Thursday, April 08, 2004
Nagging Thoughts
I don’t have a lot of time today for blogging, but I have had a couple of nagging thoughts that I just need to get out of my head:
1) 8 Koreans, 3 Japanese kidnapped in Iraq (Yahoo link)
Today’s news includes a story of the horrific kidnapping of Korean and Japanese civilians in Iraq. The terrorists holding them are trying to bully the Korean and Japanese governments into recalling troops from Iraq. Taking hostages is a criminal act. These terrorists are not soldiers fighting to protect anyone’s rights. These are brutal murderers who don’t have any care except a vendetta against the U.S. To think that even one person would have to be tortured and most likely die under these circumstances is appalling, but to concede to their demands is even worse. This is truly what is meant by being between a rock and a hard place.
2) U.S. jobless claims tumble to 328,000 (Yahoo link)
There is no doubt in my mind that the economy is thriving; however, I still know of several people who are unemployed. I work in IT and the unemployed people I know are IT professionals and engineers. Another thing they have in common is their age—they are all over 40. I’d like to know the numbers of people in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s that are currently unemployed. My impression is that companies are trying to bring in young people and hire offshore resources at a lower cost to save money. The companies don’t seem to be able to see the financial benefit of the years of work experience that the more mature candidates bring to the workplace. Can President Bush see the value of getting these people gainfully employed? I think it would be in the best interest of Bush administration to create incentive for companies that hire mature employees, especially those who have been struggling to find jobs. Of significance to the Bush campaign, this is a population of people who would typically be Bush supporters.
1) 8 Koreans, 3 Japanese kidnapped in Iraq (Yahoo link)
Today’s news includes a story of the horrific kidnapping of Korean and Japanese civilians in Iraq. The terrorists holding them are trying to bully the Korean and Japanese governments into recalling troops from Iraq. Taking hostages is a criminal act. These terrorists are not soldiers fighting to protect anyone’s rights. These are brutal murderers who don’t have any care except a vendetta against the U.S. To think that even one person would have to be tortured and most likely die under these circumstances is appalling, but to concede to their demands is even worse. This is truly what is meant by being between a rock and a hard place.
2) U.S. jobless claims tumble to 328,000 (Yahoo link)
There is no doubt in my mind that the economy is thriving; however, I still know of several people who are unemployed. I work in IT and the unemployed people I know are IT professionals and engineers. Another thing they have in common is their age—they are all over 40. I’d like to know the numbers of people in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s that are currently unemployed. My impression is that companies are trying to bring in young people and hire offshore resources at a lower cost to save money. The companies don’t seem to be able to see the financial benefit of the years of work experience that the more mature candidates bring to the workplace. Can President Bush see the value of getting these people gainfully employed? I think it would be in the best interest of Bush administration to create incentive for companies that hire mature employees, especially those who have been struggling to find jobs. Of significance to the Bush campaign, this is a population of people who would typically be Bush supporters.
