Who's making a difference, and who would you like to see more of, and who just needs to get a clue? Who's part of problem or solution for everyone as a whole?
the cost of living and housing has increased while job options haven't.
best and safest route for stability: military or law enforcement, medical services or criminal law, because some shit's about to go down when middle class america starts getting pushed down and out.
of course the GM closing is both GM's own fault as well as the economy. not focusing on fuel efficient cars and not thinking ahead given the war in Iraq was GM's biggest downfall.
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The truth shall make you free. Well F that! Pay me!
I felt very sad for the GM labor pool when i read the news today. To think, there once was a time when the Blue Collar worker could count on an Auto Plant or Steel Mill Job as long time, secure employment, make an above average and care for your family. I understand and appreciate that times and technology are always changing, and due to automated inventions that come out everyday, robots are replacing manhours. I cannot appreciate the fact that the few semi-skilled labor positions that remain are being shifted across the ocean.
It is hitting hard here. The Lansing plant employs alot of people around my hometown. Electrolux, in Greenville, also employed alot of people around here. The second round of lay-offs happened last week, and they only have a skeleton crew working second and third shift until the beginning of the new year when the factory shuts its doors and ships the work to Juarez, Mexico. Over 3000 jobs (that is a estimate....they ran three shifts and were the biggest employer in the area) were lost there, GM is now going, and the factory that my hubby works for closed one of their plants in Grand Rapids a few months ago, and then started bankruptcy reorganization. All this before the holidays! It just is not looking good.
If guns kill people, I can blame misspelled words on my pencil .......Larry the Cable Guy
more and more families have been destroyed since 2000, it's like we're going back in time, damn near world war II era. this is sad because we're not talking just one person but families w/limited options.
only thing left will be fast food jobs because options for city labor will be minimal since the major part of the cities affected was the plant.
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The truth shall make you free. Well F that! Pay me!
I was going to say "well, at least there are construction jobs to keep the middle class in tact"... then i thought about it...Being a part of a skilled labor union these days means nothing. Well, nothing except that union carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc. are not getting job contracts because they're "too expensive" compared to all the illegal mexicans who are willing to shling drywall mud for pennies.
I don't know if I'm noticing it more now because I live in such a big city, but new condos are continuously going up and It's so rare to see any all-american boys on the job.
On top of that, society emphasizes the importance of earning your college degree, but not every graduate is aiming for a CEO position, so where does that put them?? Right into the ever diminishing middle class with mounting student loans.
Then there are mergers that cut out the middle man everyday. I worked for a major steel corporation a few years back, right before they were bought out by a bigger one. The buying company came in and whacked out a lot of the middle management, only to dump those responsibilities on those left for no more pay. Then of course, these overworked folks can't just quit and get an equivalent paying job that easily, esp. not in the area where they have likely established their families. And i have no doubts it is like this everywhere.
