Employers have fired over a fifth of their workers…and wonder why no one is buying.
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Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
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Well, Ted, I would prefer you to receive criticism from a friendly face, so I will be the first to point out that “employers have fired a fifth of their workers” is an exaggeration. True, 20% of the workforce today is un- or badly under-employed, but that figure has been hovering around 10-12% for decades. Many of those people have never had real jobs. It’d be more accurate to say that employers have _recently_ fired around one-tenth of their workers, but that sounds less impressive. (It shouldn’t… readers, look around you, are there more than ten people working where you work? The ax could fall on _you_ next, without any warning… — but it does, sound less impressive.)
Very amusing idea for the comic, however! That one’s a keeper. I might even consider buying it on a T-shirt ! If I had any money.
No one is buying? I look around where I live and the stores are flooded. The Apple Store is constantly full of people. Best Best is always teeming with people. Not sure what stores you’re talking about, but from where I sit the American consumer is carrying on like the glluttonous pigs they’re bred to be.
I meant “Best Buy”.
I think it depends upon where you live. I live in Seattle. The shopping centers that cater to the rich are still full of shoppers. Little independent stores, however, aren’t seeing as much action.
My mother lives in Tacoma, a city with a much larger population of poor and working class families. There are definitely fewer shoppers in Tacoma, lots and lots of commercial real estate spaces sitting empty.