re: The Economy that was not suppose to happen

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It's about job quality over purely job quantity. I think you have a problem when people work two jobs but still can't make ends meet. Add in the fact that many jobs specifically reduce hours to avoid paying benefits.

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A lot of this is up to the individual.

I rented a house to a 23 year old female truck driver last month. She showed me her last two weeks of pay stubs. They were both $1300 per week. Blew me away. She said she ran a "dedicated route" and her work would be consistent.

I can't stand people bitching about working at Walmart for $9 per hour and then advocating for socialistic policies/handouts. Opportunities are there. Improve your skills.

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I can't stand people bitching about working at Walmart for $9 per hour and then advocating for socialistic policies/handouts. Opportunities are there. Improve your skills.

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This. There are two types of jobs that pay well. Those that most people can't do, or those that most people won't do.

If you can but won't, that's not anybody else's fault or problem.

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and the latest month's jobs number was 20k!

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No it hasn't. Only bitches like yourself thought the 20K was anything but a blip.

YOU even gave ME shite for calling TWO data points a trend and you used ONE to do so.

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YOU even gave ME shite for calling TWO data points a trend and you used ONE to do so.

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1) did i call 20K a trend?

2) how long is it going to take you to get over that? seems to have left quite the scar

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rented a house to a 23 year old female truck driver last month. She showed me her last two weeks of pay stubs. They were both $1300 per week. Blew me away. She said she ran a "dedicated route" and her work would be consistent. 

I can't stand people bitching about working at Walmart for $9 per hour and then advocating for socialistic policies/handouts. Opportunities are there. Improve your skills.

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It seems another solution to this would be to attract more businesses into the area and let free market economics balance it out.

As for the girl working as a truck driver, if I'm not mistaken that does require a certification (WIC license?). If your argument is more people need to develop practical skillsets, then I agree. I think what happens is that some people do get marketable skillsets, but they have to settle with whatever job they can get until they find one that matches their degree/cert (this happens often).

I don't mind if lower tier jobs pay enough so that people can afford the basics in life. Honestly as far as back as the 70s, people could live off those types and not require welfare.

The truth is that our underclass (working poor) isnt going to cease unless we do something to make higher education more affordable (at least at the 2 year level).

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The truth is that our underclass (working poor) isnt going to cease unless we do something to make higher education more affordable (at least at the 2 year level).


More people going to college is the last possible thing we need in this country, we need less. 40% of those that now enroll in college never finish. Those people should have never attended college,they should have been steered into training programs for skilled trades. There are numerous programs for skilled trades available for little to no cost in every stat. Too often these programs have too few students while the number of well paying jobs that need to be filled in the skilled trades continues to grow rapidly. The mindset that everyone should go to college has to end.

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The mindset that everyone has to go college does not need to end. It needs to be modified to a mindset that everyone needs some type of higher education. Just having a high school degree gets you nowhere now, but having a college degree is not for everyone. Luckily, I have noticed that the mindset that community college is an acceptable option if finally starting to take hold in Louisiana at least.

Volod is right when he said we need to make higher education more affordable (at least at the 2 year level). He was talking about CC and votech which is where most people would receive their training You are right that here are numerous programs out there that are affordable, but there is not enough funding to allow for enough affordable spots to fill the demand for skilled labor. Prior to 2017 TOPS did not pay for someone to go to a CC and get an associate degree, and then transfer to a 4 year university to get a bachelor's degree. Also prior to 2017, TOPS did not pay for someone to go to a CC to get a vocational education (i.e welding, mechanic). Even after TOPS started paying for students to go to a CC for an associate degree or votech training there still is not enough funding for enough affordable spots to meet the demand for skilled labor positions in Louisiana.

LSU has the highest graduation rate in the state, but the graduation rate of students that start at BRCC then transfer to LSU after receiving an associate degree from BRCC is even higher than the LSU average. However, TOPS would pay for and still does pay for students with SAT/ACT scores and GPAs that are not good enough for LSU, LaTech, etc to go to GSU, Southern, and SUNO which have some of the worst graduation rates in the country. Guidance counselors know all of this but they still push people to attend the four year college instead of the CC, and TOPS continues to pay for it.

So we do have to do something, and IMO, TOPS should refuse to pay for those students with academic stats of the average GSU, Southern, SUNO, etc to start at a four year university. They should pay for them to start at a CC and pursue a technical degree or an associate degree and then transfer to a four year university for a bachelor degree if the student has the stats. Of course that will never happen because you cannot point out the fact that Louisiana's public HBCUs are some of the worst universities in the country without being called a racist.