tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post1432131156289882910..comments2024-03-28T18:57:15.124-06:00Comments on Wash Park Prophet: Education and UnemploymentAndrew Oh-Willekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-66102678036391029612011-02-13T15:18:50.321-07:002011-02-13T15:18:50.321-07:00Talk to someone in Denver who recently opened a ba...Talk to someone in Denver who recently opened a bar or restaurant.<br /><br />Then we can talk about excessive regulatory costs.<br /><br />Government spending, per se, is not a problem. It is the amount of spending compared to income and what the money is spent on.<br /><br />"stimulus" that allows the continuation of unsustainable hiring, salaries, and benefits in the public is very different from long term investment.<br /><br />Did you see the recent report about how many Colorado damns need repair? Have you noticed our crumbling infrastructure?<br /><br />Spending money on those things is what the government is for. Instead we get the Wellington Webb office building filled with bureaucrats, who we cannot fire because every mention of staff reductions brings out cries of "teachers" and "policemen".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-49827705136988417982011-02-08T15:38:13.348-07:002011-02-08T15:38:13.348-07:00"One of the classic ways to end employment is..."One of the classic ways to end employment is to start a war."<br />Yes, because your surplus labor is sent to the front to die.Dave Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07355264650239868491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-51252646429320934172011-02-08T09:56:09.846-07:002011-02-08T09:56:09.846-07:00I don't think that either capital or affordabl...I don't think that either capital or affordable commercial real estate are important factors. Business cash on hand has been at record highs and business demand for loans has fallen. Yes, there has been some impact from tightened lending standards and flight to safety in VC investment (particularly in biotech), but I don't think that this is one of the bigger reasons. And, since interest rates are low, even if small business can't raise funds, big businesses can and cheaply (intrapreneurs). If anything commercial real estate prices have fallen and there is room to bargain with high vacancy rates. Lack of discretionary income in the market may be the main factor of those three that is at work.<br /><br />Maybe we need to redefine business success.<br /><br />The empirical evidence is firmly against you on the "reducing government spending" point. The opposite is true. Increased government spending is good for job creation. You can have your own opinions, but not your own facts. In part, government spending is helpful because it increases the available market by giiving more people discretionary income.<br /><br />Government regulation of business, in the abstract, is far overrated as a barrier. Which regulations are getting in the way? Utility companies, which bear the most expensive regulatory burden by far (the CBO estimates about two-thirds of the total) are not laying people off - indeed they are making investments in environmental tech and plant upgrades at a time when new tangible business property investment is in the duldrums.<br /><br />Also, medical marijuana as a reduction in government regulation of business is an odd example. It is turned an illegal but also completely unregulated business into a massively regulated business. It is the only group of small business people begging to be taxed, to have to obtain licenses, to have to prepare compliance reports, and to have a massive new set of regulations enacted to govern their business (with helps of bureaucracy and lawyer work all around).Andrew Oh-Willekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-50778054927128194882011-02-07T22:58:34.549-07:002011-02-07T22:58:34.549-07:00Why do entrapreneurs fail to come up with worthwhi...<i>Why do entrapreneurs fail to come up with worthwhile things to do that they can monetize when the economy goes into recession? What are they missing?</i><br /><br />Capital (because banks stop lending or stop lending at low interest rates), affordable commercial real estate (because owners prefer to ride out the recession), and an available market (because potential customers lack discretionary income for something new).<br /><br /><br /><i>What distinguishes someone who is capable of prolifically creating jobs from someone who is capable of filling a job competently but not likely to create one?</i><br /><br />I see what you're getting at but it's still an odd question in a capitalistic society. Business success it typically measured by how many jobs get destroyed not created -- i.e. by increasing "productivity".<br /><br /><br /><i>What kind of stimulus fosters more connection making and creates a better climate for implementing entrapreneurial visions?</i><br /><br />Reducing government spending. The best thing that happened to the economy in recent memory is when Clinton eviscerated the U.S. military and the high-tech workers from the defense industry switched to the Internet industry.<br /><br />Reducing government regulation of business. The reduced regulation of medical marijuana has proven to be a boon to commercial real estate in Denver.Michael Malakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10007582156392845677noreply@blogger.com