Comments on: Unemployment Can Be a Good Thing http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:40:37 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Wacky Hermit http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-38899 Wacky Hermit Sun, 11 May 2008 20:38:10 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-38899 I'm dreadfully "underemployed" as I have 10 years experience as an adjunct professor, and I'm "wasting" all that education on homeschooling my kids. My husband makes sufficient money for our family's needs, but I guess I'm just free-riding or something, because Andrew thinks I ought to listen to him and get back to work where I belong, because he's a "labor economist" and he knows oh-so-much more than I do about what's best for me. Andrew needs to get a life of his own and quit worrying about how to best maximize everyone else's "potential". I’m dreadfully “underemployed” as I have 10 years experience as an adjunct professor, and I’m “wasting” all that education on homeschooling my kids. My husband makes sufficient money for our family’s needs, but I guess I’m just free-riding or something, because Andrew thinks I ought to listen to him and get back to work where I belong, because he’s a “labor economist” and he knows oh-so-much more than I do about what’s best for me.

Andrew needs to get a life of his own and quit worrying about how to best maximize everyone else’s “potential”.

]]> By: Rick554 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-37298 Rick554 Thu, 08 May 2008 00:54:21 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-37298 Does anyone care about a white male construction worker not enjoying my "potential"? I didnt think so :-) Does anyone care about a white male construction worker not enjoying my “potential”? I didnt think so :-)

]]> By: John F Not Kerry http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-37251 John F Not Kerry Wed, 07 May 2008 22:48:08 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-37251 Heh. Heh.

]]> By: michaelyi http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-37239 michaelyi Wed, 07 May 2008 22:11:04 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-37239 I'm a labor economist and Andrew is wrong. I can prove it but I won't. Neener neener.* *That should sufficiently establish my credentials as Andrew's peer. Heh heh. I’m a labor economist and Andrew is wrong. I can prove it but I won’t. Neener neener.*

*That should sufficiently establish my credentials as Andrew’s peer. Heh heh.

]]> By: John F Not Kerry http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-36891 John F Not Kerry Wed, 07 May 2008 04:24:35 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-36891 Andrew,other than some vague sense of dissatisfaction, why are you so hung up about underemployment? Here in America we are free to pursue our dreams. The limitations we face are largely (but not completely) self-imposed. If you want to work in a field that doesn't exist in your town or region, nothing, except your own choices (some of which have led you to this point) is keeping you from moving to where that thing exists. The term itself smacks of a victim mentality. "I'm being underutilized in my job." "I have a degree." Nobody intrinsically deserves a job. It takes effort to prove yourself enough to someone to give you a job and retain that job. America's economy has suffered under the socialism of unions, where jobs are protected not by competency, but by seniority. I worked for 10 years as a letter carrier, and saw many who could not survive in a competitive work environment. I'm not denigrating the job, but the system. I felt I was what I would call "misemployed" there, but it was not oppressive to me. I knew that I could make a change if I wanted to enough. I confess I am not a labor economist, but I am an observer of life and people. I have just been hired for a temp job that has potential for permanence. I am thankful for it, having not had a paycheck since August (Remember I mentioned choices? I chose to enter the real estate field in late 2005, and was not very successful.) Will that job utilize all the skills I believe I possess? Probably not. But I'm actually a little bit more concerned with bills and food than with some ephemeral feeling I might have about whatever job I have. Andrew,other than some vague sense of dissatisfaction, why are you so hung up about underemployment? Here in America we are free to pursue our dreams. The limitations we face are largely (but not completely) self-imposed. If you want to work in a field that doesn’t exist in your town or region, nothing, except your own choices (some of which have led you to this point) is keeping you from moving to where that thing exists.

The term itself smacks of a victim mentality. “I’m being underutilized in my job.” “I have a degree.”

Nobody intrinsically deserves a job. It takes effort to prove yourself enough to someone to give you a job and retain that job. America’s economy has suffered under the socialism of unions, where jobs are protected not by competency, but by seniority. I worked for 10 years as a letter carrier, and saw many who could not survive in a competitive work environment. I’m not denigrating the job, but the system. I felt I was what I would call “misemployed” there, but it was not oppressive to me. I knew that I could make a change if I wanted to enough.

I confess I am not a labor economist, but I am an observer of life and people. I have just been hired for a temp job that has potential for permanence. I am thankful for it, having not had a paycheck since August (Remember I mentioned choices? I chose to enter the real estate field in late 2005, and was not very successful.) Will that job utilize all the skills I believe I possess? Probably not. But I’m actually a little bit more concerned with bills and food than with some ephemeral feeling I might have about whatever job I have.

]]> By: Tim Worstall http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-36689 Tim Worstall Tue, 06 May 2008 17:56:41 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-36689 "It must be pretty satisfying." Indeed. “It must be pretty satisfying.”

Indeed.

]]> By: darelf http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-36629 darelf Tue, 06 May 2008 15:34:13 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-36629 Tim, did you imagine that you would get a living, breathing example of what you complain about in this blog post to show up and prove your point for you? It must be pretty satisfying. Tim, did you imagine that you would get a living, breathing example of what you complain about in this blog post to show up and prove your point for you?

It must be pretty satisfying.

]]> By: Andrew http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-36622 Andrew Tue, 06 May 2008 15:18:52 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-36622 Again I am a poster so I could care less about having to waste my time presenting data thats for the authors to write about. Does unemployment matter? Is it a good thing? Yes that depends. For companies it is a good thing since it ensures readily available workers. For those workers unemployed, not so much. So it depends who you ask. And as for life expectancy well I wouldn't have ended my article on it since it was just reported that it fell with regards to women. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042102406.html?hpid=topnews Again I am a poster so I could care less about having to waste my time presenting data thats for the authors to write about. Does unemployment matter? Is it a good thing? Yes that depends. For companies it is a good thing since it ensures readily available workers. For those workers unemployed, not so much. So it depends who you ask. And as for life expectancy well I wouldn’t have ended my article on it since it was just reported that it fell with regards to women.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042102406.html?hpid=topnews

]]> By: Tim Worstall http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-36486 Tim Worstall Tue, 06 May 2008 07:48:12 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-36486 Andrew, well done for moving the discussion so far off subject. I've not addressed underemployment as the piece isn't about that specific point at all. It's about the labor force to population ratio. Are changes in that driven, as some insist, by people being either pushed or discouraged out of the labor force or is it that the demographics of the population are changing and thus we have more people who are quite voluntarily and quite happily out of the labor force? The retired, for example, or stay at home Moms? Given that we do indeed have an ageing population and that the figures quoted are for the 16-to death age group the latter is at least partially true. Perhaps, as a Labor Economist, one experienced with such figures, you'd like to give us an estimate of how much the change in the ratio is due to such factors? As I do point out, while I think that this might explain all of the change, I don't insist that it explains all of it: only that it explains some of it. If you want to argue that point then you rather need to provide some numbers, don't you think? To refute it? Andrew, well done for moving the discussion so far off subject. I’ve not addressed underemployment as the piece isn’t about that specific point at all. It’s about the labor force to population ratio. Are changes in that driven, as some insist, by people being either pushed or discouraged out of the labor force or is it that the demographics of the population are changing and thus we have more people who are quite voluntarily and quite happily out of the labor force? The retired, for example, or stay at home Moms? Given that we do indeed have an ageing population and that the figures quoted are for the 16-to death age group the latter is at least partially true.
Perhaps, as a Labor Economist, one experienced with such figures, you’d like to give us an estimate of how much the change in the ratio is due to such factors? As I do point out, while I think that this might explain all of the change, I don’t insist that it explains all of it: only that it explains some of it. If you want to argue that point then you rather need to provide some numbers, don’t you think? To refute it?

]]> By: ex-democrat http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-36303 ex-democrat Mon, 05 May 2008 22:50:22 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/unemployment-can-be-a-good-thing/#comment-36303 andrew - i sometimes feel like citing myself for support too. doesn't fly though as i'm not a "labor economist." andrew – i sometimes feel like citing myself for support too. doesn’t fly though as i’m not a “labor economist.”

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