What should the US do about the job drain?

[The diplomat]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Me- I understand.
He- You understand?
Me- Hmmm. Copy all.
He- (laughs) No need for further verification of military service, I don't suppose.
What would your friends say about you, were I to bring them in for discussion?
Me- Friends? (Because in thinking ahead I was assuming bosses or co-workers)
He- (laughs, again) Yes, friends. People you hang around with? You know.
NOW, ACS crosses my mind, for SOME ungodly reason
Me- Nothing that would get me hired here, I can tell you that much.

Let me give you some friendly piece of advice: you really need to work on your interview skills.

[SlowwHand]

I guess you'd have had to have been there.

[MrFun]

no thanks

[SlowwHand]

I wish my job field allowed for making half the things up, and ignoring the other half.
Nice, isn't it MrFun?

[MrFun]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
I wish my job field allowed for making half the things up, and ignoring the other half.
Nice, isn't it MrFun?

it's fabulous

[MrFun]

Of course, the pattern of the Confederate flag would look much nicer on toilet paper than on cloth meant for an actual flag.

[Ned]

Just one question:

Why should your employer pay for your health care?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

They shouldn't but neither should it be in the hands of the government bunglers.

[DanS]

Dan, a commie. A COMMIE?!?!

Well, the question really is "want should the US government do about the job drain". Why should the government be empowered to stop the trend? Are we now going to have 5-year plans or some other nonsense?

[Ned]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
They shouldn't but neither should it be in the hands of the government bunglers.

We are just talking about health insurance here. The problems come in when the government tries to control prices or dictate medical procedures. (BTW, if the government were paying for health insurance, we would all have an incentive to curb tort lawyers to reduce costs and taxes.)

But, as far as I can tell, health insurance has nothing to do with one's job and is a business cost that is part of the reason businesses are moving jobs to regions where they can hire workers and not provide health care insurance. If basic health care insurance were provided by the government instead, businesses could hire workers without having to take on this enormous burden.

Health insurance today can cost as much as $1000 per month for each employee. If you are trying to hire an assembler for $20,000 per year max cost, you only pay that employee $8,000 (assuming no other government-imposed costs) if you had to give him health care insurance as well. One can easily see just how health care insurance has become a major reason for jobs moving outside the United States.

edit: corrected math

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I agree. Your preaching to the choir. Health care costs are a huge disincentive to emplyers/employment. What concerns me is once inthe hand of the government one can only shortly see teh massive regualtion that would occur dictating medical practices and costing ala medicaid.

The long and short of it is this:

Basically anything the goverenment can do to make employers more profitable is going to be a stimulus to employment.

What I find ironic is that the left has a complete distaste for private industry so as a consequence has a tough time finding government policies that stimulate job creation that meet their agenda. Any stimulus policies by default would be pro-industry and hence a problem for them.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Ned
Just one question:

Why should your employer pay for your health care?

Because employers like healthy, happy employees. If your employees don't have health care, they are more likely to be disgruntled and more likely to need more time off work.

[Ned]

Ogie, you are right about the left and jobs. They say they are pro jobs but anti-business. The two concepts do not comfortably co-exist.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

And yet that is the left's rallying cry about Bush.

Bush didn't create jobs. Bush didn't create jobs.

Whats he supposed to do?

Be FDR and create another wave of governement works programs. Fabricate WW2.

Whoops perhaps both of those are a little to close to the mark.

[Imran Siddiqui]

health insurance has nothing to do with one's job and is a business cost that is part of the reason businesses are moving jobs to regions where they can hire workers and not provide health care insurance.

You DO realize that employers don't HAVE TO PROVIDE health insurance, don't you? It is something they do to entice workers.