Making Census Of It All, Part 2

Sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those killed outside the Safeway Supermarket in Tuscon, AZ.

And best wishes to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as she recovers from gunshot wounds. Thank goodness she doesn’t have to worry about her health care or insurance coverage. And a pox on anyone who questions how much her treatments cost.

Now can we start discussing seriously the prospect of extending to all Americans the type of health coverage our elected representatives receive?

And – and this is a BIG and – real gun control in this country. If initial reports are accurate – students in Jared Loughner’s classes at Pima Community College say they sat near the door whenever possible so they could escape quickly should he arrive at school, automatic weapon blazing.

Loughner, according to news reports of the indictments brought against the 22 year old in federal court, bought a semiautomatic pistol from a Sportsman Warehouse store legally. On top of that, Arizona (among other states) allows citizens to conceal their weapons in public.

NRA pressure be damned; do we want people with grievances carrying weapons of mass destruction?

Robots On The Factory Floor

I was going to write about my experiences as a 2010 Census enumerator in this column. Thus the play on words in the headline. Under the circumstances, it doesn’t seem as important right now.

I do want to mention one other thing that has been weighing heavily on my mind.

Under enormous financial pressure to turn profits, and criticized for presenting too much news that is negative, newspapers and other commercial media outlets seem to be jumping over each other to show how the “Great Recession” is over. The Boston Globe had two stories on the front page of its Money & Careers section on Sunday for example: “After a grim year, employers are once again optimistic about hiring” and “As cloud lifts from economy, recruiter finds his mission becoming a little easier.”

In the former article, writer Megan Woodhouse says “Economists are painting a brighter picture for 2011, anticipating solid job growth in the last six months of this year and predicting an economic recovery that actually feels like one.”

Interesting that she should use the word “feel,” as most economists quoted in the paper rely on objective mathematical data to come to their conclusions, no?

Feelings aside, this is what I see: local retail outlets – from big box department stores to small neighborhood businesses laying people off in droves. Just try finding a clerk to help you in any of the cavernous warehouse stores. It’s next to impossible.

And places such as supermarkets and pharmacies switching from live checkout clerks to automated cash registers which always put people out of work.

The CVS drugstore in my neighborhood recently let go of two full time and two part time employees when the store made the transition. I’d like to introduce those former employees to Ms. Woodhouse’s economists.

Then again, we’re told constantly by policy makers and politicians that it’s better for our economy to de-regulate business because government oversight restrains economic growth. ‘Better for whom’ is the better question.

And if workers are going to be denied collective bargaining and other benefits of a union, what recourse will those laid off workers have? Is it any wonder violent crime increases during economic downturns?

I just hope those with the means to do something about worker protections will also push for much stronger gun ownership laws.

One other thing.

I don’t care what Jared Loughner is accused or convicted of doing.

I’m against the death penalty and in my opinion, it’s just as morally wrong for the state to take a life as any individual.

- dave goodman -