The Trump Card...

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter

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If I decide to take on a second job and go out and get one, am I taking a job away from another American?

If I hire someone who already has a job and will now work two jobs, would you have me instead wait to hire someone who has no job and seeks one?

If I place an ad for a janitor, and one applicant asks for $13, one for $12, and one for $10 an hour, and all are up to the task, which one would you have me hire and why?

On a construction site, a bulldozer can move more dirt more quickly than 100 men with shovels. Would you ban bulldozers so 100 Americans can find work shoveling dirt? Would you ban shovels so 10,000 Americans can find work moving dirt with spoons?

Self-driving vehicles exist now and are getting better. Taxi drivers are likely to be replaced by robots in the near future. Would you ban this technology so taxi drivers (and later, truck drivers) can keep their jobs?

Drones are in use now delivering packages to homes. Would you ban drones so UPS drivers can keep their jobs?

ATM machines have replaced thousands if not millions of bank tellers and ticket sellers. Would you ban those so tellers and ticket sellers can have their jobs back?

Skilled humans like welders have been replaced on many assembly lines. Would you roll back the clock and increase car prices so these welders can have their old jobs back? What about buggy whip factories. Should they be rebuilt so buggy whip jobs can be re-created for American workers?

Online coaches can now have people point their phones to themselves as they lift weights. The coaches then charge money to coach the people on their technique and training plan. We provide the same coaching live in our gym. Should I go to the government and lobby for a law that bans online coaching because local coaching is better for the local economy?

Mirrors on people's walls can now monitor people exercising at home and provide coaching tips. Should there be a law opposing those because no one can care about a person better than a machine, and, by golly, this is America and Americans deserve to be cared about?

A couple generations ago, only a small percentage of women had jobs outside the home. Now many do. Did those women take jobs away from men, and if so, should they go back to the kitchen so men can have their jobs back?

In 1870, 81% of jobs required doing work with your hands. Today, 21% of jobs require manual labor. As devices for doing work, brains have replaced hands to a large extent.

The labor market is not a single entity with one moving part. The number of jobs and the nature of work is not constant.

I am sometimes frustrated by statements like those you make about keeping jobs or taking jobs. I guess if you see a job as something you are entitled to have and will never change, and you never have to change to keep your job, a case can be made that a job may be unfairly taken from you.

After all, it is your right to have that good-paying job with benefits for life without regard for how much your labor is actually worth in the marketplace, and without regard for the actual value you create for your employer and employer's customers, right?
 
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muttly

Veteran Expediter
If I decide to take on a second job and go out and get one, am I taking a job away from another American?

If I hire someone who already has a job and will now work two jobs, would you have me instead wait to hire someone who has no job and seeks one?

If I place an ad for a janitor, and one applicant asks for $13, one for $12, and one for $10 an hour, and all are up to the task, which one would you have me hire and why?

On a construction site, a bulldozer can move more dirt more quickly than 100 men with shovels. Would you ban bulldozers so 100 Americans can find work shoveling dirt? Would you ban shovels so 10,000 Americans can find work moving dirt with spoons?

Self-driving vehicles exist now and are getting better. Taxi drivers are likely to be replaced by robots in the near future. Would you ban this technology so taxi drivers (and later, truck drivers) can keep their jobs?

Drones are in use now delivering packages to homes. Would you ban drones so UPS drivers can keep their jobs?

ATM machines have replaced thousands if not millions of bank tellers and ticket sellers. Would you ban those so tellers and ticket sellers can have their jobs back?

Skilled humans like welders have been replaced on many assembly lines. Would you roll back the clock and increase car prices so these welders can have their old jobs back? What about buggy whip factories. Should they be rebuilt so buggy whip jobs can be re-created for American workers?

Online coaches can now have people point their phones to themselves as they lift weights. The coaches then charge money to coach the people on their technique and training plan. We provide the same coaching live in our gym. Should I go to the government and lobby for a law that bans online coaching because local coaching is better for the local economy?

Mirrors on people's walls can now monitor people exercising at home and provide coaching tips. Should there be a law opposing those because no one can care about a person better than a machine, and, by golly, this is America and Americans deserve to be cared about?

A couple generations ago, only a small percentage of women had jobs outside the home. Now many do. Did those women take jobs away from men, and if so, should they go back to the kitchen so men can have their jobs back?

In 1870, 81% of jobs required doing work with your hands. Today, 21% of jobs require manual labor. As devices for doing work, brains have replaced hands to a large extent.

The labor market is not a single entity with one moving part. The number of jobs and the nature of work is not constant.

I am sometimes frustrated by statements like those you make about keeping jobs or taking jobs. I guess if you see a job as something you are entitled to have and will never change, and you never have to change to keep your job, a case can be made that a job may be unfairly taken from you.

After all, it is your right to have that good-paying job with benefits for life without regard for how much your labor is actually worth in the marketplace, and without regard for the actual value you create for your employer and employer's customers, right?
You are comparing apples to barbells. I’m talking about the influx of illegal aliens and the impact to the work force and wages. that affect U.S. citizens. And the only thing they are entitled to is getting first dibs at those jobs over them. It’s only going to get worse too because we will soon be on the precipice of a recession, along with the sky high inflation that is here to stay for a long while.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
You are comparing apples to barbells. I’m talking about the influx of illegal aliens and the impact to the work force and wages. that affect U.S. citizens. And the only thing they are entitled to is getting first dibs at those jobs over them. It’s only going to get worse too because we will soon be on the precipice of a recession, along with the sky high inflation that is here to stay for a long while.
At present, unemployment is low and wages are sharply increasing. If we discount all other variables and consider only illegal immigration, there is a positive correlation between illegal workers and job and wage growth. The solution is therefore obvious. If we want more jobs and higher wages in America, we should boost the number of illegal aliens.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Go look in a McDonald's and tell me how many young kids are working there vs. Older people.....
Go to McDonald's and tell me how many workers have been replaced by drive-through windows and self-service kiosks. That illustrates the impacts of technology, innovation and changing consumer trends.

Regarding older/younger people working at McDonald's, I don't know the numbers but there seems to have been a shift toward older people working there. But I'm in Florida and older people work everywhere here. Can you say more? Why are you talking about the number of older vs. younger people working at McDonald's? Is there something wrong with that?

I just attended a meeting where our city police chief talked about the new difficulty in recruiting young people to become police officers.

The trucking industry has been talking for years about the large numbers of older drivers who are or will soon retire out of the trade and a smaller number of younger workers are willing to take those jobs to keep the trucks rolling.

What is your point exactly regarding older and younger people working at McDonald's?
 
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muttly

Veteran Expediter
At present, unemployment is low and wages are sharply increasing. If we discount all other variables and consider only illegal immigration, there is a positive correlation between illegal workers and job and wage growth. The solution is therefore obvious. If we want more jobs and higher wages in America, we should boost the number of illegal aliens.
It’s all going to come to a head very soon. Very high inflation along with a recession will reduce the amount of available jobs. The segment of U.S. citizens who haven’t been working because of the Pandemic. and have burned through a lot of their savings and tapped out their credit cards will be coming back soon to get on the work grid. There will be a lot more applicants however for fewer jobs. And who do you think an employer will choose in a severely money crunched economic environment? The much cheaper labor.
 
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Ragman

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
It’s all going to come to a head very soon. Very high inflation along with a recession will reduce the amount of available jobs. The segment of U.S. citizens who haven’t been working because of the Pandemic. and have burned through a lot of their savings and tapped out their credit cards will be coming back soon to get on the work grid. There will be a lot more applicants however for fewer jobs. And who do you think an Employer will choose in a severely money crunched economic environment? The much cheaper labor.
politics-noncompliance-will_not_comply-henny_penny-chicken_licken-governments-psnn318_low.jpg
 
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muttly

Veteran Expediter
Go to McDonald's and tell me how many workers have been replaced by drive-through windows and self-service kiosks. That illustrates the impacts of technology, innovation and changing consumer trends.

Regarding older/younger people working at McDonald's, I don't know the numbers but there seems to have been a shift toward older people working there. But I'm in Florida and older people work everywhere here. Can you say more? Why are you talking about the number of older vs. younger people working at McDonald's? Is there something wrong with that?

I just attended a meeting where our city police chief talked about the new difficulty in recruiting young people to become police officers.

The trucking industry has been talking for years about the large numbers of older drivers who are or will soon retire out of the trade and a smaller number of younger workers are willing to take those jobs to keep the trucks rolling.
McDonalds always had a mixture of young and older people working there. When I was a teenager, McDonalds had a vast majority of high school age kids work the evening shift and many older adults would work during the day.
McDonalds only payed around minimum wage way back then so for most kids it was just a job to make spending money while going to school. And it would have a high turnover of those young workers. It could be since McDonalds pays a higher wage that it appeals to a older work force now.

Regarding trouble recruiting new police officers. This is the result of the “news” media demonizing the police as being systemically racist. That inaccurate characterization of police has made the job much more dangerous. And also made it much less appealing because of the increased harassment. They’re more vulnerable to overzealous prosecutors charging an officer mainly due to political pressure.
Thirty-five years ago there were 800 applicants testing for 8 police officer jobs.
And it was not because it payed a whole lot either. It was because it was considered, among other things, a respectable job.

Regarding the younger workers in Trucking. Are they getting turned off by the doubling of gas prices? Diesel prices just set a record too. Are they saying why bother? Thanks Biden, but no thanks.
 
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danthewolf00

Veteran Expediter
Go to McDonald's and tell me how many workers have been replaced by drive-through windows and self-service kiosks. That illustrates the impacts of technology, innovation and changing consumer trends.

Regarding older/younger people working at McDonald's, I don't know the numbers but there seems to have been a shift toward older people working there. But I'm in Florida and older people work everywhere here. Can you say more? Why are you talking about the number of older vs. younger people working at McDonald's? Is there something wrong with that?

I just attended a meeting where our city police chief talked about the new difficulty in recruiting young people to become police officers.

The trucking industry has been talking for years about the large numbers of older drivers who are or will soon retire out of the trade and a smaller number of younger workers are willing to take those jobs to keep the trucks rolling.

What is your point exactly regarding older and younger people working at McDonald's?
My problem is McDonald's as most fast food was a place to start your work career.....not to work there forever....young truckers see what is needed to drive and don't want to deal with the regulations or even the crazy hours of service....cops lol you must be really crazy if you want to go to work for a city where the politicians do not have your back and even go to length of defunding the police departments.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
My problem is McDonald's as most fast food was a place to start your work career.....not to work there forever....young truckers see what is needed to drive and don't want to deal with the regulations or even the crazy hours of service....cops lol you must be really crazy if you want to go to work for a city where the politicians do not have your back and even go to length of defunding the police departments.
Cops: Very, very, very few cities are defunding their police departments. In our city, two of five city council people are former career police officers. They have the department's back. Defunding the police is the last thing on our city council's mind. So those are not the reasons it is difficult to recruit young police officers here and elsewhere where defunding is NOT happening.

Truckers: Regulations and crazy hours of service probably do indeed contribute to the difficulty in recruiting and retaining younger drivers.

McDonalds: Once upon a time, it was true that fast food was a place to start your work career. That has changed, along with many things in today's workplace. What was once assumed to be one way is now another. If you continue to believe things are one way when in fact they are another, you will naturally (and mistakenly) conclude that something is wrong with older people working in a fast-food setting.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
It’s all going to come to a head very soon. Very high inflation along with a recession will reduce the amount of available jobs. The segment of U.S. citizens who haven’t been working because of the Pandemic. and have burned through a lot of their savings and tapped out their credit cards will be coming back soon to get on the work grid. There will be a lot more applicants however for fewer jobs. And who do you think an employer will choose in a severely money crunched economic environment? The much cheaper labor.
I suppose that depends on what you mean by "come to a head very soon."

Right now, the national unemployment rate is 3.6%, which is a low number. In other words, there is no longer a large segment of workers not working because of the pandemic. There is no large segment of workers hanging back waiting, for one reason or another, to re-enter the workforce. A 3.6% unemployment rate tells us they have already gone back to work. The unemployment rate was significantly higher during the pandemic, but that is no longer the case. It's not that the size of the labor force has shrunk. It's that the number of available jobs has increased.

Your assumption about Americans burning through their savings is questionable. Overall, Americans are not good savers. We have heard for decades about large numbers of Americans who do not save money and live paycheck to paycheck instead; and use too-easy credit to buy the luxury goods they feel entitled to have, or feel the need to have to impress others, or feel the impulse to have and are unable to exert the self discipline needed to save money instead. Many have tapped out their credit cards, but that is nothing new.

The last time that situation "came to a head" was in the Great Recession, which was triggered by the economic house of cards that collapsed when too many people (and lenders) got far more leveraged with debt than was wise. A lot of suffering ensued when that situation came to a head. But since then, controls have been established. While the housing market (at least in Florida) is once again on fire, it is not being driven by increased debt. It is being driven by increased demand. People are actually moving into the new homes they are buying sight-unseen.

Regarding wages, most employers will choose an equally qualified worker who demands less pay over one who demands higher pay. Most employers see labor as an expense and the bias is always to save money on labor where and when you can. That too is nothing new. So there too, there is nothing new to come to a head.

(I'll mention here that as an employer, Diane and I maintain a somewhat different view. We not view our employees as expenses. They are assets to our company and the customers we serve. For that reason, and to get the best people, we pay our personal fitness trainers more than they can make at any other gym in our area of similar size and type. If a trainer leaves our company for a job in another gym, it won't be because of the money.

If we were fleet owners, we'd do the same. We'd pay more than the going rate to attract and retain the best drivers. Not a lot more but enough more to be the highest paying fleet owners in the business. For decades, it has been a common refrain among employers that "you just can't find good help these days." That's crap, I respond. The reason you can't find good help is you don't offer good pay, or you're not a good boss, or both.)

Regarding inflation and recession, those are natural cycles that have characterized economies for centuries. A simple glance at the American recession-expansion chart suggests we are overdue for a recession. We've been through them before and we'll go through them again.

An interesting thing about a recession is no one knows one happened until it is in the rear view mirror. While we might have the feeling we are in one and current data may suggest that very thing, recession start and end dates are not officially charted until we can look back at prior data to do that. With the benefit of hindsight, you can look at a chart, point to a date and say the recession "came to a head" on that date. But, because of the way recessions are defined, you cannot do so in real time.

Regarding inflation, I think we are uncharted territory and when I say that I think I am deluding myself for the sake of personal comfort. In fact, we are not in uncharted territory at all. History is filled with stories of the total collapse of a nation's currency due to inflation, which was due to that nation printing too much money while basing it's value on nothing.

The U.S. freely and eagerly printed massive amounts of money to deal with pandemic impacts, so our national debt has skyrocketed.

Trump's major tax cut for the rich also added massive amounts to the national debt ... more than the accompanying prosperity of the rich generates in new tax revenue. That's because, thanks to the Trump tax cut for the rich, it is easier than ever for the rich to not pay taxes. The prosperity for the rich is there but the tax revenue from that prosperity is not.

America's economic strength is declining by the minute as our dollar grows weaker and weaker. How do we know the dollar is growing weak? It buys less today than it did yesterday. And in these inflationary times, the dollars we make buy less at a faster rate.

Like recessions, inflationary cycles come and go, but this time may be different. We have printed so much money so fast that I fear the U.S. dollar may collapse. That's why I say I may be deluding myself for the sake of personal comfort. The collapse of the dollar would be terrible for all of us, and it may be as abrupt as the beginning as the Great Recession. I am genuinely worried that this round of inflation is not a mere inflation cycle, but the beginning of the end of the U.S. dollar as a viable currency.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
McDonalds only payed around minimum wage way back then so for most kids it was just a job to make spending money while going to school. And it would have a high turnover of those young workers. It could be since McDonalds pays a higher wage that it appeals to a older work force now.
Bingo!
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Regarding trouble recruiting new police officers. This is the result of the “news” media demonizing the police as being systemically racist. That inaccurate characterization of police has made the job much more dangerous. And also made it much less appealing because of the increased harassment. They’re more vulnerable to overzealous prosecutors charging an officer mainly due to political pressure.
Thirty-five years ago there were 800 applicants testing for 8 police officer jobs.
And it was not because it payed a whole lot either. It was because it was considered, among other things, a respectable job.
Yes. the unfair branding of all cops is part of the problem. When I raised the issue at a recent meeting at our police department, officers complained about being painted with the same brush as those in Minnesota who murdered George Floyd. "I wasn't there. I didn't do that. I wouldn't do that," one said, "But something that happened a thousand miles away continues to have local ramifications."

That's not to say black people are fairly treated by the police. There are numerous cases where they are not and that is crucially important to acknowledge and address. In that regard, I have been pleasantly surprised by the leadership and attitudes shown by our county sheriff, former city police chief and current chief in our deep-red county. They have been surprisingly progressive and proactive in mitigating racism in their agencies.

But the broad brush continues to paint and this is absolutely a barrier to recruiting new police officers.

While that may be partially due to the media, that's not all. It's due to the people too. The media did not generate the protests, they covered the protests. They did not suppress police speech. They put one police leader after another on the news to comment as they covered the larger story.

In communities near me in Florida, several non-violent protests occurred. Those people did not rise up because the media told them to. They rose up to be heard. People do not want racist cops and, black and white together, they rose to say so. And our local police leaders agreed.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Regarding the younger workers in Trucking. Are they getting turned off by the doubling of gas prices? Diesel prices just set a record too. Are they saying why bother? Thanks Biden, but no thanks.
When Diane and I were in the business, there was a time where diesel topped $5 a gallon in places and we rejoiced. The fuel surcharge enabled us to pass that expense on to the customers, and our wisely built truck (class 8 straight truck) and conservative gas-pedal feet enabled us to burn less fuel per mile than what the surcharge paid. We made good money as truckers and better money when fuel prices were high.

Has the fuel surcharge gone away? Are young truckers now required to pay for all fuel instead of passing fuel costs on to their customers? If so, I can see where young drivers may not become owner-operators. But as company drivers, how would high fuel prices affect a driver at all as a reason to stay out of trucking? They don't buy their trucks or the fuel they use.
 
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muttly

Veteran Expediter
Yes. the unfair branding of all cops is part of the problem. When I raised the issue at a recent meeting at our police department, officers complained about being painted with the same brush as those in Minnesota who murdered George Floyd. "I wasn't there. I didn't do that. I wouldn't do that," one said, "But something that happened a thousand miles away continues to have local ramifications."

That's not to say black people are fairly treated by the police. There are numerous cases where they are not and that is crucially important to acknowledge and address. In that regard, I have been pleasantly surprised by the leadership and attitudes shown by our county sheriff, former city police chief and current chief in our deep-red county. They have been surprisingly progressive and proactive in mitigating racism in their agencies.

But the broad brush continues to paint and this is absolutely a barrier to recruiting new police officers.

While that may be partially due to the media, that's not all. It's due to the people too. The media did not generate the protests, they covered the protests. They did not suppress police speech. They put one police leader after another on the news to comment as they covered the larger story.

In communities near me in Florida, several non-violent protests occurred. Those people did not rise up because the media told them to. They rose up to be heard. People do not want racist cops and, black and white together, they rose to say so. And our local police leaders agreed.
The “news” media doesn’t just cover the protests they amplify and inflame any incident regarding a white officer and a minority.They identify the race of the officer and the shooting victim. But incidents involving the same race don’t get much national coverage, if at all. It gives the perception that there is a systemically racist problem. The FBI statistics don’t show that though. And there has been a significant decrease in shooting deaths well before the Floyd incident. Btw, is there any evidence that the officer was racist in that case? It is just assumed, without evidence,that he was.
Most of the time, when a cop makes a mistake and screws up. It’s mainly do to the stress of the moment. Some are just incompetent and shouldn’t be police officers, but deeming an officer a racist because he is white and the incident involved a minority is wrong without evidence.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
I don't know if anyone keeps records on the greatest number of court cases lost, but if they did, Trump would be a contender. One thing Trump does again and again is lose in court. Yes, he has the occasional win, but his win/loss ratio is heavy on the loser side.

 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
The “news” media doesn’t just cover the protests they amplify and inflame any incident regarding a white officer and a minority.They identify the race of the officer and the shooting victim. But incidents involving the same race don’t get much national coverage, if at all. It gives the perception that there is a systemically racist problem. The FBI statistics don’t show that though. And there has been a significant decrease in shooting deaths well before the Floyd incident. Btw, is there any evidence that the officer was racist in that case? It is just assumed, without evidence,that he was.
Most of the time, when a cop makes a mistake and screws up. It’s mainly do to the stress of the moment. Some are just incompetent and shouldn’t be police officers, but deeming an officer a racist because he is white and the incident involved a minority is wrong without evidence.
You speak with great confidence, no source, and questionable accuracy.

George Floyd was not shot. He was killed by police. There is a difference between a police shooting and police killing but for the dead person, the result is the same and the police caused the death.

Number of police killings by year: (Source)

2019 634
2018 425
2017 218
2016 853
2015 636

In the five years shown, the number of police killings INCREASED in each of the most-recent three years. With such numbers, it's hard to make the case that police killings declined well before the Floyd murder.

You may be aware of some statistics out there that emphasize police shootings instead of police killings, but if we are going to talk about police behavior and have a debate about systemic racism, the distinction between fatal shootings and killings is a distinction without a difference.
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
I see the Trump backed candidate won the Primary for Senator in Ohio.(Come from behind victory too.)
The demise of Trump’s influence has been greatly exaggerated. Lol.

More people in the Ohio Republican primary voted for other candidates than did for J.D. Vance.

Remains to be seen whether he can prevail in the General.

Upcoming SCOTUS decisions may factor into that as well.

As far as Don Cheetolini's influence goes, it is vastly overrated:

A South Philly GOP ward leader has been ousted over ‘ballot harvesting’ concerns

"... precludes Lanzilotti from holding any Republican Party office in the city in the future"

:tearsofjoy:
 
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