Atlanta’s great collapse — and no, it’s not the Braves
I hate to bring this up on the morning after the Braves completed their monumental collapse, but ….
“The Atlanta region lost more jobs the last year than any other metro area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday, further evidence that the post-recessionary slump here shows little sign of abating.
Metro Atlanta shed 30,800 jobs since August 2010. Kansas City — 12,800 positions erased — was the closest competitor in job-losses. Nearly all of Atlanta’s peer metro areas added at least some jobs amid the slow economic recovery.”
… “Out of almost 400 metropolitan areas, we’re dead last and nobody is competing with us for that distinction,” said Chris Cunningham, a BLS statistician in Atlanta. “It’s pretty bad and it has been the same story for the last two, three years.”
I don’t get it.
You mean that a strategy of cutting taxes lower and lower, of refusing to spend money to modernize the transportation system that made you prosperous in the first place, of slashing state support for k-12 and higher education year after year, of kowtowing to developers and other businesses at the expense of quality of life for those who actually live here, of largely ignoring the needs of your state’s largest metro area — you mean that doesn’t work?
After all that, this is what we get?
– Jay Bookman
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709 comments Add your comment
Bosch
September 29th, 2011
10:00 am
“If that’s true then why do we rank so low? and why did a lot of them cheat?”
You can’t strip our educational system of millions and then complain about it if there are problems. If you want a good public education system, you have to fund it.
I know from personal experience that good teachers are leaving because they are tired of the bullshyt they must deal with on a daily basis.
Why did SOME cheat? Because they are pressured to deal with a system that is designed to make them fail.
Peadawg
September 29th, 2011
10:00 am
“So Caine makes nonsense, broad, racial comments and yet he gets a pass from you? Interesting…..”
I never gave him a pass. Go back through my comments and try again, DebbieCantRead.
AmVet - Read my lips. No new Texans!
September 29th, 2011
10:00 am
Exactly as is the case in Washington, our local neo-cons are governing disasters. The only difference is that the Georgia version is not in a position to get a bunch of American service people killed needlessly.
Otherwise they are just as incompetent.
So you defenders of these boobs, can you tell me exactly what, after 130 years of being on the outside looking in, have our back to back GOP governors done for this state?
Sent it spiraling downward even faster.
All with the help of frauds and clowns like the mooching millionaires Suxtobeus Chambliss and Tom Price…
poison pen
September 29th, 2011
10:00 am
Debbie, Do you think what Getalife said is any better, just askin?
(ir)Rational
September 29th, 2011
10:01 am
Strawman – Another way to spend money more wisely on schools would be to build for projected growth, or even a little bigger instead of only for what you need today. When it takes a couple of years to build a school in a county that is (was) growing as fast as Cobb, Gwinnett or North Fulton, and you’re only allowing the school to be built for the capacity they have today, there is something wrong with that idea. To my mind anyway. Why not build for a few hundred extra instead? As it is, when I worked for a company that did schools, we would be working on a new school, and while we were doing the design work, we would figure out what part of the parking lot would be taken up by trailers the day the school opened while we designed the next one. Worked great for us, we had plenty of business, but it didn’t seem to be the most efficient way to do things. As far as teachers go, Gwinnett (from what I can tell) consistently ranks in the top in the country for government schools. Maybe the entire state needs to take a lesson from them. Also, we have some of the top universities in the country in Atlanta. With GT and Emory, we should be attracting way more research and development type companies than we are. We have a huge resource that seems to be untapped. I’m not going to say it isn’t any/all of the things Jay listed, but those things can’t/shouldn’t be laid at the feet of just one group of people. And I don’t believe that is the complete list either. We do need to do something though, and I’m not smart enough to know what that is. Personally, my solution is that as soon as the Mrs. finishes up with law school, I want to run far far away. Cause the proverbial grass is greener outside Atlanta.
Peter
September 29th, 2011
10:01 am
Yes the article came out yesterday…..most US cities have lower unemployment, but No not Atlanta, unemployment is going up around here.
The GOP is Clueless…….Unless it is about helping a few.
poison pen
September 29th, 2011
10:02 am
AmVet, There are several Dem states that are in worse shape than we are, why not mention them?
1811/0311
September 29th, 2011
10:02 am
Oh, paleeeezeee Jay:
Your reasoning above is so pathetic.
………………. and you left this part out:
Survey (AP) : “Obamacare Raised Costs”
TaxPayer
September 29th, 2011
10:03 am
HDB, Just about everything that you said is BS, with your mind set I won’t waste time responding to each one, but you know that it’s pure BS.
pp, in typical Republican fashion, has declared the truth to be false. Let it be written, let it be so.
Jay
September 29th, 2011
10:03 am
Poison pen, if what HDB wrote is BS, then explain Phil Kent to me.
Explain how an appointment like that doesn’t demonstrate if not an outright animus against racial and ethnic minorities, at least a tolerance for such animus.
If you’re a black kid in Alabama, and you see that a powerful GOP state senator is on tape dismissing black people as aborigines, and yet he remains in office and in leadership, are you going to think that’s a party that respects you and yours?
TaxPayer
September 29th, 2011
10:04 am
Your reasoning above is so pathetic.
And Scout contributes his usual. What! No mention of Box 23. You’re slipping.
HDB
September 29th, 2011
10:05 am
poison pen
September 29th, 2011
9:59 am
Wise man said: “Those that forget their history are doomed to repeat it!” Looks like you’re attempting to revise history….when the story has already been WRITTEN!!
poison pen
September 29th, 2011
10:08 am
Bosch
“If that’s true then why do we rank so low? and why did a lot of them cheat?”
” You can’t strip our educational system of millions and then complain about it if there are problems. If you want a good public education system, you have to fund it.”
There are other states that have lost funds also and you don’t see the teachers leaving and you don’t see the poor press about their scandals.
” I know from personal experience that good teachers are leaving because they are tired of the bullshyt they must deal with on a daily basis.”
Teachers in every state deal with stuff all the time, they don’t have it any harder than anyone else in the real World, poor example Bosch.
” Why did SOME cheat? Because they are pressured to deal with a system that is designed to make them fail.”
Oh please! this is BS and you know it.
Peter
September 29th, 2011
10:08 am
We have a lying GOP Governor, or he wouldn’t be…..we have a former GOP Governor who has lied about all kinds of issues, the GA 400 toll, his personal loans, getting involved in DOT work, because of his personal property…. the amazing part, during a huge recession….. former Governor doubled his net worth, while running the state into the ground.
Education is in the toilet in Georgia…….and the lemmings keep voting GOP….Well we know the GOP has education right where it wants it !
Good little liberal
September 29th, 2011
10:08 am
getalife
“If that is not white folks being brainwashed, II don’t know what else to call it .”
I know. That’s because you are a racist who believes that Republicans are only White. I don’t have a problem with you being a half witted racist. It’s just another look into the small mind that is you. My problem is with Jay Bookman rationalizing your racism. It’s disgraceful, but to be honest, expected.
Taxpayer
Soros and NAZIs
When the Nazis occupied Budapest in 1944, George Soros’ father was a successful lawyer. He lived on an island in the Danube and liked to commute to work in a rowboat. But knowing there were problems ahead for the Jews, he decided to split his family up. He bought them forged papers and he bribed a government official to take 14-year-old George Soros in and swear that he was his Christian godson. But survival carried a heavy price tag. While hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were being shipped off to the death camps, George Soros accompanied his phony godfather on his appointed rounds, confiscating property from the Jews.
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/george-soros-on-helping-the-nazis-during-the-holocaust
Hey Jay, since selected comments are acceptable for justifying racism, how about if we all refer to Black people as being lazy and laying around in bedroom slippers, as per Obama.
But then again, I would never do that because I’m not a racist or even worse, I would never make excuses for another person being a racist . . . er . . . like you did.
Off Subject - Freedom Riders Needed to go to ALABAMA
September 29th, 2011
10:09 am
Ala. police to enforce America’s ’strongest’ immigration law
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44713323/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/?GT1=43001
Schrodinger's cat
September 29th, 2011
10:09 am
Peter, you can’t hold the city admin completely blameless ….can you?
yuzeyurbrane
September 29th, 2011
10:09 am
Jay, your problem is that you don’t just believe.
iRun
September 29th, 2011
10:09 am
HDB, I award you ALL THE INTERNETS for the next hour.
poison pen, I think you are out of poison. Time for a refill.
poison pen
September 29th, 2011
10:10 am
HDB
poison pen
” Wise man said: “Those that forget their history are doomed to repeat it!” Looks like you’re attempting to revise history….when the story has already been WRITTEN!!”
HDB, Maybe you need to get into the 21st century and leave the past behind you.
poison pen
September 29th, 2011
10:11 am
irun, Your name says it all. Keep running.
Bosch
September 29th, 2011
10:12 am
poison,
Obama’s job bill addresses the teacher retention problem, which is a good thing — it gives money to help keep teachers. Yes, all teachers deal with this, and all over we see teachers leaving the profession — a poor example yourself poison.
You don’t see the press about their scandals because this was an isolated incident. What’s your point?
If it’s BS, then tell us all why poison — just saying so does not make it true.
NCLB is designed to make the schools fail or make it impossible to be successful according to it’s own definitions. That is why our new State Superintendent is trying to opt out of it, a very smart move in my book. Dr. Barge is a top notch guy.
Now, I’m off to read my new book — later taters.
DebbieDoRight
September 29th, 2011
10:12 am
K71: Certainly not. But I live in a world of reality. We’re talking about creating jobs in cities. People establish businesses in cities where conditions are optimal to their success
If “crime” is your argument for the downfall in jobs in Atlanta, then how can you explain all the business in cities like Los Angeles (high crime and gangs)?
(ir)Rational
September 29th, 2011
10:12 am
So every problem with Atlanta is because the entire state government is racist and biased against Atlanta. Because the entire metro, or I guess by the examples used, the entire northern metro is biased against Atlanta, but only because they’re racist. Well, now that I know that because I used to live in Cobb and now live in Buckhead, that I’m racist, I guess I’ll just go do some racist things. The fact that Jay thinks this is a good explanation of Atlanta’s problems makes me seriously wonder what in the hell is wrong with him. Bosch, Bro, Debbie, Kam and USinUK (not sure I’ve seen her here today) y’all have a nice day, I’m not sure I’m going to come back because the level of what passes for debate has seriously slipped from what I can tolerate without getting really pissed. However, y’all have been some of the few people that I felt like I could talk to about stuff, even though we didn’t really agree on most of it.
St Simons - we're on Island time
September 29th, 2011
10:13 am
There may be “unrest”, there may be an “American Spring”
but We are close to solving the question
Are we all in this Together? or
is it Every Man for Himself?
Once dis light comes on,
every little ting, gonna be alright, mon
Kevin
September 29th, 2011
10:14 am
Do you really believe you can demonstrate cause and effect simply by saying it is so?
HDB
September 29th, 2011
10:14 am
poison pen
September 29th, 2011
10:10 am
Problem is….history REPEATS itself!! I take from the past to know what I can do to make the present AND the future better!! Too many want to repeat the mistakes of the past….”take the country BACK”!!
Remember: “Some see things as they are and ask ‘Why?’; I see things as they SHOULD BE…and ask ‘Why NOT?’”
iRun
September 29th, 2011
10:15 am
poison pen, your pen is full of salty sadness and chunky awkward fear! Perhaps you should come run with me. You will feel better.
poison pen, I take away your internet for 5 minutes. You need a rest.
Jay
September 29th, 2011
10:15 am
Cat, the city of Atlanta has absolutely had its problems, although Kasim Reed does seem to be making progress, as did Shirley Franklin before him. (Note I said “progress,” not resolution).
But seriously, the state DOT — now seeking its fourth commissioner in four years, I believe — is at least as dysfunctional if not more so than the city, and the incompetence and disorganization of that multi-billion-dollar agency have a far greater impact on this state’s prosperity.
Yet somehow that kind of thing is ignored while all the blame is put on Atlanta officials for the problems of a 28-county metro region. You do have to ask yourself what dynamics explain that nonsense.
Sad Day in Alabama
September 29th, 2011
10:18 am
Freedom Riders @10:09 this is similar to what GEORGIA is trying to do…This is a sad day in our countries history when it comes down to the Hispanic People!! The confederate flag rejoices!
Matt
September 29th, 2011
10:18 am
Guy, Republicans run EVERYTHING around here and here you guys are blaming Democrats. Ridiculous.
EJ Moosa
September 29th, 2011
10:18 am
Ready to cut that minimum wage and get people back to working and earning their increases on performance, rather than what government insists you should get?
Probably not.
That’s why every restaurant, store, and other establishments have reduced their headcounts. And with the numbers of stores in the Metro area, that adds up to a significant number.
That giant sucking sound is the right sizing of the metro area to the economic realities of today for the metro area.
1811/0311
September 29th, 2011
10:20 am
TaxPayer:
Good Morning !
Keep paying those taxes !
DebbieDoRight
September 29th, 2011
10:21 am
I never gave him a pass. Go back through my comments and try again, DebbieCantRead.
oh PDawg you really don’t want to get into a game of the “Dozens” with me. I’m a military brat, I can call you names that you won’t be able to comprehend until you exhaust google’s search engine. Trust.
poison: Debbie, Do you think what Getalife said is any better, just askin?
Well, I think you got me there pp. Emotionally, I support what getalife said. Mentally I know what he said was a bit tilted. Now, my fight is whether to go with the emotional side of me or the intelligent side. hmmmmmm what to do, what to do………(viola!) I think I’ll invoke the 5th and just totally dodge the question. BUT at least I did try and answer it. Now, Let the sneering begin……….in 5,4,3,2…….
Jay
September 29th, 2011
10:21 am
No, (ir)Rational, you are twisting things.
I’m saying that the misplaced effort to focus blame on the city — an effort driven by many of the things you cite — allows us to ignore looking at what the real problems actually are.
It is not the cause of the problem; it is merely the smokescreen used to avoid admitting the problem.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
September 29th, 2011
10:22 am
And GLL continues his poutrage about alleged rationalization while posting another false Nazi attack that has been disproven repeatedly:
As biographer Michael Kaufman wrote in Soros: The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire (page 37):
This is what actually happened. Shortly after George went to live with Baumbach, the man was assigned to take inventory on the vast estate of Mor Kornfeld, an extremely wealthy aristocrat of Jewish origin. The Kornfeld family had the wealth, wisdom, and connections to be able to leave some of its belongings behind in exchange for permission to make their way to Lisbon. Baumbach was ordered to go to the Kornfeld estate and inventory the artworks, furnishings, and other property. Rather than leave his “godson” behind in Budapest for three days, he took the boy with him. As Baumbach itemized the material, George walked around the grounds and spent time with Kornfeld’s staff. It was his first visit to such a mansion, and the first time he rode a horse. He collaborated with no one and he paid attention to what he understood to be his primary responsibility: making sure that no one doubted that he was Sandor Kiss.
Really attacking the “actions” of a 14 year old boy trapped in Nazi-occupied Europe is just chair-born bravado and nonsense. It is shameful and despicable.
TaxPayer
September 29th, 2011
10:23 am
Keep paying those taxes !
Nah! I’m gonna vote Republican so we can get some legislation passed to eliminate funding for your government pension, Scout.
TaxPayer
September 29th, 2011
10:24 am
So, GLL really believes that George Soros is a Nazi.
Jay
September 29th, 2011
10:24 am
Right, EJ.
Because in all those other metro areas, the ones that are ADDING jobs, the minimum wages laws don’t apply, right? The reason that metro Atlanta is suffering is because that federal law only applies here, and not there.
Is that your reasoning?
Seriously people.
ken
September 29th, 2011
10:24 am
Gee, in California they have done the opposite with the same results.
DebbieDoRight
September 29th, 2011
10:24 am
GLL: That’s because you are a racist who believes that Republicans are only White.
98.9% are. PS: I thought you left? Lonely over on Kyle’s blog?
Frankie
September 29th, 2011
10:25 am
Let’s see Atlanta is the largest metropolitian city in Georgia and all the other cities in GEORGIA feed off of ATLANTA but now that ATLANTA has been sigled out at be last in job creation, the other GEORGIA cities now want to alienate themselves from us. Try and survive without ATLANTA. Mmmmmdoesn’t the GOVERNOR of GEORGIA live in ATLANTA.
Isn’t he the one who turned his nose up at the Federal dollars that were being provided for GEORGIA.
I am pretty sure oour roads are traveled on by more than just ATL Metro people. Well here come the toll roads nice going GEORGIA.
It is funny how the world started in 2008, before then there was no existance of anything bad…..
Joe Mama
September 29th, 2011
10:26 am
Recon — “Mama Joe, I only insult those who insult me”
How wonderful! That’s what *I* do. (laughing)
“and more often then not I just ignore their ignorant posts.”
That’ll be the day. (giggling)
“Enjoy your day on the blog. Work to do so later.”
I look forward to your return. Perhaps you’ll be in a better temper after a cookie and a nap.
md
September 29th, 2011
10:27 am
“his is only true because taxes have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with job creation. Get that fact through your head and maybe we can talk about real solutions.”
Really?? I mean really??
Demand drives this economy………..money in the pocket of consumers is a BIG factor on that demand.
I mean really?????
Peadawg
September 29th, 2011
10:27 am
“GLL: That’s because you are a racist who believes that Republicans are only White.
98.9% are.”
It’s more around 88-90% but don’t let that get in the way of your racist views and comments.
1811/0311
September 29th, 2011
10:28 am
TaxPayer:
Ah …………………… a little jealousy I see this morning.
Schrodinger's cat
September 29th, 2011
10:29 am
Jay, I agree…there is plenty of blame to go around..on both sides. I actually liked Shirley and like Kasim…both upgrades from where we were..
The APS and surrounding school districts debacle don’t help…and the DOT is a mess to be sure. A good spring cleaning has been in order for years…to many career politicians
JB
September 29th, 2011
10:29 am
Jobs come from the private sector and consumer confidence, not the Oval office. Stimulus money is like novocaine, it stops the pain for awhile, but once it wears off, it’ll hurt again. It’s really silly to Think Obama and him spending money will help anything. Look at Facts, which is florida who in the last year or so has gone from 1.5 bil in debt to 3.5 bil in surplus, and didn’t raise any taxes. They cut spending. When you here stories like this 535 million dollar loss to this solar company and the Government mailing over 600 million to dead folks, you just can’t put any faith in that, and we haven’t touched medicaid fraud. People in business producing goods and services make jobs. Obama just makes a mess.
Schrodinger's cat
September 29th, 2011
10:33 am
GLL – From Gallop
Eighty-eight percent of Republicans are white, compared with 71% of independents and 62% of Democrats.
EJ Moosa
September 29th, 2011
10:34 am
Because in all those other areas, they had a different set of economic factors. Otherwise they would all have the same unemployment today, right?
You blind yourself when you cherry pick one location and compare to another. Either look at the trends across the board, or do not look at all. And across the board unemployment is higher.
What you do know to be factually correct is that since the cost of labor for most retailers, restaurants and other employers has risen over 40%, and that since that point in time unemployment has been rising.
If you think 40% is inconsequential, you need a reality check.
cranky old man
September 29th, 2011
10:34 am
I’m not an economist, but I follow economic news quite a bit. Everything I read about job loss and job creation seems to center around how to spur economic growth. The underlying assumption seems to be that we need to have a constant increase in demand to keep up with constant growth in the number of people seeking employment. But there are a few trends that effect the numbers:
1. As nations become more economically prosperous, however, their birth rates inevitably decline. This would normally tend to decrease the pool of available labor. The US has avoided this somewhat by our abnormally high level of immigration, both legal and illegal.
2. As nations become wealthier, their citizens tend to live longer, due to access to better medical care, better nutrition, and jobs becoming more automated and less physically demanding (although the latter trend also contributes to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease). For the past couple of generations, this has meant more years of leisure in retirement. But the trend of the past 30 years or so has been away from traditional retirement plans which promise monthly payments for life, and toward 401k type plans, which only pay as long as the money lasts. This will cause many people to defer retirement, which means they won’t be freeing up those jobs for new workers.
3. Productivity increases come in two basic flavors. The first is improved technology, which means fewer workers are needed to do the same work. Think of the typing pools at large companies in the ‘60s and ‘70s replaced with word processing software. The second flavor is employers demanding more work for less money. We’ve seen both kinds in the US, but a combination of globalization, a well-funded campaign to demonize unions, and competition between states to see which one can remove worker protections fastest in recent decades has drastically increased the second type. Keep ‘em desperate and hungry and they’ll be killing each other for the privilege of working for minimum wage.
Let’s return, however, to improved technology for a moment. This doesn’t just mean better machines and software. It also refers to the massive increase in shared knowledge, which allows businesses worldwide to study what works, and adopt best practices and the most efficient methods of production, without actually having to stumble through trial and error of their own. In the long run, this means we’ll (theoretically) have the capability to meet all the basic needs, and even the reasonable desires, of every person on the planet while utilizing only a fraction of the working age population. When this occurs, what will the rest of the population do? It’s either starve, which seems ridiculous with such abundance available, or live on some form of welfare. Neither option seems very appealing.
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:35 am
“I thought Dirty Dawg put it very well, as did HDB. Nicely done on both counts.”
Jay, trying to do his part to rally the troops for Obama. Jay has his marching shoes on.
Immigrant Problems
September 29th, 2011
10:35 am
Okay, listen up what about the legal immigrants that come to American on their Visa’s to work. They are the ones that take the “high paying” jobs. The illegals make the Republicans richer because most Republicans are so rich and want to remain there so they hire the cheap labor to pick the crops off of the ground. Do the math: illegal immigrant wages=$7 per hour…..legal immigrant wages= $30 per hour and for the rest of the jobs that are being outsourced…called up China!
AmVet - Read my lips. No new Texans!
September 29th, 2011
10:35 am
pen,
A) I don’t live there.
B) I don’t give a damn about red states like Texas that are heavily subsidized by blue states
C) I hate red herrings for breakfast
Now back to the topic at hand, why do you think the “new” GOP leadership in Georgia has been such a failure?
…who believes that Republicans are only White.
Of course GLL is correct. The Big Tent GOP (Joke of the decade) is only 94% white…
Peter
September 29th, 2011
10:36 am
Hey jm…… Tell us something positive the GOP has done in the last 5 years please.
RAMZAD
September 29th, 2011
10:36 am
Kasim Reed is an idiot- all show and no go.
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
“But seriously, the state DOT — now seeking its fourth commissioner in four years, I believe — is at least as dysfunctional if not more so than the city, and the incompetence and disorganization of that multi-billion-dollar agency have a far greater impact on this state’s prosperity.”
No doubt that is true. Jay may be a blind squirrel. But he has a good nose sometimes…..
HDB
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
JB
September 29th, 2011
10:29 am
If the government doesn’t create jobs….then what about air traffic controllers, policemen, firemen, military……
You are forgetting the residual effect of private businesses that GROW from supporting government facilities! If you need an example — look at the downturn of Atlanta since the government decided to close Fort McPherson and Fort Gillum…….
Good little liberal
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
Any excuse for racism is a good excuse for the people who support the Party of George Wallace and Orval Forbus.
This isn’t 1964, Democrats. Your overt racism is no longer tolerated and you, including Jay bookman should be ashamed of yourself.
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
Peter. Which GOP. State (GA, FL, IN?) or National? Or local?
DebbieDoRight
September 29th, 2011
10:38 am
PDawg: It’s more around 88-90% but don’t let that get in the way of your racist views and comments.
Because I made a sarcastic comment I’m RACIST?!? WOW!! Do you even know the definition of racist PDawgie? Are do you just put that sh##t on everything?
DebbieDoRight
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Should Read:
OR do you just put that sh##t on everything?
Peter
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
OK Jm..Georgia and Washington DC.
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Oh, and Peter. Sometimes the good things the GOP does, are specifically what they DON’T do. But I wouldn’t expect a “toe the line” liberal to get that….
Schrodinger's cat
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Oops my 10:33 is for Deb, not GLL
Peadawg
September 29th, 2011
10:39 am
“Because I made a sarcastic comment I’m RACIST?!? WOW!! Do you even know the definition of racist PDawgie? Are do you just put that sh##t on everything?”
You’re the one of defending and agreeing w/ getalife’s comment. I didn’t see anything sarcastic in that post.
But if that’s how you meant it, then my bad.
Joe Mama
September 29th, 2011
10:40 am
TaxPayer — “So, GLL really believes that George Soros is a Nazi.”
Anyone who would apply that logic and conclude that George Soros is a Nazi would have a hard time explaining how Pope Benedict isn’t a Nazi.
After all, the Pope actually was a *member* of the Hitler Youth.
HDB
September 29th, 2011
10:40 am
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:35 am
“Jay, trying to do his part to rally the troops for Obama. Jay has his marching shoes on.”
Jay doesn’t need to rally me; life has a way of making someone rally towards what’s best for himself…and ultimately everyone!! As I stated, since the GOP doesn’t consider me as a constituent, what are the plausible options??
Butch Cassidy
September 29th, 2011
10:40 am
EJ Moosa – “What you do know to be factually correct is that since the cost of labor for most retailers, restaurants and other employers has risen over 40%, and that since that point in time unemployment has been rising.”
Can’t argue with that. In fact, what we need to do as our next step in evolution is get the IT folks to reduce their pay to that of their Asian counterparts. I believe that $15,000 is the going rate in India. Next we can get everyone in America to agree to reduce their earnings to that of their counterparts in Asia and other third world countries i.e. 75 cents a day for manufacturing, $10,000 to $20,000 annually for the “white collar” jobs. While we’re at it, we better get rid of the child labor laws. We’re going to need all the workers we can get once we have satisfied the monetary requirements of Corporate America in order to stimulate job growth.
md
September 29th, 2011
10:41 am
“If the government doesn’t create jobs….then what about air traffic controllers, policemen, firemen, military……”
“Creating” is the easy part………….shoot, any gov’t can add bodies at will……….but the private sector has to generate the income to sustain those jobs…….
It is an expense on their books silly…………..the gov’t has no expenses to worry about, they just take what they need……….
Actually borrow what they need at this point.
Aurelius
September 29th, 2011
10:41 am
Georgia has one of the most poorly educated work forces in the nation and we are cutting back on education. KIA placed its plant in Georgia to take advantage of assorted tax breaks from Georgia. It placed the plant across the state line from Auburn and Opelika, Alabama because of the highly skilled work force in that part of Alabama.
When the legislature convenes in January the number one priority will be a new tax code. The number 50 priority will be reducing the size of state government. Reduce the size of state government 15% and we can then reduce taxes 15%. A permament reduction in taxes that individuals and businesses can rely on for years.
But cutting the size of government reduces someone’s little “empire”. Cutting the size of government puts Uncle Joe out of work.
Good little liberal
September 29th, 2011
10:41 am
DebbieDoRight
On this blog, any excuse by liberals is total justification. You are OK here. Racism is accepted on a liberal blog. Its sort of what you do.
And BTW. I don’t go to Kyle’s blog. I have time for one. I, unlike most of the posters here have a job.
Good little liberal
September 29th, 2011
10:43 am
Joe Mama
So this morning it’s justify racism and people who helped the NAZIs.
Libs, you are batting 1,000.
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:44 am
Peter, GA, slim pickins. Their tax reform plan, which could’ve been very good for the state, got so watered down it drowned. Infrastructure is important and as Jay pointed out, GDOT sux and is a mess.
On the national level, GOP didn’t have ANY power for 2 years. They can now stop things, but they can’t really pass anything. Prior to that, Bush passed the prescription drug benefit, but I wasn’t a big Bush fan obviously.
I tell you something, as an example the N-GOP would not be doing. And that is they wouldn’t be trying to shut down the Boeing plant in SC that will cost SC 10,000 jobs and hurt 25,000 people (when families are included).
Now, will the GOP do sensible things like fixing and improving HCR, the tax code, and entitlements? Or will they sit on their arse again? I don’t know. But at this juncture, I’ll take the devil I don’t know (and seems more sensible generally) than the devil I do know.
HDB
September 29th, 2011
10:44 am
Good little liberal
September 29th, 2011
10:37 am
Any excuse for racism is a good excuse for the people who support the Party of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, and Trent Lott.
This isn’t 1964, 1968, 1980, or 1988, Republicans. Your overt and/or covert racism is no longer tolerated and you should follow the lead of Lee Atwater and Ken Mehlman and denounce the racism that’s within your party!!
There! Fixed that for you!!!
Always Skeptical
September 29th, 2011
10:44 am
GM Lakewood, GM Doraville and Ford Hapeville…all closed since 1990. These plants produced some of America’s most popular and best selling cars. They were replaced with nothing more than service industry jobs, which are all in India now It was bound to happen. Of course, Georgians will keep electing the same s— for brains pols who make it less and less desirable for decent companies (particularly global ones) to call this place home. The boycott started long before Troy Davis was put to death.
md
September 29th, 2011
10:44 am
Butch……..actually, the global market will dictate eventual living standards of all those that participate….that genie is out of the bottle…….we lived high on the backs of the rest of the world, now the reverse is occurring, and we don’t like it much……do we.
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:47 am
HDB
“the GOP doesn’t consider me as a constituent”
The GOP doesn’t consider you a constituent because black folks haven’t voted Republican in a long long time. Chicken and egg problem. GOP seems fired up about Herman Cain. Michael Steele ran the GOP (though he didn’t last long). It’s not about race at the national level, its about political reality.
There are real retards that are still racists in the GOP. But black voters don’t seem so far to have a desire to disprove the stereotypes (blacks always pulling the D lever) on the voting front.
redneckbluedog
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
Look on the bright side, there are some nice suburban homes for sale….CHEAP..!!!!! Not to mention the ’slightly used’ bulldozers, nail guns, and paint sprayers….
Butch Cassidy
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
md – “Butch……..actually, the global market will dictate eventual living standards of all those that participate….that genie is out of the bottle…….we lived high on the backs of the rest of the world, now the reverse is occurring, and we don’t like it much……do we.”
Shhhhh….Don’t let EJ Moosa know that. In his world, if we just got rid of the minimum wage, there would be jobs o’ plenty. In fact, to bolster EJ’s argument, I would say that if we didn’t have to pay people anything to work, then I’m sure America would truly be the land of milk and honey.
Joe Mama
September 29th, 2011
10:48 am
GLL — “So this morning it’s justify racism and people who helped the NAZIs.”
What a ridiculous assertion. So a 14-year old George Soros was *objectively* Nazi? And a 14-year old Pope Benedict was too? You can’t *honestly* believe that either of those men intentionally and willfully supported the Nazis or the Nazi cause, can you?
“Libs, you are batting 1,000.”
You should talk; you’re indicting one man who wasn’t even in a Nazi organization and yet giving a pass to another man who was actually a member of the Luftwaffe auxiliary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftwaffenhelfer
FWIW, I don’t believe for a moment that either man supported the Nazi cause, but clearly you’ll turn yourself inside out to make a misguided rhetorical point, GLL. Pathetic.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
September 29th, 2011
10:50 am
“people who helped NAZIs” Really? Sickening and disgusting false LIE
A 14 year old boy living in fear of his life in Nazi-occuppied Hungary being protected by others…..
The armchair bravado of someone who has never lived it is simply stupifying.
Mick
September 29th, 2011
10:50 am
JB
@
September 29th, 2011
10:29 am
Sorry, can’t let that lie go unchallenged. Florida is not 3.5 billion in surplus. They cut education funding by 8%. Yes, we are really looking out for the future down here, a future that enables further decline…
Joe Mama
September 29th, 2011
10:50 am
jm — “But black voters don’t seem so far to have a desire to disprove the stereotypes (blacks always pulling the D lever) on the voting front.”
How come it’s the job of African-American voters to “disprove the stereotypes” and not the job of Republican candidates to do it?
DebbieDoRight
September 29th, 2011
10:50 am
HDB: You are forgetting the residual effect of private businesses that GROW from supporting government facilities! If you need an example — look at the downturn of Atlanta since the government decided to close Fort McPherson and Fort Gillum…….
Good point. And did you notice how not ONE republican tried to fight the closing of those bases, even though they knew the economic impact of their closures? Yet, try and take ONE CONTRACT, for a plane that DOD doesn’t even want, from Lockheed or Boeing and they loose what’s left of their minds……
No Artifical Flavors
September 29th, 2011
10:50 am
As a 30 year old Georgia born and bred, and one that has worked for high-level Republican leaders before, it pains me to say that our once great state’s conservative voting block has gone into quasi-anarchist territory. Our modern republican voters hate infrastructure and hate public education. Those two things alone have destroyed any hope of meaningful recovery in the metro region. I had a local yocal actually tell me the other day that they didn’t care if the county roads crumbled as long as they didn’t pay any more taxes to fix them because they have a big ol pickup truck that works just fine off road. Facepalm.
It is a sad day as I am now looking all over the US to escape this rapidly spreading populist mentality of self destruction. Dare I say new england is looking nice these days. Hello nawtheners…
Jay
September 29th, 2011
10:51 am
The minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, is lower today than it was in the entire period between 1955 and 1980, which also happened to be this nation’s greatest era of growth and prosperity, EJ.
Your argument is ridiculous on its face.
AmVet - Read my lips. No new Texans!
September 29th, 2011
10:53 am
Unless and until the fake conservatives grow a pair and resolve their whites only status, they will always be a fringe group.
And I don’t see any of them clamoring to throw out the Phil Kents, Nathan Deals and the white power, Aryan nation and other hate group elements in their ranks.
With the arch-conservatives, it is the same as it ever was…
md
September 29th, 2011
10:53 am
“Don’t let EJ Moosa know that. In his world, if we just got rid of the minimum wage, there would be jobs o’ plenty.”
And minimum wage is a contributing factor……..corps look at overall expenses, not individual wages (per se)……….if a corp is struggling to make a profit, it must either raise prices (bad idea in a bad economy) or cut expenses………..that wage can make a difference in body count.
If corp xxx only has a certain amount to spend on employees, the wage will dictate the number of bodies…….it is basic math at that point.
Strawman
September 29th, 2011
10:53 am
(ir)Rational – “Another way to spend money more wisely on schools would be to build for projected growth, or even a little bigger instead of only for what you need today.”
I concur and I think your comment just shows if enough thoughtful people put their heads together, then the best solutions will not be hard to see.
Good little liberal
September 29th, 2011
10:54 am
HDB
Richard Nixon: One of a few Senators that redrafted the voting Rights Act of 1872 and refused to compromise. Also fought the racist unions in Boston who were refusing to Hire Blacks.
Ronald Reagan: Under his presidency, the Black achieved more financial wealth than any time before in history.
Jesse Helms: What problem do you have with Helms. PLease list how he hurt the Black Demographic.
Strom Thurmond: Overt Segregationist and racist while a member of the Democratic Party. Became an integrationist and was supported by many Black organizations after becoming a Republican.
Trent Lott: Biggest mistake was praising a former Democrat.
No it’s not 1964. If it was, there would be a Republican marching at your side while some democratic governor was sicing attack dogs on you.
It’s not 1968, when the Great Society had spent the last four years figuring out ways to keep Black kids going to really bad schools.
Its not 1980, where the Boston Busing riots, the most violent in our country was being led by White Democrats in the districts ran by the Kennedies
Butch Cassidy
September 29th, 2011
10:56 am
Jay – “Today’s minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, is lower than it was in the entire period between 1955 and 1980, which also happened to be this nation’s greatest era of growth and prosperity, EJ.
Your argument is ridiculous on its face.”
What I find more astounding is that people like EJ will tell you that paying a CEO 20 million dollars a year has no effect on job creation or losses, but paying a line level worker $7.25 an hour is akin to setting of a nuclear bomb in terms of a companies ability to remain solvent.
md
September 29th, 2011
10:56 am
“Today’s minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, is lower than it was in the entire period between 1955 and 1980, which also happened to be this nation’s greatest era of growth and prosperity, EJ.”
I bet it’s still higher than most every one of those countries pumping out products by the millions right now…………the competition wasn’t the same from 1955 to 1980…………….
Keep Up the Good Fight!
September 29th, 2011
10:57 am
Which Kennedy was running South Boston in 1980? John or Bobby? ……
Peadawg
September 29th, 2011
10:57 am
AmVet – Read my lips. No new Texans! – Keep looking at things through color if it makes you feel better. What a sad person.
jm
September 29th, 2011
10:58 am
Joe Mama – “not the job of Republican candidates to do it?” you can’t disprove a negative.
Republicans are reaching out a lot to the Hispanic community. Because their votes are up for grabs.
Republicans have been reaching out to the black community consciously and organically. Michael Steele on the deliberate front, and Herman Cain in his own right. If the black community doesn’t reciprocate, then things will just stay as they are…..
When your vote isn’t up for grabs, no one tries to get it. Got it?
Jay
September 29th, 2011
10:58 am
md, minimum wage jobs are not the ones being moved elsewhere. Minimum wage jobs are concentrated in the service, hotel, restaurant and retail industries, none of which can be easily shipped overseas.
Trotsky Foxtrot
September 29th, 2011
10:59 am
I second that, well said Dirty Dawg.
Atlanta, ‘The City Too Busy Fighting for Its Life Against Prejudice
Or also: “Atlanta: The City Too Busy Fighting Rearguard Battles Against a Rube Downstate.”
Joe Mama
September 29th, 2011
10:59 am
No Artificial Flavors — “As a 30 year old Georgia born and bred, and one that has worked for high-level Republican leaders before, it pains me to say that our once great state’s conservative voting block has gone into quasi-anarchist territory.”
I first voted in 1980, right after high school. I proudly cast my vote for Reagan. I even enlisted in the Army during Reagan’s administration.
I voted Republican (and occasionally Libertarian) for over 20 years, but I’m not doing it any more. Not with the crop of crazoids we have in that party now. Republicans used to care about truth and facts and building infrastructure and institutions — the things that sustained a strong economy.
No longer.
I’m not a perfect fit with the Democrats, but IMO, the GOP just plumb full of nuts these days, and I won’t have any part of them or what they want.
I do hope you’ll stay around, sir/ma’am, and provide some well-needed perspective on Jay’s blog.
jm
September 29th, 2011
11:00 am
“none of which can be easily shipped overseas”
Nope, but they can be automated or outsourced to the customer. And they will be soon enough…..