Cutting Public Sector Wages Will Make Recession Worse

Bob Pollin and Jeff Thompson: Public sector wages are not higher than comparable private sector; cuts will fuel recession

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• public sector
• wages
• labour
• labour union
• news
• politics
• economy
• real news
• PERI
• Bob Pollin
• Jeff Thompson

[GrowTheTruth]

Why in God's name are hardworking people being expected to swallow pay and benefit cuts just because Wall Street fucked up the economy?

Imagine this...your employer goes on a business spending spree and puts the company into debt. However, rather than reduce his spending habits, he decides to fire or reduce the pay of chunk of employees and then cut their pension/ benefits.

That seem fair to anyone else? No.

What's more, it's a recipe for disaster because you NEED employees to run a business!

[donnyforte2]

@ytgv3fc7 "their wealth is not stolen by the nature of it existing in the hands of one."

This vast majority of this wealth is never recirculated. You're essentially creating and sustaining tyrants with mounds of money from family to family

"You can not define "excessive" ownership because there is no such thing"

I can point to the Koch brothers and point to someone living in poverty with two jobs. If you can't see the "excessiveness", then you're just plain trolling me. Kinda boring, actually.

[Downfurlife]

This is so, so, so complicated. Keynesian, Consertive, Neoliberal, Communist whatever. We have schools like Harvard, MIT and others who follow these trains of thought and are often paid to assist to help write laws but their potential bias' are not disclosed. I just started trying to learn - college(additional schooling) is not an option. Can you please recommend by post or email some good websites/resources to help me. Everyone thinks their system is best. I want to learn.

[GrowTheTruth]

@38dragoon38 I'll hope that our world is moving towards a much more intelligent future. I think with the outreach of media outlets such as RealNews and more, we'll start to see a far more educated society that will come to understand reality in a much more logical way. :)

[38dragoon38]

@philais You seem to have misunderstood what is being said. Have another watch...

[38dragoon38]

@GrowTheTruth You are right and, in answer to your first question, the only answer I can think of is because most people will believe whatever the neo-con media tells them. In Nazi Germany the economic problems created by the Treaty of Versailles was blamed on Jews and Bolshevik agitators. Today's crisis will be blamed on Latino immigrants, public sectors, China, Iran, Venezuela, unions, blacks, Muslims/Arabs, liberals, socialists... take your pick - most people will believe what they are told.

[philais]

This was a total joke interview right? Money has to come from taxpayers... not as much money, either a paycut for government workers or layoffs and smaller government.

So we taxpayers don't have the money, so tax people more... is this real?

[marpoq]

if we all need to sacrifice our fair share, what are the rich sacrificing? they're not even sacrificing their tax cuts. the rich need to start putting their share in as they used to

[MerrillMedia]

@TheDFIANT

Wow, I appreciate your civility. It's a rare thing on youtube :) I'm always up for debate/discussion if there is something you want to bounce ideas around about.

[TheDFIANT]

@MerrillMedia

It does indeed seem that I have made a grave error. How embarrassing. The only explanation I have is that, in my mind, the chart at 31:20 replaced the slide at 41:00.

I stand corrected and apologise.