A blast from the recent past: Building Blue-Collar … Burgers? Bush Report: Fast Food Work A Form Of Manufacturing?
Manufacturing jobs making things like airplane engines, cars and farm equipment are disappearing from the American economy.
Or are they? According to a White House report, new manufacturing jobs might be as close as your nearest drive-thru.
The annual Economic Report of the President has already stirred controversy by suggesting the loss of U.S. jobs overseas might be beneficial, and predicting that a whopping 2.6 million jobs will be created in the country this year.
As first reported by The New York Times, the fast food issue is taken up on page 73 of the lengthy report in a special box headlined "What is manufacturing?"
"The definition of a manufactured product," the box reads, "is not straightforward."
"When a fast-food restaurant sells a hamburger, for example, is it providing a 'service' or is it combining inputs to 'manufacture' a product?" it asks.
Manufacturing is defined by the Census Bureau as work involving employees who are "engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products."
But, the president's report notes, even the Census Bureau has acknowledged that its definition "can be somewhat blurry," with bakeries, candy stores, custom tailors and tire retreading services considered manufacturing.
"Mixing water and concentrate to produce soft drinks is classified as manufacturing," the president's report reads. "However, if that activity is performed at a snack bar, it is considered a service."
The report does not recommend that burger-flippers be counted alongside factory workers.
Instead, it concludes that the fuzziness of the manufacturing definition is problematic, because policies — like, for example, a tax credit for manufacturers — may miss their target if the definition is overly broad or narrow.
But reclassifying fast food workers as manufacturing employees could have other advantages for the administration.
It would offset somewhat the ongoing loss of manufacturing jobs in national employment statistics. Since the month President Bush was inaugurated, the economy has lost about 2.7 million manufacturing jobs, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. That continues a long-term trend.
Bush was a failure at National Security, but conservatives and the media portrayed him as strong and resolute. Bush and conservative Republican policies were great at creating jobs....for Asia anyway. So the conservative powers that be change a definition here and there and bam they've created "manufacturing jobs". Did conservatives learn anything from the last eight years. Yep. They learned to deny all responsibility despite The Great Recession.
All politicians fudge the truth. When they do its not to difficult to look up the facts. Fox Opinion Network, Neil Cavuto and a former genuflecting speech writer for Tricky Dick Nixon could not be bothered with such standards. Its called being lazy. Ben and Neil school yard name callers. Sad to see two aging men act this way. Where are their ethics. Such poor standards are set on a regular basis at conservative's favorite network, Panelist Calls Obama “A Stunning Liar” Who Is “Betraying The Constitution” Without Challenge From Host Neil Cavuto
Ben Stein channeled Glenn Beck. "We have abandoned Constitutional principles,” he said. He called the scare tactics “unconscionable” and added, “They're the biggest lie I think I've ever seen any President tell. The country will not go bankrupt if they don't pass that bill."Will Ben Stein and Cavuto stand up for their "principles" and demand repeal of supposedly unconstitutional government programs like veterans health care and Medicare.
Cavuto let that remark go unchallenged. Later, Stein added to it by saying, "We have in this President not only a stunning liar, although he has some very good qualities, I’m saying, other than that, but also a man who is betraying the Constitution.”
Once again, Cavuto did not challenge Stein. He had made a very serious allegation but Cavuto did not even ask for particulars about how Obama is “betraying the Constitution.” Is it just a given on Fox News?
Actually, Cavuto did challenge Stein – for saying Obama “has some very good qualities.” Cavuto joked, "He (Stein) calls (Obama) a stunning liar, but not a bad guy."
"I know many liars who are nice guys," Stein said.
Was Stein thinking of his former boss, Richard Nixon?
