The Errington Thompson Show 11-14-09
There’s a lot of territory covered in this episode of The Errington Thompson Show. First up, why can’t I talk to a guy here in the United States about my frozen computer? The lack of real customer service only highlights the fact that these jobs could be done by out-of-work computer workers here at home. This brings us to the economic numbers. Errington’s guest Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute sheds light on the job news, reminding us that it’s bad, yes, but it’s better than it has been. The number of jobs we’re losing is getting smaller, but we are still losing jobs.
Looking at the unemployment rates for racial and ethnic minorities isn’t pretty, either, as 15.7% of black Americans and 13.1% of Hispanic Americans are out of work, compared to an overall rate of an alarming 10.2%. This recovery promises to be rocky, coming out of a deep recession without the housing market to bolster our growth. We’ve weathered other recessions and recoveries, but Ms Shierholz warns of “many, many years of weakness in the labor market.”
Errington plays a bit of Obama’s inspiring speech after the tragic and unpredictable events at Ft. Hood. He reminds us in his Dare to Be Stupid segment about the former Louisiana Congressmen who was busted with $90K in his freezer and is looking at thirteen years behind bars for it. The Bonehead of the Week Award goes to the guy who drove his million-dollar Bugatti into a southwest Texas bayou. Some questionable conservative choices, like stopping Senator Franken’s proposed anti rape-clause amendment and the importance of abortion choices on the health care bills, also come up. Now this is real progressive radio!
