Why do businesses hire?

For most people we interact in the economy in similar ways. We work, earn a wage or salary, we consume, save, invest, etc... A big part of this is the availability of a job and what it pays. In the midst of the worse recession in my lifetime, everyone has heard a lot of soundbites on employment, tax policy, and job creation. It seems that way too few folks know much about our economy and how it works.
I will comment here on one now and more later. Most aspects are fairly simple, given our relatively free and free moving system.
Why does a business hire?
Businesses hire when workers or employees are the restraining resource while increasing output. If you can just work harder, longer, smarter or turn the machine up or buy a better one to get more output then lacking workers is not the constraint; don't hire. People are however frequently the constraint.
Now this scenario all assumes the business needs the added output. Today, that is the rub. Today, businesses need customers more than anything.
Now take that fact back to the discussions in the news. How can we (the government) get more demand out there? In these times the most efficient way is to put money in the hands of those that would spend it immediately, these are the poorest and the unemployed among us. Simple.

Here's your Chinese government in action

JURIST - Paper Chase

Scary Americans

This summer we've seen the news coverage of folks protesting our government as too big, too involved (bailouts) and scary (health care lies). But aren't these the same folks supporting the Patriot Act and its re-enactment. The scariest law I've seen in my life. It's so much the domestic surveillance , the detention, the torture and more as much the reality that the my fellow Americans were willing to support it, let alone accept it. And after all that, congratulations, we've arrested a suspected terrorist in Colorado.

No Public Option - No Health Care Reform

The public option, government guaranteed health care, is the essential element of US health care reform. Without this element, without this guarantee, there is no essential reform. We are still subject to all of the greed, fear, and tragedy that the current system purveys. Like so many issues, this also boils down to whether we are all in this together or not.
There is no single element so threatening to ones basis needs (economic) as losing health care.
Yet, there is nothing of health care value that the insurance companies provide, profit is their sole motive.

Glimpses of Fear

As economic news keeps affronting my daily thought like waves against a tired sea wall, each wave comes then goes, some water soaks into the wall and to what consequence who knows?
One brief experience of this, with it's typical mix of conscious and not so conscious aspects, recently was an image of myself physically washing away from some mooring. It reminded me of our ever present condition of being existentially alone and fear of the same. One we never escape the other is fear. Thankfully fear has it's own frailty.

Blog Spontaneous

I've blogged pretty infrequently. I was an early reader in the phenomenon. I saw this writing medium as a perfect way to tap the spontaneous creative thoughts that dwell in that ground between fleeting and life defining. It could give expression to these thoughts that had some development, but maybe not too much. They had a strong root in the creative, but still had some cognitive pull.
A blog could have some real substance, but not require the polish of literature. Folks could read and connect. The writing still is writing, with a responsibility to the reader, especially with such a broad potential audience. And there I've been stuck, mostly. Having done this little intro let's see what follows.

What Light

Songwriting, acoustic guitar, folk rock alive and well 50 years and going. Enjoy from Spring '07 Wilco reminicent of the Dead.