Friedman In the News

In about half an hour, 1.2 million American's will lose their unemployment benefits. Beginning March 1, 2010, the benefits will cease for these 1.2 million, and it's a grim prospect for most. Although there is talk of a temporary support program, the probability of the men in DC actually helping those in need in America is far fetched.

Given this situation these Americans will be in, Friedman would claim that the government never should have been giving people money in the first place, and that these people now have no freedom (without income). His idea of freedom is warped because it is defined by dollar signs. The people losing their benefits will lose the power to support their children. Friedman doesn't believe that the government should stick its hands in the economy.

The problem with Friedman's theories is that his version of freedom is not that of civil liberties but of economic freedom. His theory is precisely what gives way to the power of Rockefeller, Exon, and Water companies selling water they pump out of the ground at outrageous prices. Without the support of the federal unemployment program, 1.2 million will lose their "freedom".

Freedom should never be about how much money you have. Freedom should be free. Freedom should never have a price tag.

His theory leads to a large class gap, the abuse of the poor (the powerless), and to a profit minded nation. As you well know, when a company is focused on profit, wage labor workers suffer. The richer you are the more you control, which is not equivalent to freedom. Friedman's theory of freedom is based on the assumption that the laborers working are employed and are receiving enough pay to live off of. That assumption is what makes his argument useless in my book. Absolute non-sense. A theory for the rich.


say... how much do you have to pay to win a Nobel Prize?

Source: http://www.fox17online.com/news/fox17-news-unemployment-benefits-expire,0,1482578.story?track=rss

Marx In the world of Fashion News

This week Hugo Boss, a well known German designer, has decided to shut down a factory that makes some of their men's suits. Over 300 workers are employed at the plant and will be dumped into this wonderful economic state in which they are surely to find a job. I hope you sensed my sarcasm. With the current unemployment rate soaring in to record breaking percentages, the loss of these jobs would put the workers of the plant into a horrible spot.

Hugo Boss claims that the reason they are closing the plant is because the labor is 28 to 40% cheaper in Europe. The Ohio plant will close “at the end of April because it was not globally competitive. “

If we were to look through Marx’s eyes this wouldn’t seem like an injustice, but more of a characteristic of Capitalism. The owner is competing on a global scale and therefore must produce at a lower cost so to out run the competition. Hugo Boss has found that American labor is too expensive and that European labor would lower their cost of production which would in turn raise the company’s profits even if it does mean throwing 300 worker’s lives into the gutter that is America’s growing population of the unemployed. Marx would look at this situation and say something along the lines of “I told you so.” The owners are out to make profit for themselves, and are by no means out to better the lives of the slaves they employ.

While it is a sad story for those who have a heart, it is just another business decision from the minority of capitalists who control us all.



Source: http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=130766

Locke in the News

Unemployment is at an unprecedented low. It was recently reported that employers cut another 20,000 jobs last month alone. However, the unemployment rate has dropped from a 10% to a 9.7 percent, a small victory in this Great Recession.
If he were alive today, John Locke would never approve of such a high unemployment rate. Where he believes that labor is the aim of life, profit and staying afloat in this choppy economy is the faith of today's employers. Labor is an integral part of living well, and without jobs it makes it just a tad harder than usual to do so.
Another small victory for Americans is the spike in people with jobs last month. An increase of 514,000 Americans with jobs was reported for last month. Of course, certain “adjustments” had to be made to this calculation before declaring it as an increase in employed Americans, otherwise it would be reported decrease. Leave it to the “adjustments” to make the future seem less bleak. Locke is probably rolling in his grave to hear about such a large amount of people unable to work and earn a living. Labor market has seen better days and without an end in sight we have no choice but to keep looking, and keep labor as a high priority.

Source:http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=357023