Wanted: Ideas to create more jobs in Georgia
Dear Georgia Workers and Employers:
Now it’s your turn.
Last month in this column, I urged state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond to call a jobs summit to seek ideas for reducing the biggest problem we face right now — double-digit unemployment. I got the idea from Thurmond, who had been quietly talking about it for months, but he was reluctant to pull the trigger.
Michael Thurmond
Two weeks after I wrote about it, Thurmond announced an all-day summit for Monday at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. The goal is to bring together the “best minds,” as Thurmond puts it, from academia, business, government and labor to come up with promising job-creating measures. Democrats and Republicans are supposed to leave their politics at the door and help develop a practical, bipartisan strategy.
Well, the “best minds” also include you. While the meeting will be open to the public, most of you will not be able to attend. So, if you have a good idea, please go to the ajc.com Biz Beat blog and post it on this column. I know Thurmond and others will read it. Valuable ideas are too precious to ignore.
But before you do, there are two key points to know.
First, a huge part of the problem stems from “structural unemployment” — lots of workers with obsolete skills — and the male ego. The face of unemployment has changed in this recession, which has disproportionately battered the manufacturing and construction industries. As a result, 58 percent of those collecting state unemployment insurance now are men. But, like some men avoid going to the doctor, many are not getting retrained as they should.
Men make up only 37 percent of the labor department’s training programs and only 37 percent of the state’s technical colleges, Thurmond said. Men only comprise 43 percent of the state’s university system of two-year and four-year schools.
“This is the most pressing socio-economic issue facing the state and nation,” Thurmond said. So, he needs help figuring out how to reach more unemployed men and get them into existing programs.
Will public service announcements do the trick? Baseball bats for the really hard-headed? What will work? It’s key to reducing the skills gap between unemployed workers and open jobs.
The second important point deals with money — in this case, the lack of it. State and local governments are strapped. So ideas that are going to cost lots of money won’t be much help right now. They’re not going to go anywhere.
Instead, more innovative ideas like the relatively inexpensive Georgia Works program are needed. In this program, workers get up to six weeks of training from a participating employer while the company evaluates the trainee. The worker continues to receive unemployment benefits, plus a $50 weekly stipend. The employer, in both white-collar and blue-collar industries, does not pay a salary.
About 60 percent of trainees in this program, which costs about $1.2 million annually, get hired.
That’s the goal of this summit — to reduce employer fear and stimulate hiring. So, put on those thinking caps and come up with some meaningful solutions. We’re all depending on it.
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148 comments Add your comment
I'm just saying !
January 12th, 2010
12:53 pm
I agree with Keith. For all the so called, “American companies” that fly the American flag but are against the American people. Maybe they should show some loyalty to this country and bring back the jobs that belong to the American people.
kush
January 12th, 2010
12:56 pm
STOP SENDING OUR JOBS OVER SEAS!!!!! ITS THAT SIMPLE!!!!! THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO TAX THESE COMPANIES TO THE HIGH HEAVENS AND MAKE THEM COME BACK TO THE U.S. STOP IMPORTING SO MUCH GARBAGE FROM CHINA AND TIAWAN!!!!! STOP ILLEGAL IMMAGRANTS!!!!!! DO THESE THINGS AND THIS CONTRY WILL PROSPOROUS BEYOND BLIEF!!!!
Lexi
January 12th, 2010
12:58 pm
Backsourcing: bring jobs back to US of A.
Buy American: Cash for Clunkers should have
strictly for American cars made in America.
Offshore tax shelters.
Atl Resident
January 12th, 2010
12:59 pm
The main damn problem isn’t so much increase in taxes but there’s no money management in most of businesses including governement. Taxes won’t even damn matter if people working can’t manage the money flow like they should. Hell, Purdue been saying budget cuts forever, increasing tuition, taxes, and other fees but it won’t damn matter if he has same people in charge miss managing money flow.
GPB
January 12th, 2010
12:59 pm
The government shouldn’t be in the business of creating jobs. Enabling opportunities is what needs to be done. A previous suggestion proposed the construction of nuclear power plants in GA. Creates jobs as well as reduces CO2 emissions – another hotbutton issue. Cut down some of the red tape to enable these opportunities.
I think if you want unemployment beyond the general limit, work for it. Someone proposed the pickup trash idea. Another idea would be having these people volunteer for 20-30 hours a week to earn it. Plenty of organizations could use the help. Those qualified to do infrastructure work should be getting unemployment to do infrastructure work. Beat on the companies that lay infrastructure to be more efficient and actually get work done.
Why the hell are school superintendents making $200k when most of the other staff making peanuts??? Who else is being paid so much? Put some of that money into the schools.
If you wanted jobs back in the states, perhaps you stockholders shouldn’t be wanting more performance from the companies. Squeezing them for more stock growth just pushed the crappy jobs elsewhere. Want more American jobs, unite with your fellow stockholders and demand change from the companies. The government shouldn’t be telling companies how to operate (outside of environment and safety concerns).
Tom
January 12th, 2010
1:01 pm
Open jobs? I thought that’s what the Washington stimulus was supposed to create…….
All I ever heard was “get your college degree”. Now I have one and its useless! “Let’s close the gap between the open jobs and the untrained worker”. You must not have to look for a job.
Employers are lazy. They don’t want to train anyone. Employers are also picky and will lie to your face.
Everything is done online now. Makes you wonder how anyone gets hired.
FRANK FARRELL
January 12th, 2010
1:02 pm
Lower the taxes on businesses.
Concerned citizen
January 12th, 2010
1:07 pm
A way to create jobs is to STOP sending jobs over seas! I work for a company where all our jobs are being sent to India and we’re all being laid off so they can get cheap labor. There’s got to be a way to stop this because I know we’re not the only ones.
Tired of the status quo
January 12th, 2010
1:09 pm
There have been some great ideas already mentioned. Here are some other thoughts:
1) The use of illegal’s doing road construction paid for by the Stimulus plan – that’s just plain criminal.
2) Hire more people to patrol our borders in the first place.
3) Infrastructure is more than just roads, what about all the aged water lines that have been breaking during this cold weather in Atlanta?
4) Hire and train people to start installing more efficient power grids that use energy smarter and wiser – stop talking about and do it already.
5) Casinos and Horse racing in Georgia – Good idea.
6) Hire, train and arm Sky Marshalls on every flight coming into and out of Atlanta’s airport. Creates jobs and will help to stop terrorism.
7) Stop importing everything from other countries. Give incentives to people and corporations to use locally produced products and services. No sales tax on products produced here in the US? We may pay more for the US made products initially but we will all benefit in the long run.
Other ideas but off topic
• Fair Tax system. Good idea.
• Get rid of the lobbyists in Washington – almost as bad as lawyers but not quite. They line the pockets of the legislatures who make decisions that affect all of us only to get passed what their employers want and not what’s best for the country.
• Get rid of frivolous lawsuits.
• Labor unions. There was a need for them – back in the 1920s for crying out loud.
• Drug test everybody that gets Unemployment or other benefits from the Government. Most people get tested as part of their jobs why not for benefits.
• Get rid of all illegal aliens. If you want to come to this country fine. Go through the proper channels. Force them to become citizens if they stay here longer than 5 years.
• Invoke term limits on any elected political office. After the first or second term in office, they spend 80% of their time and effort in getting reelected not solving problems.
• Steady GT Fan – Did you forget that these banks were the ones who underwrote and signed off on loans they knew were high risk in the first place? Every homeowner in Georgia lost 25-35% of the equity in their houses = $ Billions. Now these same bankers are charging good paying people 25-30% interest on credit card debt to try and make up for bad mistakes they made in mortgages. Plus these same bankers will vote in a healthy bonus or parachute plan for themselves at every chance they get. Didn’t these banks also get bailout plans from the Government? No sympathy from me – none at all. Some of these people need to go to jail otherwise it will just happen again.
TMA
January 12th, 2010
1:09 pm
The Georgia Department of Labor is a JOKE. 9 times out of 10 if you have a dispute with an employer they side with the employer, even when evidence is overwhelmingly favors the employee. This has happened to both myself and my wife in the past several years with the SAME employer. They will not answer questions nor will they return email inquiries about why they sided with one party over another. Their word is final and that pretty much slams the door in your face.
The GADOL does not even have the POWER to enforce labor laws and will not investigate blatant violations of labor law. I was told the lawmakers were responsible for not giving broad powers to them. You are referred to the USDOL who basically tell you they do not have the time or resources to do anything for you, if you can manage to get someone to answer the stupid telephone there.
It’s sad that this goes on each and every day in this state. I have heard similar stories from many people who have had dealings with the GADOL. Michael Thurmond needs to go and someone more willing to listen to the masses needs to step in.
dleemo
January 12th, 2010
1:14 pm
1. New trade agreements
2. Lower corporate tax rates
3. Payroll tax holiday.
CM
January 12th, 2010
1:17 pm
Corporations hire the workforce they need to stay in business based on the current playing field. I don’t believe that a home heating/air company or a car repair business is going to hire someone new just because their tax rate is lower.
I think you have to think bigger and more long term. Choose an industry to support and become the premiere provider of that industry/service. Atlanta used to compete with Las Vegas for convention business. We also were the southern hub for tele-com companies.
Georgia has brought some of the television and movie industry here because they have made it financially beneficial to come here which in turn creates jobs. Why can’t Atlanta be the Hollywood of the South (build on what we have started)?
You want ideas: try supporting an effort to make every public and private building a GREEN building with reduced energy costs (with incentives). Businesses will flock to support such an effort and in the long run will make the city a better and more vibrant place to live. How about focusing on ways to reduce and reuse trash/garbage through statewide recycling programs? Georgia has been in a long-term fight with FL and AL about WATER…why can’t we put people to work by coming up with a plan to SOLVE that problem? If water from Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee are to be shared, why can’t Georgia begin to dig/create it’s own water basin? The planning as well as the project will need workers…so you can kill two birds with one stone.
Another idea would be to GUARANTEE work for anyone going through the retraining programs you mentioned above. If someone knew for a fact they would be hired immediately upon finishing a work training program, then maybe they would sign up and finish. If a worker is going to the effort to learn and re-train, but there’s no guarantee of a job, then what is the incentive? Work with companies and get them to agree to hire a minimum number of trainees for at least a year, that way the new trainees have EXPERIENCE not just classroom training. Most places want their workers to have experience.
Patrick
January 12th, 2010
1:17 pm
Those of you who keep saying casinos need to answer me something. What did legalized gambling do to Mississippi?
Charles
January 12th, 2010
1:18 pm
For the last time, kick the illegals out of this country, then you would see more AMERICANS have jobs!
BeeJay
January 12th, 2010
1:24 pm
There are lots of jobs advertised that ask for high school or GED. If we could get some of the unemployed to prepare themselves it would have some impact on unemployment. Maybe an ad campaign touting programs availabe for training, etc. would help. I’m thinking a LEARN TO EARN kind of slogan with backup in churches, schools, radio and tv ads to a targeted audience. This is perhaps a baby step – but as an old world war 11 song goes “It’s The Little Things That Count.”
stoney
January 12th, 2010
1:24 pm
Legalize pot, problem solved.
larrymunsonthe3rd
January 12th, 2010
1:25 pm
Why can’t the elected officals do there own job why do we have to do there job!!!!!!! Let them figure it out that is why we elected them..
Truth Hurts
January 12th, 2010
1:26 pm
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Very simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quit sending American Jobs overseas. Raise tarriff taxes on imports. For years we have shipped raw materials overseas to have them transformed into finished products, to make pennies on the dime. Then we pay to have them shipped back to America to sell. This is why the unemployment rate continues to increase. Politicians are scared to raise taxes on imports, because they are afraid Japan or China will get angry. Well they can continue to increase the number of angry jobless Americans here at home, or make a few Chinese angry. Its not rocket science.
Me
January 12th, 2010
1:29 pm
Also, if you want to bring manufacturing jobs back, people need to stop buying anything not made in the US. It will be tough for a while. All those neat gadgets, phones, etc will not be available. We, the people, need to step up and say no to buying non US made items. Teach the children that they don’t need the latest fad – clothes, games, cell phones, etc. Once that happens, companies will bring manufacturing back to the US.
M&M
January 12th, 2010
1:29 pm
There’s only one way to stimulate the economy and create job growth and that’s with tax breaks and tax incentives for employers. Of course in today’s climate of wealth envy, that won’t happen. Most people can’t see past the nose on their faces to see the benefits. With Democrats in charge it’s more about “spreading the wealth” instead of earning it.
lmills
January 12th, 2010
1:31 pm
We need to create more sales positions with base pay plus commission. Companies win because they increase the bottom line. Employees win, they get jobs and learn sales skills which everyone should learn. And the economy wins.
Tom
January 12th, 2010
1:32 pm
Its impossible to leave politics out of this. One group is going to see this one way, and other group will see it another way.
The entire job process is completely a** backwards. You walk into an office looking for a job and told to go online. Even people at job fairs tell you this. How do people get hired? B/c they matched keywords that a machine recognizes when it sorts resumes.
I got referral from the GDOL, the contact information was for another company! I guess someone wasn’t paying attention. Thank you, it really helped me.
Wanda
January 12th, 2010
1:40 pm
American companies should not be allowed to oursource work to other countries. ex: Penske Truck Leasing, AT&T, J.C. Penney’s just to name a few. I know I lost my job a few years ago with Penske. They sent our work to India and Mexico. Send illegals back to where they come from.
M&M
January 12th, 2010
1:42 pm
One more thing, stop bashing consumerism. If you can afford to buy things, go ahead! It keeps the wheels of the economy turning. There’s nothing wrong with spending money. The anti-consumers and environmentalists need to realize the consequences of their movements, fewer people with jobs.
In a recent Atlanta Gas Light bill, there was a note about being able to read meters remotely therefore needing fewer reader meters driving to your home. The note was very upbeat about fewer cars on the road, etc. What I thought when I read it is – fewer vehicles being produced and more people out of work!
Jobo
January 12th, 2010
1:43 pm
I say, send all illegal Mexicans back to Mexico. They are taking our jobs. Bring all our jobs back from China & other countriess, and let Americans manufacture “our stuff” with QUALITY like we used to do. I can remember when American quality was the greatest, and we did not have all this plastic stuff like we get from China. Give Americans a chance to have their own businesses without paying through the nose. Also, there are other countries which manufacture items for the United States because these countries, plus China, do it so cheaply and all these items are “CHEAP.” When I go into a store trying to buy clothes, they all look cheap – no quality at all. Get on the “ball” America! Let’s get back to the basics.
Change is Good
January 12th, 2010
1:44 pm
There are NO PERMANANT JOBS, never have been. We have to adapt but the system we live in (governed by) does not allow for change so easy … with the exception of Government jobs.
Drill fifteen miles off the coast of Georgia allowing us to capture oil and natural gas. Make us self-suficient.
Change are educational focus to “Technical” colleges with an entrepreneurial focus.
BLG
January 12th, 2010
1:45 pm
Whatever we do, it should involve the creation of jobs that are relevant or intrinsically tied to solving this state’s current problems as result of the exponential growth and sprawl that has occurred since 1996.
Water is a problem. What jobs can be created out of the need to conserve water and retain more precipitation and run-off (the construction of reservoirs as is done in the drier western states comes to mind … albeit we would need man-made ones here in Georgia?).
Roads are a problem.
On building,improving and maintaining infrastructure, as has been already cited above, these jobs atypically are filled by Latinos immigrants (are they legally here?). Is this because they’re simply willing to do this kind of work? Can preference be given to those who are US citizens and a permanent resident of Georgia? Are there incentives that can be provided for them to encourage them to apply more (e.g., exemption from having to pay any state taxes for earnings derived this way during 2010)?
Whatever we do it needs to solve existing problems that are holding us back as a state. Water and infrastructure come to mind (what about sanitation and waste management, etc., etc.?).
Keith B
January 12th, 2010
1:45 pm
In the health care industry, there are already jobs. So, the question is how can we FILL those open jobs?
Provide funds to staff Nurse Educators to have not only day, but also night and weekend programs available. Second, make it easier for nursing students to transfer to another school without a break in service. Third, put the licensing boards under the LPN and RN programs under one organization. Fourth, make nursing program courses universal, so when nursing students need to transfer, they don’t have to retake subjects or be thrown a year behind. Fifth, start training for medical needs the last two years of high school.
hmph...
January 12th, 2010
1:46 pm
Stop giving out free benefits to illegal immigrants (welfare, food stamps, medicaid, housing vouchers, public education, WIC, etc.) If people from other countries want to live here, make them go through the legal process before approving them for these benefits that I have to pay for. My money (taxes) are being given to illegals and I wouldn’t even qualify for any type of government assistance because of my income level.
Stop sending job oversees to countries like India I’m so sick and tired of calling a company’s customer service and can’t get anything accomplished because I can’t understand the customer service rep. because their english is horrible! Saving a few bucks is worthless if you lose customers.
I’m in agreement with allowing casinos in GA.
Keith B
January 12th, 2010
1:47 pm
Quit buying products from companies who take their manufacturing overseas.
Jim Daws
January 12th, 2010
1:47 pm
We need national trade policies that protect our consumer markets, like all our trade competitors do. As long as we allow business to offshore production with full unfettered access to the worlds largest consumer market, we will continue to bleed jobs.
The American economy creates millions of manufacturing and service jobs, but they are being created overseas. The American economy must be for the benefit of the American worker first.
Lavinia George
January 12th, 2010
1:51 pm
For an idea to train workerr, provide jobs, stimulate the economy and save money that Georgia would be spending on Medicaid treatment of heart disease, diabetes, renal failure, and effects of obtesity and malnutrition go to PBS.org/now and learn what Boston based Parnner is Health and the Rwandan government have done to deliver door-to door medical counseling and think about what such an innovation could do in Georgia. Many people in Georgia lack transportation for visits to clinics. Doctor who accept Medicaid do not have time to give extended counseling and no means of following up on the counseling given. In Rwanda volunteers were treained to knock on doors,weigh infants,give advice,and to return to monitor results. With increased training they were paid a moderate amount for their efforts. How wonderful it would be to have neighobrs making house calls to give advice on malnourished children,on children at rish for obssity and on proper diets, to discover people with high blood pressure and to arn them of the risks and to tell them what can be done, to warn people of the effects of obesity and to give advice as to diet and to come back and encourage them in wellness efforts. The breakthrough health care innovation in Rwabda could work in Georgia.
Small Business Owner
January 12th, 2010
1:53 pm
So many responders are so close, yet so far away. Yes, create jobs, specifically manufacturing jobs. We need manufacturing work in this country. How many McDonald’s hamburgers can we export?
Government jobs do not help. Nothing the government does generates revenue, so any jobs created there are a drag on the economy.
Reduce the size of the government. Implement Fair Tax (Yeah for Kelly!) and let businesses make business decisions based on what is best for the business and NOT how it impacts the company from a tax standpoint. Hire more people, buy more equipment and inventory and MAKE SOMETHING! More revenue generated, more cash in the bank, more money for banks to loan. And that’s real money, not this Monopoly money that is being printed on a daily basis.
David
January 12th, 2010
1:56 pm
To have jobs, you have to have economic activity. To have economic activity, the government needs to do two things:
1. Stop putting up barriers to economic activity. Stop letting environmentalists delay and tie up every new business, factory, refinery, power plant, highway, housing development, etc. with court litigation and pointless environmental reviews. Stop soaking businesses for every tax dollar you can get out of them. Stop micromanaging them by telling them how much they have to pay workers, which people they have to hire, which people they have to promote, etc.
2. Create an environment where economic activity thrives. Businesses are like plants. To grow and thrive, they need the right environment. Businesses need access to resources (material and human), energy (the cheaper the better), land (the cheaper the better), communications, water (the cheaper the better), waste disposal (the cheaper the better), and transportation (trucks, highways, railroads, airplanes, ships).
It’s not rocket science. There are places in the U.S., like California, where too many people have decided they don’t want anybody developing, mining, transporting, processing, refining, growing, raising, slaughtering or manufacturing anything. Then they wonder why their unemployment rate is so high.
Dennis
January 12th, 2010
1:56 pm
Perhaps the biggest problem that has created 2x digit unemployment and inflation is the fact that MILLIONS of Blue Collar jobs have been lost to China, Bangladesh, India, Phillipines and on and on….
Take a look at where clothes and products were made next time you go to Kohl’s and Walmart. A SMALL percentage come from the U.S. Most of the clothes that come from overseas don’t last long because they are made from inferior materials.
Many products coming from China are having to be recalled because of manufacturing defects, deadly chemicals being used to manufacture some items. Their main purpose is to bury us, make no mistake. Time is on their side…
Look in the newspapers and on T.V. – factories are having to downsize and lay-off workers to stay afloat. MANY have closed because they can’t compete with the CHEAP S_ _ T we get from overseas.
We need to take all of these outsourced jobs back and put everyone who needs a job (any kind of a job) back to work.
It was a mistake from the beginning to allow AMERICAN COMPANIES TO OUTSOURCE WORK AT THE EXPENSE OF AMERICAN WORKERS!!!!
If people have jobs, there is less crime, less foreclosures, less banking and business failures.
Seems to me that this is a NO BRAINER. So why doesn’t Washington see this???
Scott W
January 12th, 2010
1:57 pm
Uh, just two words will do: Cut taxes. Then, there are two more that follow: Fat chance!
Robert
January 12th, 2010
1:58 pm
The biggest problem facing federal, state and local governments is non-compliance with laws and regulations, lack of collaboration between agencies and the overall cost (healthcare, pension, etc.) being payed to workers who need to retire (65 or older) but can not retire because of loses to their 401K plan and other retirement benefits during this last economic crisis. How can we fix these problems? First we must ensure that all levels of government are in compliance with laws affecting everything from job training to capital improvement projects (roads, bridges, tunnels, etc.) . For example the State of GA receives over a billion dollars earmarked each year to fix roads and streets and its a shame that we can not put these construction workers back to work. Where is the money going? The State of GA Office of Finance and Revenue needs to work in collaboration with all State and local government Public Works agencies to ensure money earmarked for projects is used for that purpose. The State of GA Office of Finance and Revenue should work in collaboration with Human Resources to adopt best practices for training all employees and make sure all employees have the tools (computer, fax, scanner, telephone, etc.) to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. In the year 2010 it’s a shame all employees do not have access to technology. Collaboration is the key to improve government at all levels. It makes good business sense. Groups can accomplish more than individuals. By providing training and technology smaller State and local government agencies can buy into technology otherwise cost prohibited and take advantage of the economies of scale. And last but not least is continuity. State and local governments must plan in case of natural or man made disasters. The continuity plan should earmark funds, people, places and technology necessary to restore our State and local governments (aka Hurricane Katrina). Police, Fire and other essential personal will have to rely on all of us and we need to respond. In 2010 Federal, State and local governments need to be in compliance with laws affecting governments ability to recover quickly. Using collaboration tools that ensure work can take place anytime any where. The State of GA Office of Finance and Revenue should ensure funds are available for restoring State and local governments affected and the overall continuity plan is funded and tested periodically. The State of GA has suffered an economic disaster and needs to act proactively to provide jobs and protect all citizens. Can we solve these problems? Yes We can….
Ha
January 12th, 2010
1:59 pm
Create jobs? I thought we were just taxing the rich more to give to those who milk the system. Isnt that why we elected a Democratic President?
sean
January 12th, 2010
2:01 pm
I too agree with the sentiment of establishing Casino style gambling/hotel in downtown Atlanta-specifically underground. I know this idea keeps re-surfacing, but I like to think that is because its a good one. You have direct access from the airport via Marta and guests could reach the game floor without even going outside (and help marta to boot). A hotel casino could generate several thousand jobs for dealers, hostesses, bar tenders, people to fix machines, building maintenance, managers, kitchen work, house cleaners, landscapers, spa workers, painters, elevator reapair…the list goes on! More, I would argue that these are the types of mid-level jobs our city needs. It brings another reason for people to come downtown at night besides a sporting event, would generate much needed tax revenue for the city, state and local governments…and it would just be fun!
The question remains if the the religious folks can get out of the way to let a little sin save the state. hey…you asked for suggestions.
Demi
January 12th, 2010
2:02 pm
“Patriotic Retirement Plan”:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings – Unemployment fixed.
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR.. Forty million cars ordered – Auto Industry fixed.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage – Housing Crisis fixed.
It can’t get any easier than that!!
P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress pay their taxes…
P.S.S.- Congress retire on Social Security and Medicare. I’ll bet both programs would be fixed pronto!
sean
January 12th, 2010
2:03 pm
oh yeah, and there is already tons of capital available to pull the trigger on the casino idea almost imediately. “Shovel-ready” if you wil…
Ha
January 12th, 2010
2:04 pm
Oh, and we should also help Al Gore by giving him gov’t funds to help fix Global Warming. Our entire gov’t is a joke and scam. They cant even keep their marital affairs quiet yet we expect them to lead this country. Dream on.
Pete
January 12th, 2010
2:06 pm
Simple. Stop taxing businesses.
Bob
January 12th, 2010
2:10 pm
I believe we need Business Incubators similar to Georgia Tech in communities like Dalton, where the housing market has hit the carpet industry (which was already suffering because of increasing consumer preferences for hardwood, ceramic, etc.) These new and diverse companies would be required to keep their businesses in the community. And community leaders could be called upon to help fund a program at the local college.
Savannah Self-employed
January 12th, 2010
2:17 pm
Our problems can be traced directly to “the Death” of the local economy, starting in the mid-80’s and then compounded by the North American Free Trade Agreement,If you recall,in the 60’s everyone had large families,but not so many people were very poor, or very rich.Reason being that, money circulated within your local economy.Now,everytime you go to a Wal-Mart or other internationally based chain,you put out money for a cheap knockoff of a product that was created in a so-called developing nation,and the profit from your money goes to back to that so-called developing nation.WE MUST,fight for State and Local governments rights and revitalize The Local Economy!
Lavinia George
January 12th, 2010
2:20 pm
A breakthrough health care innovation in Rwanda made by Boston-based Partners in Health and the Rwandan government to deliever medical counseling door to door could work in Georgia, provide training, and jobs and save Georgia money spent on Medicaid treatment of serious preventable conditions. Volunteers received basic training needed to knock on the doors of their neighbors and with more training were paid for their efforts. Imagine door to door counselors in Georgia reaching people without transportation, providing information on proper childhood diet, discovering cases of high blood pressure, warning of the risks, explaing methods of prevention, counseling on obesity and returning for followup encouragement. For more details on house calls and health care go to pbs.org/now
Jon
January 12th, 2010
2:24 pm
DO NOT TRY TO GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
Creating jobs takes money; HOWEVER, you can at least get the money back.
Take the state’s portion of the stimulus money and loan it to businesses.
Businesses would have to meet certain criteria – profitable, in business X+ yrs
Money would be loaned specfically for new hires in the amount of the full cost of the hire (1 year)
Businesses could report the new hires with a simple code and SSN on their quarterly unemployment report
Give the business three years of tax free loan status, then two years to pay it back at 5% APR
The money would be paid back in 5 years – risk minimized by above criteria
The money has a direct impact on hiring because it is specifically FOR hiring
Businesses have a year for the new employee to become a net contributor to the business
Retraining – Allow businesses to retrain new workers and get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for training costs including salary and benefits.
BLG
January 12th, 2010
2:28 pm
As an addendum to my earlier submission … implement the fair-tax! Or at the very least do this on some level for the advantage of corporations based in the US. Then at least some of the companies who have outsourced many of their jobs and operations overseas will have a viable incentive to bring them back home. As has already been mentioned … when compared with every other industrialized nation the United State’s corporate tax is exorbitant.
Theodore Ziolkowski
January 12th, 2010
2:46 pm
I do not live in GA but, I do have several idaes that would help this Country and all States. They are as the following list will provide:
1. The President, Congress, Govenors and State legislators must separtate the Good of the Country and ALL the People from Party Politics. The need to come together as American Citizens who were elected to represent the will of “We the People” and no longer cave in to the MONEY/wishes of the “Rich and Powerful” and stop selling thier Souls to the Money from Special interest Groups. This group of Men and Women that were elected to represent “We the People” must Call together the Heads of Large Corporations to a meeting. The Heads of Mid-sized Corporations as a group to a meeting. The Heads of Small Companies for a meeting.
This meeting should address what do these Corporations, Companies and Individuals need to expand thier Businesses and Confidence. What Tax Breaks would help? What Monies are needed? What Skills are need?
Then our Elected Representatives must do everything within thier Power to provide these things to get the Employment Market expanding and moving forward.
2. The President and the Congress need to take a close look at our Free Trade Treaties and Policies. They may have been passed into Law with good intent but some have hurt this Country. We need to insist that for every dollar the we export to a country that they import a the same amount of money back to the United States of America.
It was a mistake to think that everyone in the United States of America would be Skilled enough or capable enough to perform High-Tech jobs for Employment. We need to keep manufacturing as a Strong base to our Economy. Not everyone is Intelligent enough, or will attend a School good enough to provide Students with the ability to succeed in High-Tech Emplyment. We need to get rid of our EGO/PRIDE and stop thinking that we are the BEST people in the WORLD, for did not GOD create us ALL equally?
3. Education in this Country is a very serious problem at all levels. I am going to break this problem down into 3 issues as follows: (A) parents need to be involved with the Child and insist that they attend School, perform thier Homework and maintain a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. Parents must provide a Nutritional Diet to thier children. Parents must provide for time for thier child to get some form of exercise. Parents must provide a time for the child to do thier Homework. Parents must be active with the School thier child attends, this requires attending PTA meetings, School Board Meetings and individual meetings with Counselors, Teachers and Principals. Parents must be aware of what Books are being used and are these Books reflecting currant Educational Philosophies. The hardest thing that I will ask a Parent to do is this!!! If your child will not do what you require of them, you must inform them you will not tolerate that from them and that you will turn them over to the Child Social Services to be removed from your home and protection. Then you must turn that child into Child Social Services and see if someone can get thier attention, provide Counseling Mentoring or whatever is needed to turn this Child into a productive contributing Student and future contributor to the Society. Parents must stop thier Child from joining Gangs.
They must put down what the Gangs stand for. They must expose the Gangs in thier neighborhoods to the Local Authorities. They must not provide or condone the carring or use of any kind of weapon.
Parents when you decided to have, or accidently had a child, You were given a Blessing from God with the corresponding responsiblities for that Child. You must Provide Love, Discipline, Moral examples, Housing, Food, Clothing, Medical Care and all the other daily things necessary to grow up into a responsible adult and contributing individual to the Society. YOURS is the hardest job in the WORLD and you must work hard to succeed at it.
Any parent of a child who does not attend school or is a behavioral problem in school should be charged with Child Neglect.
(B) School Boards, Principals and Teachers must Commit themselves to providing EVERY child with the best education possible. This requires that we have the BEST teachers spread equally throughout the School SYSTEM not in just one SCHOOL for the PRIVLEDGED students All the MONEY in a SCHOOL system cannot be concentrated at the top. Why are Superintentants of Schools payed so much more than Principals? Why are Principals paid so much more than Teachers? If it was up to me the TEACHERS would be the highest paid people in a School System, for they produce the Product that we so desparately want and need.
School Boards, Principals and Teachers must do a much better job of Selecting Books and Materials to be presented in the Classes. (There must be a separation of State, Politics, Race and Religion from this decision making process.) They must also do a much better job of setting the Curriculums for the Schools. With Obesity one of our biggest problems with our Population and becoming such a Major cost to our Medical System and the Health of our Population we must provide a Mandatory course on Nutritional Information and we must have A Mandatory class of Exercise for every Student and Teacher to attend daily.
School Boards must stop Spending so much Money on the Elaborate Campus Style School Buildings and spend this money on what they provide within the Schools.
School Boards, Principals and Teachers MUST NOT tolerate BAD behavior from any STUDENT. (STOP showing favortism to Athletes. There is no excuse for an Athlete to graduate from College and not be able to read.) School Boards must create/generate a list of Rules and Expectations, with the Disciplinairy action to be taken if Violated, this must be Distributed to each Student and Parent the first day of school. The Student and Parent must sign that they have received and read this list of Rules and Expectations. If necessary, hold a Day prior to the start of school and have a meeting for the Parents to come to the school and go over the list of Rules, Expectation and Disciplinairy actions. If a Parent doesn’t attend send a Registered Letter to the Parent, with said signature of Receipt, used as acceptance by the parent that the have received and read the list of Rules, Expectations and Disciplinairy actions.
(C)Teahers and Teacher Unions must change thier thinking. Everyone in our Society must be held accountable for thier Performance. Teachers who do not perform and allow Students to fail must be addressed through a Disciplinairy Proceedure that evaluates the problem, provides a corrective action plan, monitors the Corrective action plan, adjusts the corrective action plan, and takes the results of the corrective action plan into consideration when making a decision as to retention of the Teacher or not to retain the teacher.
Teachers who have a Student who is failing, or not doing good in class, must have a private meeting with the Student and set-up a Corrective action Plan with that Student, Monitor the Corrective action Plan and adjust the Corrective action Plan. We cannot allow the Passing of any Student who cannot perform the Grade level work required of them.
4. Congress must enact a law to require the Basic requirements that every School System in the United States of America must provide to every Student. The School Year must be Lengthened to 11 Months everywhere. The only people who will complain about this are those that think thier Child has a Sport Carreer future and want them to be able to Play in the Football, Baseball and other Sports during the summers. This should be countered by haveing these Sports in school for those who wish to take advantage of these programs. This still allows for family Vacations.
5. Unemployment and underskilled workers must be addressed by the following; (A) Public Work Programs that would subsidize the compensation that a person receives from Welfare or Un-Employment Benefits and the Take Home pay they receive from and Employer. They should at a minimum receive the difference between those figures and the Poverty Level set in the Area in which they live. (NOTE: these Poverty Levels must be adjusted upwards because they are presently a JOKE and not a funny one.)
If an Employer needs a Specific Skill that he is willing to Hire for then the State should provide the Necessary training to provide enough Emplyees to that Employer.
Welfare must be changed and limited. No one should be allowed to receive Welfare without having to attend a Trade School or State College to study in a Field of Education or Skills in demand in the Area in which they live. If the Receipient has Children, we must provide daycare while the Parent attends classes. We need to place a four year limit on the length of time anyone can draw Welfare Benefits.
6. George W. Bush’s TARP Plan and Barrack Obama’s Bailout where both done incorrectly. The Funds went to the wrong People. How man Employment Opportunities were provided to Individuals as a result of the Spending of these Trillion of Dollars? The money of this country is the Money of the United STates of America and is backed by the United States of America and the The Federal Reserve. Call me a Socialists if you want but I happen to believe that the ENTIRE Banking System should ne owned by (We the People) and run by the Federal Banking System to be run as a NON_PROFIT Organization. Why should anyone be allowed to make money off of the Hard earn money “We the People” have earned?
Can anyone explain to me how it was better to Bail-out the Banks instead of the Individual Home Owners? The Banks continued to Foreclose on people and to give themselves HUGE SALARIES and HUGE BONUSES. They have not loosened up Credit to the Corporations, Companies or Individuals as a result of our Bail-Out.
My belief is that the Executives of the Corporations, Companies and Institutions that are getting HUGE SALARIES and HUGE BONUSES and GOLDEN PARACHUTES are stealing Dividends from thier Stock Holders, stealing Growth form thier Stock Holders Share Values, stealing Wages from thier Emplyees and destroying the value of thier Empoyee Retirement Investment Plans.
I will never advocate the setting of Limits on Corporation, Companies or Individual’s Salaries as long as the Owners of the Corporation, Owners of Companies or those who hire Individuals have a say in that Salary. BUT, I will say that CONGRESS needs to pass a Law that states that no Executive may receive a BONUS unless said Bonus is spread out to all the EMPLOYEES of the Corporation or Comapny on the same Percentage to every Employee of the CORPORATION and COMPANY.
I also advocate Congress passing a law that states that no Executive can receive any Benefit that all Employees of the Corporation or Company do not receive.
Unemployed
January 12th, 2010
2:58 pm
IMPROVE MARKETING OF THE CURRENT PROGRAM: I am currently unemployed and only heard about the extra $50 in unemployment via the newspaper. How many people whose skills do not transfer to the current day workforce read the newspaper? Marketing of this program must reach everyone who is unemployed. One idea is to use a popup window on the Dept. of Labor Benefits page. No one could file for benefits without at least closing the window describing the program.
Next, sell the programs benefits by promoting the number of people who gain full time employment after participating. This should be the first line of the Popup! Even a 20% success rate is a huge incentive for the unemployed in this market. Make it easy for the unemployed to attend work training programs and classes. If a man is taking care of the children because the wife works, $50 will not pay for daycare. Make it an option to have the children attend a day care for free, provide the day care with a tax credit instead of receiving th $50. Schedule training classes at nights and weekends when a wife may be home.
I managed technology training programs at Fortune 100 and top tier legal firms for 20 years. I can assure you these men are scared of the computer just like the older attorneys and executives. You need to sell them on the benefits of using a computer. Expecting someone with no computer experience to go to an unemployment office and learn completely online will not work. They need to learn the basics and overcome their fear of technology before they can be effective in the work force.
The unemployed also need a computer. No one becomes comfortable with technology sitting in a classroom. Contact the large corporations in GA and see if they will donate their old but working computers to the Dept of Labor. Give them a tax credit for cleaning off the hard drive but leave a basic operating system and internet access link on the computer. If Works came free initially with the computer, reload the program. Distribute the computers to the people who do not have a computer in their home. IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM TO ALLOW ALL GA’S TO ACCESS THE INTERNET FOR FREE. This will not only facilitate learning but help people to search for jobs on their own.
Provide tax credits and ACKNOWLEDGE the companies who are participating in the current program. Get them some press, hold a luncheon sponsored by various agencies and invite other companies to attend and learn about the program’s successes. Involvement in the program will allow the employers to learn about prospective employees work habits, base skill level, personality and ability to learn, but the employee is well on the road to being trained by the time they are hired.
IN OTHER WORDS, ANYONE CAN START A PROGRAM — IT TAKES FOLLOW UP, PROMOTION AND HARD WORK TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL.
I have many more ideas — such too many to write about but this is a start.