrink.

Wal-mart has both the highest number and highest percentage of employees on government assistance of any employer in the US. In some states, more than 40% of their workers are on government subsidies and use Medicaid as their health care.

It's that crazy liberal idea that if you have a decent job, make a decent wage, and aren't constantly being bent over by a corporation, you won't need a government handout.

No, you made those assumptions.

Greater demand for products produced in the US means more American manufacturing jobs. We still make a lot of things in the US and sell them - both here and abroad.

And yes, if we magically got rid of a humongous employer whose business model depends on dictating price through monopoly, paying wages lower than their competitors, and making the taxpayers foot the bill for healthcare, Medicare rolls WOULD shrink.

Wal-mart has both the highest number and highest percentage of employees on government assistance of any employer in the US. In some states, more than 40% of their workers are on government subsidies and use Medicaid as their health care.

It's that crazy liberal idea that if you have a decent job, make a decent wage, and aren't constantly being bent over by a corporation, you won't need a government handout.

Birdfeathers. You can't justify paying high wages to people performing low skill jobs. You are sounding the same rallying cry lamplighters gave as Edison's lightbulb began replacing gas lamps.

If our economy is going to thrive in the long run we have got to invest in education. We have to encourage our kids to be as proficeint as possible in high tech job skills, math, science, engineering...these skills are what will be in demand in the new global economy, not flipping switches to make machines do what skilled humans used to. Or we can continue to blame Wal Mart and go nowhere.

I think manufacturing jobs, except those building products that will be out of reach of most consumers, are gone.

Last year, I needed a small trash bin to hold a bag for used cat litter after scooping out the box. Got one at one of the big box stores for like $3.99. Place of origin- the suburbs of Detroit. Given the high level of automation, there are any number of low cost American made goods that are still practical. Pyrex/Anchor glass cooking and storage containers come to mind.

Where did I say high wages? :idontno: I said decent wages.

Manufacturing is not just a matter of pushing a button - yes, you need someone to work the machines, but you also need someone to invent, design, install, maintain, calibrate and fix the machines.

Not to mention all of the other jobs associated with processing, production, and delivery.

More than 70% of the goods on Wal-mart shelves are made in China. Almost 50% of their workers are on government aid and are costing the taxpayers billions of dollars. WHY SHOULD WE PUT UP WITH THAT AND NOT TRY TO CHANGE ANYTHING?

Where did I say high wages? :idontno: I said decent wages.

Manufacturing is not just a matter of pushing a button - yes, you need someone to work the machines, but you also need someone to invent, design, install, maintain, calibrate and fix the machines.

Not to mention all of the other jobs associated with processing, production, and delivery.

More than 70% of the goods on Wal-mart shelves are made in China. Almost 50% of their workers are on government aid and are costing the taxpayers billions of dollars. WHY SHOULD WE PUT UP WITH THAT AND NOT TRY TO CHANGE ANYTHING?

That would be where the education part of his point comes in. ;-)

I understand where both sides are coming from, but there has always been a disparity in the worker vs. consumer issue in America. I'm betting that vast majorities of many companies employees can't afford the products they are selling. Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barnie's New York, etc.

Where did I say high wages? :idontno: I said decent wages.

Manufacturing is not just a matter of pushing a button - yes, you need someone to work the machines, but you also need someone to invent, design, install, maintain, calibrate and fix the machines.

Not to mention all of the other jobs associated with processing, production, and delivery.

More than 70% of the goods on Wal-mart shelves are made in China. Almost 50% of their workers are on government aid and are costing the taxpayers billions of dollars. WHY SHOULD WE PUT UP WITH THAT AND NOT TRY TO CHANGE ANYTHING?

Ask a minimally skilled worker in China what a decent wage is. To be clear, I do advocate supporting American business where it is practical, but face the fact that the decent wage in China, India, Guatemala, etc will always be much lower than the American definition. I say let the third world have the low wage jobs. They are gone. My whole take on this Wal Mart is going to kill us all debate is that Wal Mart is an easy target, but the real culprit is a school system that churns out young adults with little actual marketable skill but high expectations.

If I had my way I would give huge incentives to high school grads who went to college and majored in science, engineering, math, foreign languages and anything else that will produce a workforce that will eat China and India's lunch in twenty years. Other than some languages I would let people who wanted to major in the liberal arts pay for their own ride.

There is a lot of negotiating room between what a Chinese prisoner or sweatshop worker earns and what many American companies can afford to pay and still sell their (non-tainted) item for.

Wal-mart is not a scapegoat, they are a driving economic and political* force behind shipping jobs overseas and lowering wages.

Please bear in mind that this "pie in the sky high" standard I want to hold Wal-mart to is currently being done by Costco, Target, and many supermarket chains.

*interesting what they spend on politicians and what causes they support

Skunky just secretly doesn't want to treat Wal-Mart employees.

Ask a minimally skilled worker in China what a decent wage is. To be clear, I do advocate supporting American business where it is practical, but face the fact that the decent wage in China, India, Guatemala, etc will always be much lower than the American definition. I say let the third world have the low wage jobs. They are gone. My whole take on this Wal Mart is going to kill us all debate is that Wal Mart is an easy target, but the real culprit is a school system that churns out young adults with little actual marketable skill but high expectations.

If I had my way I would give huge incentives to high school grads who went to college and majored in science, engineering, math, foreign languages and anything else that will produce a workforce that will eat China and India's lunch in twenty years. Other than some languages I would let people who wanted to major in the liberal arts pay for their own ride.

The higher wages they'll earn aren't incentive enough? Let's just be sure we communicate the benefits of chosing the right field, and make sure we have good public schools that expose kids to science. The rest is up to them.

Skunky just secretly doesn't want to treat Wal-Mart employees.

I think I have 4 from Wal Mart, 2 from Publix and the Target employees neeever get sick because they are perfect.:funn:

You assume no domestic jobs depend on global business. You also assume that underwriting high domestic manufacturing salaries that don't require much skill or that can be done by a machine is sustainable. I think manufacturing jobs, except those building products that will be out of reach of most consumers, are gone. Trying to get them back is a waste of time. The best long term strategy is to put more money into educating Americans in skills they can use to better compete in the new global economy.

Do you really think Medicaid's rolls would shrink if Wal Mart magically went away?

average iq is 100, competing in the digital world?....the answer is reinvesting in US manufacturing for those who can rightfully fill the jobs, and to pay those folks a living wage. Government can tweak the numbers for the companies out there now

The higher wages they'll earn aren't incentive enough? Let's just be sure we communicate the benefits of chosing the right field, and make sure we have good public schools that expose kids to science. The rest is up to them.

the inferior u.s. education model is just your tactic. in europe, those students that cannot grasp science/math oriented majors are given non-traditional educations, much to their benefit. our one size fits all approach skews our test numbers downward.

Did you happen to catch the piece on NPR tonight about the Rhode Island schools that have turned into a modern day Lord of the Flies?

They tried to fire the teachers, reversed it, and now they have 100% of the faculty and staff royally pissed. Some teachers don't even show up for class, the girl they interviewed said her education is consisting of talking on her phone.

average iq is 100, competing in the digital world?....the answer is reinvesting in US manufacturing for those who can rightfully fill the jobs, and to pay those folks a living wage. Government can tweak the numbers for the companies out there now

Manufacturing what, exactly? You try to build it and China will do it cheaper. We lose. You build a brain force willing and able to deal with China and India's foray into mass consumption, we win. Don't give me crap that Americans are not capable of using their minds to become the leading world economic force again. We can, it will not come cheap, but it is our best hope.

Problem with that argument is that the high skill jobs can also often be outsourced to cheaper locations. Was talking with someone the other day and he said that the last time he was in the hospital and needed an x-ray after hours, the hospital had a contract with an agency in Israel for doctors there to read said x-ray because it was cheaper for the hospital to do that than have someone on-call to do the same function.

Problem with that argument is that the high skill jobs can also often be outsourced to cheaper locations. Was talking with someone the other day and he said that the last time he was in the hospital and needed an x-ray after hours, the hospital had a contract with an agency in Israel for doctors there to read said x-ray because it was cheaper for the hospital to do that than have someone on-call to do the same function.

Yes, this does happen, but you have to admit this is an exceptional example. I say don't focus on the end user, the radiologist. I am saying that Americans should be developing the high tech imaging equipment and technology that links Israel (or Australia, the location lots of foreign radiology reads occur) to the US, building, installing and servicing high tech radiology and computing equipment.

As an aside, foreign reads of routine films may be a good thing for our expensive health care system:wave: