A Boom for Whom?

RECOGNIZING RECOVERY

12/1/2003

Hallelujah and hosanna, shout the Little Rosy Scenarios in Washington
and on Wall Street, pointing to a recent, tiny uptick in job creation.

They exclaim that this is proof that Bush's economic policies are a
phenomenal success. 

The Boom is back!

Uh-huh, say the people out here in the real world, asking wearily: 

A Boom for Whom? 

Little smiley-faced statistics can't cover up the harsh job reality
faced by most folks these days -- a reality of no work, payless work,
or overwork.

Start with no work. 

Nearly 9 million Americans are officially unemployed. 

This doesn't include those who're so discouraged by the debilitating
search for work that they've given up looking -- they simply don't get
counted. 

Neither do those who might get a one-day odd job during the month --
they're actually treated as being fully "employed." 

Nor does it count those who bravely insist that they're now
"self-employed," yet they have no paying work. 

It also doesn't count those who are working part-time, but need a
full-time job, or those who've only been temporarily hired for, say,
this holiday season and will be let go January first.

Then there's payless work. 

These are the millions who've been Wal-Marted -- technically they have
jobs, but the pay is so low that they live in poverty, with no health
care, pension, or job security. 

More and more industries -- from service to high-tech -- are saying
that this is America's work future. 

Get used to it, they say.

Which leaves us with overwork. 

This includes those of you that have to take two or three low-paying
jobs, working days and nights just to cover your bills, as well as
those working in downsized companies with too few employees to do the
work, meaning you have to work longer hours and on weekends. 

Balk... and you get the boot.

Forget what politicians and economists say -- we'll know there's a
real recovery when everyone has a good job at good wages with good
benefits. 

Everything else is a lie. 

______________________________________________________

Mornin' coffee with Jim Hightower.

Harry