So the economy is bouncing back but the jobs are not. Companies that rely on low-wage workers report a labor shortage, which many Republicans blame on the extended unemployment benefits that are part of pandemic relief measures.
Therefore, in Montana and other red areas, those benefits are being cut on the theory that people will then be forced to go back to work.
Think about it -- this is a few hundred dollars a week that we are talking about. And the workforce is composed of those deemed "essential workers" in the heat of the crisis. When nobody else would venture out, these are the people who made home deliveries, drove ambulances as EMTs, and performed other necessary functions for a world in lockdown.
I'm sure there are people who are not going back to work yet because of the unemployment benefits. But some of them also have young children but no childcare, or are fearful of Covid. And some of them may just be worn out, tired of long hours for low pay, which is the reality of the jobs we are talking about.
Meanwhile, mechanization is replacing some of their jobs as well, with robots and drones moving into the workforce.
And here is the main point: The U.S. is increasingly dependent on immigrants to take these jobs, but the anti-immigrant policies loudly pursued by Trump had a major chilling effect on the flow of new workers into our economy.
Hopes that the Biden administration would be more successful have not come to fruition yet, and authorities are now struggling to resolve the contradictions of low-wage jobs with the lack of people willing to take them, balanced against the surge of immigrants entering parts of the country where anti-immigrant emotions run high.
"Immigration reform" has been a political buzzword for decades, but it never seems to happen. With the native population's birthrate at record lows, there is no alternative in sight. Not enough Americans are having babies, and as those kids grow up they will certainly aspire to better jobs than those that offer the minimum wage.
Something has to give, my friends.
***
The news:
* Weak U.S. jobs report raises questions about economic recovery (WP)
* The Lithium Gold Rush: Inside the Race to Power Electric Vehicles (NYT)
* Biden’s patent waiver unlikely to boost vaccine supply quickly, experts say -- It could be months before the World Trade Organization agrees to temporarily waive patent protections and years before countries can produce the vaccines, experts say. (WP)
* Republicans’ latest attack on voting rights comes in Ohio, where state lawmakers introduced their first major voter suppression legislation on Thursday. Like the bills signed into law in Georgia and Florida, Ohio's HB 294 targets absentee voting and ballot drop boxes. The bill does not come as a surprise to many Ohioans, whose state has a reputation for extreme gerrymandering. [HuffPost]
* Twitter Thwarts Trump’s Latest Attempt To Get Back On Platform, Bans New Account (U.S. News)
* The vast majority of the 67,000 PG&E fire victims who were awarded money in a settlement in 2019 have yet to receive a payment. (KQED)
* U.S. hiring takes big step back; shortages of workers, raw materials blamed (Reuters)
* Doctors in Nepal warn of major crisis as virus cases surge (AP)
* Amazon and Apple Built Vast Wireless Networks Using Your Devices. (WSJ)
* How Using Videos At Chauvin Trial And Others Impacts Criminal Justice (NPR)
* Health Advocate or Big Brother? Companies Weigh Requiring Vaccines. -- It is a delicate decision balancing employee health and personal privacy. Some companies are sidestepping the issue by offering incentives to those who get shots. (NYT)
* We could see a winter comeback of covid-19 if we don’t get more Americans vaccinated now (Dr. Leana Wen/WP)
* Capitol riot defendant Anthony Antonio, who bought into Trump’s lies about a stolen election, came down with “Foxitus” and “Foxmania” after watching too much Fox News, his attorney told a court. The lawyer told the judge that Antonio believed he was following Trump's orders to march on Washington and that it was patriotic. [HuffPost]
* Top U.S. fund leader wants voluntary climate disclosure rules (Reuters)
* ‘It’s His Own Damn Fault,’ Top G.O.P. Pollster Says of Trump and Facebook -- Frank Luntz has never felt so gloomy. (NYT)
* California reports first ever yearly population decline. Officials say the state's population dipped 0.46% to just under 39.5 million people from January 2020 to January 2021. (KTVU)
* Trump’s out-of-power agenda: Retribution and GOP domination (WP)
* Red meat politics: GOP turns culture war into a food fight (AP)
* Afghans Fleeing Home Are Filling the Lowliest Jobs in Istanbul -- After years working on American bases in Afghanistan and fearful of the Taliban, Afghans are heading to Turkey and Europe. (NYT)
* Red Flag Warnings (fire) have been issued for the North and East Bay hills as well as East Bay Interior Valleys. 11 pm Friday night through 6 am Monday. (NWS)
* ‘Care To Explain?’ Ask Conservative Parents After Finding Vaccine Card In Son’s Underwear Drawer (The Onion)
***
"Workin' Man Blues"
By Merle Haggard
But I've been workin' man, dang near all my life but I'll keep workin'
Long as my two hands are fit to use
I'll drink my beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
I might get a little tired on the weekend, after I draw my pay
Then I'll go back workin', come Monday morning I'm right back with the crew
I'll drink a little beer that evening
Sing a little bit of these working man blues
I want to throw my bills out the window catch a train to another town
I'll go back working, I gotta buy my kids a brand new pair of shoes
I drink a little beer in a tavern
Cry a little bit of these working man blues, here comes that workin' man
I ain't never been on welfare, 'n that's one place I won't be
I'll be working long as my two hands are fit to use
I'll drink my little beer in a tavern
Sing a little bit of these working man blues, this song for the workin' man
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