Exactly how bad is the Labor Market?

Here is the publications page for the "Center for Labor Market Studies". Nice material for anyone keen on finding out exactly how bad things really are.

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Media Constructs Versus Reality

GUEST COMMENT ONE

qatzelok January 23rd, 2010 1:11 pm
I think Laura embarrasses herself and pseudo-left-wing media with this show.

"Haiti" isn't a mass media meme that needs to be analyzed in terms of which narratives it helps construct. It's a country of people who have been abused by the colonial thinking and behavior of rich countries and their business elites.

This post-modern gab-a-thon about "comparitive disaster narratives" is an affront to reality and to the rich/poor and broadcaster/viewer divide.

Rich broadcasters - both left and right - tend to present the world in terms of which texts are the most amusing - most stimulating. There are no real people with real needs. The world - from the vantage point of the broadcaster - is made up of abstract political actors with strategic reactions to measure and compare for media points.

UNITY PROGRESS
True, and notice that not one mention was made of how the Haitian government installed from without (repeatedly) has been killing its opponents in substantial numbers.

GUEST COMMENT TWO

redballoon January 24th, 2010 2:09 am
"...a country of people who have been abused by the colonial thinking and behavior of rich countries and their business elites."

This is also a narrative that has been constructed. Narratives are constructed because they contain the meaning of events. Narratives are important because they are the basis of belief and action.

Some call them history; some call them myth. But they drive interpretation and agency.

What the "broadcasters" are presenting is a false narrative, with false meaning, intended to misdirect.

It is entirely appropriate to ask how Haiti and New Orleans are similar or different, and to find disturbing parallels there. It's a little narcissistic: no matter what happens to others anywhere in the world always goes back to Americans worrying about themselves - Can it / Did it happen to us? to me?

What was missing from the discussion was the similarity of the deployment of heavily armed military forces, the application of a military solutions to humanitarian problems, the criminalization of self-help, especially by Blacks, the heavy-handed use of force by those who do not understand or care about the local situation (shooting first and asking questions later), and the treatment of Blacks as vermin. Further parallels will emerge as time goes by- you watch. Ultimately, the basis of the similarities is the issue of how the moneyed elites can enrich themselves even further by intervening. Like New Orleans, Haiti is merely another "opportunity".

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Appearance Versus Reality: Where Exactly is the Competence?

There was this business associate in Ohio I knew once who Obama reminds me of. He was on the surface professional, competent, and well spoken. So I started doing business with him with a fairly high confidence level. Within a few months, however, it was revealed he was generally incompetent and also in his case dangerously volatile. I had to discontinue working with him; I had no choice in my view.

Obama is like him except that Obama is at least not volatile. As the author of this article states, Obama is showing incompetence in a rather dull, non-volatile way.

Although I am not an expert on personalities, I think that people like this, who appear to be competent but when all is said and done are not very competent, are all too common.

As for this article, it’s very thorough, very accurate, and very well written. Its very, very unfortunate that anyone would be motivated to write this article, but it is Mr. Obama's fault that someone was so motivated.

GUEST COMMENT

Samalabear January 23rd, 2010 3:12 pm
It is my impression, from reading other articles, that Obama's volatility comes out on members of his own party when they disagree with him, if the DeFazio incident is to be believed. He's subtle but vicious and snide. That came across in a couple of his town halls. I'm sure Obama would have no idea that us common, stupid, gullible people caught these "slips," but we did -- because there's a large measure of us that aren't that gullible and do look closely at something or someone who appears "to good to be true."

I have never found Obama warm, convincing or sincere. I remember during the campaign they had a lunch or dinner with Obama thing -- some contest. I remember thinking at that time thinking this is the last person I would want to have an extended conversation with. He leaves me cold.

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