Comments on: Hatch and Schumer’s Big Idea

By: oldgal

oldgal — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:20:05 +0000

As my parent’s used to tell me, “Life is not fair, deal with it.” I doubt there is any legislation that has ever been passed that is not seen as unfair by someone. The companies who avoided layoffs most likely benefit from high morale and employee loyalty which will probably serve them better over the long run than the tax breaks for new hires gained by companies with massive layoffs.

By: sinz54

sinz54 — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:31:12 +0000

balconesfault: So companies which have been willing to cut profits, or even operate at a loss, in order to avoid laying off workers … will now be at a competitive disadvantage to companies which aggressively reduced workforces and can hire new employees with a tax benefit.
Hitherto, that hasn’t been much of a problem, this side of Ben & Jerry’s.

The number of companies which are willing to operate at a loss in order to avoid laying off workers can probably be counted on the fingers of one finger.

Even American companies whose names used to be synonymous with lifetime employment, like IBM, have had massive layoffs in the last 10 years, as globalization has bid down the wages of American workers.

The only reason why European companies take a financial hit rather than laying off workers is that the European governments force them to operate that way, giving workers reduced hours instead of pink slips.

By: balconesfault

balconesfault — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:08:20 +0000

So companies which have been willing to cut profits, or even operate at a loss, in order to avoid laying off workers … will now be at a competitive disadvantage to companies which aggressively reduced workforces and can hire new employees with a tax benefit.

Way to reward those companies which have cut executive perks, tightened their belts on entertainment and other secondary expenses, and instituted other cost savings measures in order to do right by their employees. In certain labor-intensive areas this could allow them to be underbid by the firms who did what was worst for our economy.

Makes good press, though – since analysts will uniformly ignore this flaw/feature.

By: sinz54

sinz54 — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:43:07 +0000

For over a year, whenever we conservatives proposed some type of SS payroll tax cut to stimulate the economy, the liberals instantly attacked it as a poor stimulus. Including right here on FrumForum (when it was still called New Majority).

Now we have Sen. Schumer, who due to his representing New York has to understand something about private-sector investment, proposing essentially the same thing.

While Obama proposes a $250 billion cut in discretionary spending.

Fine with me. I’ll be happy to salute these two liberals for copying our ideas.

As Reagan once said: You can accomplish a great deal, if you don’t care who gets the credit.