Death By a Thousand Cuts ... low down Job Cuts in SCarolina town

[tlcandie]

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2003/11/ma_560_01.html

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After being deserted by industry, a Southern mill town now finds itself abandoned by government. Welcome to Henderson, North Carolina, where Bush economics is hitting home.
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Jefferson, 48, was laid off in March from Harriet & Henderson Yarns, a large family-owned textile company in nearby Henderson that filed for bankruptcy this summer. He had worked there for 30 years, having started while in high school to help put food on his family's table. A single parent ever since his 14-year-old son was a baby, Jefferson had seen hundreds of his colleagues at the mill pink-slipped over the past two years. But he always figured a company that had come through the Depression would survive this recession -- at least long enough for him to put his two teenagers through college. "This is the first time I've ever been on unemployment in my life," says Jefferson. "It doesn't feel good at all."
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The lackluster response suggests that, however well-meaning, Smith and the state unemployment officials who invited her here have little but moral encouragement to offer people facing the region's dismal economic landscape. Only an hour away from the high-tech Raleigh-Durham area, Henderson and surrounding Vance County boast North Carolina's highest unemployment rate -- 15.5 percent as of last June, double the rate of 1999. The rest of the state is suffering as well. North Carolina lost 111,000 jobs between January 2001 and February 2003; and in the next seven months, an additional 29,000 layoffs were announced, all part of the 3 million jobs lost nationwide since President George W. Bush took office. So many people have applied for jobless benefits that the North Carolina unemployment trust fund went broke twice this year; in September, the fund was facing a $75 million deficit and had to be bailed out with emergency loans from the federal government.
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[QC]

1. Excellent article!

I read it in the print version and was very impressed with it.

When Democrats get as indignant about the people in that article as we do about unemployed engineers and accountants, then we will regain the support of blue-collar workers.

[Sugarbleus]

2. My feelings ditto that.

I realize we have to get Bush out of office. However, after that, I would like to see more interest paid to we blue collar workers! The poverty stricken, disabled, children,housing, jobs etc..

So, the stock market rose? What the heck does that do for us, the lower middle class and underclass and blue collar workers? Anything?
It's like a mini depression-ear thing is going on right under the noses of the upperclass and out of sight of the mainstream. It's abominable. :grr:

[QC]

5. Great article on what's happening to regular folks in this economy.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040105&c=1&s=krugman

[blondeatlast]

3. I read that this morning. God, I nearly broke down at work.

But, hey, the Dallas economy is booming, right???

[Ksec]

4. Sounds like my area

since we lost our steel manufacturing.

Its really sad whats happening in this country

[KoKo]

6. ROFL! Subject line says SC not NC where Henderson is. It's okay, so many

folks mix up the two. But, for us in the South there's a BIG difference between the two states! I read this article earlier today. It's very said. Henderson is a lovely little town/city. They try to do everything right there. This is happening everywhere. The South was safe for awhile getting textile jobs from the Northeast, but now the Corporations have moved on or "frozen out" the little local independents.

Our Country is going to hell with this stuff! How will any of these wonderful little towns anywhere survive. New England managed a comeback with some Tech jobs in the 90's when they lost their shoe and textile business to the South, Brazil and China.

Jobs keep moving away and they tell folks "Retrain!" Go back to Community College and find a new profession. What can one do? If you trained for the "hot jobs of the 90's" that was Tech. Now, tech jobs at that level are heading to India? No manufacturing...just Walmart. :-(

[tlcandie]

9. Sorry Koko01 .. I guess I don't concentrate hard enough

sometimes on my posts :( Wasn't intentional!

NORTH Carolina!

[Ardee]

7. I am curious

We have been losing manufacturing jobs since the 60's and I see no way to reverse this trend. Capitalism being what it is the call of cheap labor ,no environmental controls and the tax breaks and other incentives are irresistable and will not be reversed.

I see a lot of call to end this by forcing companies to remain domestic, or imposing large tariffs upon imported goods.America first is not a workable philosophy as we need to sell to those we would alienate and they would simply reciprocate by imposing penalties on our exports.

I wonder what you all perceive to be the answers to this dilemma? I believe that the govt should provide retraining for displaced workers and assistance to tide families over the hump.An increased emphasis on new technologies would create numerous jobs and opportunities as well.

[QC]

8. I honestly don't think that would help.

If we develop new technologies, what is to prevent the bosses from shipping the new jobs overseas at the first opportunity? And how many times can we retrain the same people?

It seems to me that the problem has to do with the attitude that a corporation's only obligation is to make money for the shareholders. The economic elites have divorced themselves from this country. They have no more sense of patriotism or national interest than my dogs (who are at least cute, cuddly, and friendly, unlike Bill Gates and Larry Ellison).

I honestly don't think that anything will change so long as profit trumps all over concerns.

[Ardee]

10. patriotism and national interest

Gates' charitable contributions jusr exceeded one billion dollars, how much are yours?

You cannot solve the problems of the world by wishing apples to be oranges.So, unless you are calling for a socialist revolution, I suggest that you accept the nature of the beast and deal with it.