While unemployment in Central Virginia may be pleasantly-low, particularly when compared to Southside, things are still slumping in ways that pure employment numbers don’t capture. 3,100 jobs were lost from ’98-’03 (largely thanks to NAFTA), with notable mass-layoffs including Comdial and Technicolor. Most of those people found jobs, but instead of making $35k performing skilled steps in the manufacturing process or managing the assembly line, they’re welcoming people to Wal-Mart. A just-completed study found that the job growth of the last few years has occurred in jobs that pay 40% less than the jobs that were lost. The result? The rich are just as rich as always, while more and more people are becoming poor. Reed Williams has the story in today’s Progress.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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Wal Mart is to blame on the downfall of our society as a whole. People in masses go to this place in order to ‘save’ a few bucks. Yet the companies trying to lower their goods must find OTHER avenues to cut cost. And the labor is the first thing to go. SO don’t cry about the wages when we all know you shop at that place. I have been to Wally World 3 times in one year. I would never support their evil reign. If you think Bush is bad, I say lets boycott Wal Mart.
That extra few dollars isn’t going into the greedy CEO’s pockets. It was going to the employing of good skill people in AMERICA. But no! You have to get something cheaper because your lack of understanding of the whole system. Wal Mart is not only destorying AMERICA business they are also destorying AMERICA plants.
WHy do you think they have to close down these plants? It is because the profit margins are razor thins. Why? Because you had to shop Wal Mart and get that great deal.
Don’t blame the CEOs, I would blame the yups who shop at Wal Mart everyday. They are destorying America.
Destorying?
Wow. That’s serious. All of our colorful history… gone. Thomas who?
Thomas "I would kick Sam Walton in the balls" Jefferson.
if you raise wages, you have to raise prices. and if you raise prices, everyone pays more for products…including those who don’t make a whole lot to begin with. not to mention the fact that, now that you’re paying them more, their taxes are higher. so not only are they getting screwed by paying more for goods and services, but they’re losing more to uncle sam.
Your statement reflects a phenomeon going throughout the nation. Desperate Bush supporters tugging on any fact regardless of how inaccurate to find some way to divert the attention from the true problem.
Your process of what would happen would make some since if it were true. Fact is wages are dropping and prices continue to rise. Ask the people whose wages that droped if they’re happier that they make less money b.c in your view they will pay less taxes, and all the other stuff you spilled out on this message.
Why dosen’t someone in this town do a story on the unannounced layoffs at Musictoday in August? What happend? Why were people fired?
I believe the answer is to educate people on the difference between price (what the consumer pays) and cost (what the vendor/producer pays) and to accept a reasonable delta between the two. The problem with Walmart isn’t the low price per se, but the razor thin margin they exact on their distributors. This produces what has been called a race to the bottom.
For what it is worth, I offer this rational explanation to others for why I don’t shop at Walmart and their ilk. The effort may be a drop in the bucket, but it is the only practical thing I can think of doing.
if you, blanco_nino, are a high wage earner, I can understand WHY you try to dessiminate this kind of garbage logic. but… if you are not making over $80K per year, at least… okay… I’ll restrain from enunciating a description of your intellect.
What I’d like to know, uh, I mean, read from your own wording, is how you can explain away the validity of high costs for hospitals and doctors. I mean, you’ve been to the hospital before, haven’t you? You know they charge, like $10 to $15 per Advil! So, the little people at Walmart can make $8 an hour and that’s okay by you because otherwise prices would go up, yet a doctor billing the equivalent of $350 per hour is justified? There’s a word for this follower mentality: ‘sheeple’!
In reality, what would happen, is that goods would increase in price, but so would the perceived value of these goods. So, instead of 5 crap TVs in every bedroom of the house, families may own 2 quality TVs, spemnd less time watching stupid soap-operas or other primetime equivalents and maybe spend more time thinking, reading, socializing and otherwise do what human beings do, and not what ‘matrix-batteries’ do!!!