“A Sin and a Shame” – Bob Herbert has emerged as the conscience of our nation

Why this isn’t being said every day, on every page of every newspaper and on every TV news show, is beyond me. If private companies can’t create jobs, then there is no way for us to grow our way out of this recession. It takes jobs for a rising tide to lift all boats – not short-term plans and accounting gimmicks.

Clipped from www.nytimes.com

The treatment of workers by American corporations has been worse — far more treacherous — than most of the population realizes. There was no need for so many men and women to be forced out of their jobs in the downturn known as the great recession.

Many of those workers were cashiered for no reason other than outright greed by corporate managers. And that cruel, irresponsible, shortsighted policy has resulted in widespread human suffering and is doing great harm to the economy.

As Professor Sum studied the data coming in from the recession, he realized that the carnage that occurred in the workplace was out of proportion to the economic hit that corporations were taking.
In short, the corporations are making out like bandits. Now they’re sitting on mountains of cash and they still are not interested in hiring to any significant degree, or strengthening workers’ paychecks.

Until we begin to value our workers, and understand the critical importance of employment to a thriving economy, we will continue to see our standards of living decline.