Help Wanted?

[Steve R.]

Help wanted signs are everywhere. Yet the unemployment rate is hovering around 6%. The accepted "science" behind this are that the stimulus checks and extended unemployment benefits constitute a "temporary" "Universal Basic Income". This has created a financial incentive to stay at home as opposed to getting income through actual work. What I will be implying is pure speculative conspiracy theory.

When it comes to dirty politics, the Democrats are stunningly superb and exquisitely deceptive game players. So what is the Democratic end-game with regards to all the "free" money being tossed out? What are under the shells? An allusion to the confidence game known as the shell game.

Shell Level #1: The immediate knee jerk reaction. The stimulus and extended unemployment benefits served an immediate and obvious benefit of responding to the Covid pandemic. Now that that the pandemic is ameliorating. What is the need to continue since many companies now opening and need workers. The "free" money frustrates hiring. Next, the long game.

Shell Level #2: The long game. The Democrats want to establish a $15 hr minimum wage. There are also considerations for a "Universal Basic Income". The purpose of keeping the "free" money distribution alive may further those objectives. Many business owner, to compete with the "free" money distribution have started to raise wages. When the "free" money distribution fix ends in a few months, expect the addicted to complain and the sympathetic news media to start publishing endless human interest horror stories of people not being able to survive on that "free" money. (The media narrative will mimic the student loan "suffering".) Given that, we may see proposed legislation for "Universal Basic Income". Next the the real undisclosed hidden reason, the conspiracy theory.

Shell Level #3: The conspiracy angle. The Democrats want to "destroy" small businesses. Biden, despite his (fake) public sanctimoniously healing message, has declared "war" on the Republicans and Capitalism. Biden wants "BIG" government and the "Nanny State". In support of that, many of the large corporations (including social media platforms) have come out-of-the-closet to actually support (virtue signalling) the Democrats. Quizzical, since the Democrats publicly claim with great fanfare that they support the "little guy", but in retrospect are actually working hand-in-hand with the big corporations.

Any traction to that conspiracy theory?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

In theory (from such discussions as I remember on the subject), an unemployment rate of 6% is VERY close to "full employment" because that 6% includes people in-transit between jobs, people on unrecorded day-labor, and people eligible to work but otherwise occupied by education or some type of injury recovery. The influx of illegal immigrants at this time will NOT help the unemployment picture because they are only bringing in kids (minors) who would not be eligible to work even if they had the skills.

To have a conspiracy, you have to be able to think ahead. Some Dems have yet to display this ability with any clarity, so I tend to disbelieve the idea of the conspiracy theory. (Or am I being unkind again?...)

 

[pbaldy]

I work for a transportation company in Las Vegas (limousines, taxis, buses). Before covid we employed about 1500-2000 drivers. We had to lay them all off last year when everything shut down. I was talking to my boss the other day. Business in LV is coming back pretty nicely now, but we are having trouble hiring drivers or getting furloughed drivers to come back to work. They get too much free money with unemployment and such, they don't need to work.

 

[AccessBlaster]

I work for a transportation company in Las Vegas (limousines, taxis, buses). Before covid we employed about 1500-2000 drivers. We had to lay them all off last year when everything shut down. I was talking to my boss the other day. Business in LV is coming back pretty nicely now, but we are having trouble hiring drivers or getting furloughed drivers to come back to work. They get too much free money with unemployment and such, they don't need to work.

That's why the numbers seem skewed to me. I bet they are in the double digits.

 

[Steve R.]

In theory (from such discussions as I remember on the subject), an unemployment rate of 6% is VERY close to "full employment" because that 6% includes people in-transit between jobs, people on unrecorded day-labor, and people eligible to work but otherwise occupied by education or some type of injury recovery.

Well, my anecdotal belief was that the "natural" unemployment rate was around 3%. How about this for a non-answer: "The natural rate of unemployment is the lowest level that a healthy economy can sustain without creating inflation." If you follow the link, it has a nifty graph. Based on that graph, the "natural" unemployment rate for 2021 is approximately 4.5%.

That's why the numbers seem skewed to me. I bet they are in the double digits.

The unemployment rate is probably skewed. An important factor, not discussed, is the "Labor Participation Rate". "The labor force participation rate is a measure of an economy’s active workforce. The formula for the number is the sum of all workers who are employed or actively seeking employment divided by the total noninstitutionalized, civilian working-age population." According to Investopedia, the February 2021 the "Labor Participation Rate" stood at 61.4%. My interpretation is that 38.6% of the eligible workers are not looking for work. That means that they would not show-up in the unemployment statistics. A low labor participation rate would imply that the stimulus checks and maybe even the unemployment benefits have resulted in a massive number of people withdrawing from the workforce.

The evidence, help wanted signs. If people are looking for work, those signs would be gone.

To have a conspiracy, you have to be able to think ahead. Some Dems have yet to display this ability with any clarity, so I tend to disbelieve the idea of the conspiracy theory. (Or am I being unkind again?...)

My answer to your response is two split it into two themes. First, the Democrats do think ahead; they play a "deep" game that is not clearly fathomable. Hence my "Shell Level #3", the conspiracy theory. The border wall serves as an example, Many Democrats were in favor of it, but then a Republican (Trump) was elected. In-unison all the Democrats had an anaphylactic reaction to the wall, now claiming that it was a vile symbol of racism and xenophobia. The "deep" game, the Democrats successfully used the wall as one element to win the 2020 Presidential election.

My second theme, in response to: "Some Dems have yet to display this ability with any clarity...". First, the Democrats will not admit to what they are doing with any "clarity" as they are into obfuscation hoping that no one will ask the obvious follow-up questions. The Democrats don't want you to see how they are manipulating, through sleight of hand, the "pea" hidden in a shell.

They are implementing Orwellian Newspeak. As one recent example, the border crisis according to the Democrats is not a crises, but an "urgent problem". That "urgent problem" is being solved by providing sufficient temporary housing before the illegal immigrants are released into the interior of this country. Quick translation, the border is open despite false Democratic assertions that the border is closed. Normally one would consider solving illegal immigration by preventing entry into the US and if found in the US resolved through deportation.

 

[Isaac]

They raise the minimum wage and then things cost more. You go and pick up In And Out or Chipotle and everything gets more expensive to make up for their newly minted $12/hr teen hires. The whole thing is so dumb, I mean obviously the cost is just being passed on the same as if it never happened.

The kids make a little more money, but everything goes up in price, is anybody really benefitting from this crap?

 

[AccessBlaster]

The insidious part is it nullifies the increase, the cycle then continues.

 

[Isaac]

On a mostly unrelated topic, I did learn one thing from the recent crypto-craze. (Other than how to use Robinhood and Webull, which has been fun and earned me a few dollars). That is: All things considered and where crypto and the future is going, it's probably not a bad idea to put a few dollars (literally...just fifty dollars if you want) into a new up-and-coming crypto (like Chia), at such time when you can buy them for 1/100th of a cent. It barely has to come to life and start breathing some day for your kids to have a nice inheritance--or your retirement to bump up a notch.

For example, even if Dogecoin fizzles out and comes to nothing (as many predict) - those who cashed out $1MM sure aren't laughing at it!

 

[AccessBlaster]

The minimum wage was never designed to be a living wage. The minimum wage is a transitional wage for teenagers transitioning from high school to college. If you find yourself in a minimum wage job for years and years it's not the business's fault, you are not competing for those higher wages for whatever reason. Everyone has been in a fast-food restaurant and your order processed by an elderly person. It's not McDonald's fault you in that situation btw that person is sitting on a job meant for a teen or college age person and the pay reflects that.
Get out and compete for higher wages the old fashion way, stop expecting the government to think for you.

The minimum wage is compounded by unchecked immigration.

 

[harpygaggle]

I work for a transportation company in Las Vegas (limousines, taxis, buses). Before covid we employed about 1500-2000 drivers. We had to lay them all off last year when everything shut down. I was talking to my boss the other day. Business in LV is coming back pretty nicely now, but we are having trouble hiring drivers or getting furloughed drivers to come back to work. They get too much free money with unemployment and such, they don't need to work.

Many are just into looking for a work from home set-up where at the same time, they can spend more time with their family. Still risky outside..

 

[Pat Hartman]

because they are only bringing in kids (minors) who would not be eligible to work even if they had the skills.

I'm pretty sure we're getting over 30,000 new welfare recipients every month. They are also depressing low end wages. And to pour salt on the wound, we're sending hundreds of millions in foreign aid to the countries who exported them!!! How stupid are we to keep putting up with this. Make sure to ask your bleeding heart liberal friends how many immigrants they are taking into their homes and supporting.

 

[Steve R.]

This past week we visited Cherokee, NC. Help wanted signs abound. Casino offering up-to $3,000, as a bonus, to get employed. Lots of visitors, so it was difficult getting served at restaurants.
Also visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Saw some Elk while hiking, see picture below.

 

[conception_native_0123]

it was difficult getting served at restaurants

it always is. ha ha

 

[Steve R.]

Over the past couple of days, the Fox News pundits, offered a plausible theory that I had not previously considered. That is; by the the government offering exorbitant unemployment benefits, they are forcing businesses to raise the minimum wage as a means of avoiding the hot-button topic of mandating a minimum wage.The Biden administration taking the dictatorial approach.

This forces small business to compete with government on the availability of labor as the unemployment benefits encourage potential workers to stay home.

I still maintain that the long-game the Biden administration is playing, is using the expiration of the unemployment benefits as a springboard to implement a "Universal Basic Income". Once the unemployment benefits run-out, Congress will be inundated with demands from the gullible public that they can't make ends meet. That Congress, consequently, must help them.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Actually it will be $20.00 for a burger except served by a robot the industry has admitted that fact.

 

[Isaac]

This is making me hungry. I sense a visit to Five Guys in my near future. Maybe tonight!

I'm big on "is this product priced right?" type of thinking, and rarely feel that gourmet burgers are worth it. But I make a monthly exception on Five Guys.

 

[conception_native_0123]

Actually it will be $20.00 for a burger except served by a robot the industry has admitted that fact.

Agreed.

 

[Steve R.]

This is making me hungry. I sense a visit to Five Guys in my near future. Maybe tonight!

I'm big on "is this product priced right?" type of thinking, and rarely feel that gourmet burgers are worth it. But I make a monthly exception on Five Guys.

Nothing like a good burger. It used to be eating a burger, fries, and a coke was very enjoyable in the "old" days. Now, if I eat a "full meal", my weight explodes upward. So it is now, just the burger with a diet coke, or just plain water.

 

[conception_native_0123]

Nothing like a good burger. It used to be eating a burger, fries, and a coke was very enjoyable in the "old" days. Now, if I eat a "full meal", my weight explodes upward. So it is now, just the burger with a diet coke, or just plain water.

Diet anything is the worst for you Steve

 

[Isaac]

Nothing like a good burger. It used to be eating a burger, fries, and a coke was very enjoyable in the "old" days. Now, if I eat a "full meal", my weight explodes upward. So it is now, just the burger with a diet coke, or just plain water.

I'm big on drinking water. I'd like to take credit for being super health-conscious, but it all started when my wife and I first got together at the age of ~19. We were so poor that our common meal was the 99 cent Whopper (can you believe they were once 99 cents!), and always with water, because who wants to triple the meal cost just to drink coke?
Throughout the years we've continued that habit. Virtually always when we go out to eat, the liquid is plain water. I like to claim that one little way in which I'm 'healthy' !