[Princess Doreen]

Originally Posted by Riot

There are not enough of even "lesser paying" jobs right now for the number of unemployed we have times five, even if every single one of them was willing to wash cars or work the midnight shift at McDonalds.

Retraining is expensive and takes time. If you are an unemployed systems analyst making $80K/year, retraining as a licensed insurance salesmen is an option, sure. A CPA? Or you could work as a car detailer I suppose.

We've lost the large manufacturing base we used to have in this country, jobs that paid a wage where someone could support their family. In the northeast corridor you could graduate high school and go to work at the factory, and you knew you could work there for life, and advance if you were sharp.

We've lost that, and although we should be replacing that with growing or innovative tech industry-oriented jobs (think computers, green energy, etc), we in the US dig in our heels and don't seem eager to embrace such.

Meanwhile we continue to fall off educationally, taking us further out of science/research/medicine type fields internationally.

Seems the USA's fastest-growing and most thriving industry right now might be the cooking, serving, and eating of fast junk food.

I don't disagree with most of what you are saying. I know it's not going to set well with you, and you'll say it's all Bush's fault - but I just wonder when all this Hope/Change thing is going to start kicking in.