Tony G, Tulsa (10/1/2009 6:53:20 AM)

I agree, to many manufacturing jobs are being shipped to China, and we don't penalize those companies. Wal Mart should be penalized to the point of bankruptcy.
I went thru this in 83, after Reagan's deregulation, it was hard, spent years doing menial labor, I now own my own service business, so, hopefully for anyone going thru this, they can realize, there is hope at the far end of this nightmare.

GARFIELD, TULSA (10/1/2009 7:19:34 AM)

My best wishes to these men, who have weathered some mighty tough storms the last few years--almost everyone, sooner or later, finds themselves out of work, It can be a 'good' cross to bear as a person learns that suffering often builds character.We learn to take nothing for granted in life.

KYCane, Crestwood (10/1/2009 7:56:55 AM)

Interesting re: the possibility of working in China. It took me almost three years of wavering between short-term contract assignments and unemployment for the rest of a yr before I landed a full-time job w UPS Airlines. Been working w them now here at Worldport for four years and due to the economic downturn (and union seniority rules) I've been demoted in position and pay. If I can hang on until I finish my fifth yr at UPS (next July) and if I can finish my MSM by then - a look-see at China's aviation efforts might be worthwile. At 53 jobs aren't easy to come by. Of course I've also read there's an increase in gov't jobs - so I've also been trying for civilian positions open w the USCG and TSA.

JR, (10/1/2009 8:49:15 AM)

It all started with Nixons visit to the Great Wall......

zzx375, BA (10/1/2009 9:59:38 AM)

"I agree, to many manufacturing jobs are being shipped to China, and we don't penalize those companies. Wal Mart should be penalized to the point of bankruptcy."

Agreed it is happening but the basis for the penalty would be what? Why would nearly bankrupting Walmart be a solution?

Could it be that so many now want what it took their parents and grandparents to acquire that they will not work for less than someone elsewhere? Not very palatible but when one can cut labor costs in half, there is a compelling case to move widgets elsewhere.

The export isn't simply restricted to manufacturing. Locally, IBM has shipped jobs to Argentina and India.

Live simply and get off of the treadmill.

Mar, Tulsa (10/1/2009 11:11:33 AM)

I planned to moved back to Tulsa after my youngest son went away to college. In 2003, at the age of 55, I started seeking a job in Tulsa. I had 15 years of experience as a legal secretary. I worked daily on getting job interviews. A year went by before I got my first interview. In 2005 I was offered a long-term temp assignment with a law firm here in Tulsa. I moved to Tulsa and from 2005 to 2008, I got quite a few interviews, my resume is excellent, my references are great and when I did temp assignments I always got praise for a job well done.

My last temp assignment was Oct. 2008. Since then I've had 4 job interviews with the last one being in May 2009. I've never been offered a permanent job. In 2006 or 2007, it had crossed my mind that maybe I was experiencing age discrimination, but I continued looking for a job. I also have 10 years of experience as a secretary and 9 years in retail sales so I also applied for jobs as a secretary/administrative assistant and various retail businesses around town.

In May, I was on the AARP website and read articles about people over 50 looking for a job. Then I spent the next 3 hours reading the message boards regarding people in their 50's and older looking for a job. People in their 50's and especially late 50's lost their jobs in 2007 and 2008 and this year, looked for work and have not been hired. Some of those people had degrees, 20, 30 or so years of experience, some worked for the same company for 10, 20 or 30 years. Some have given up seeking a job or are working at a low paying job like retail just to have some money coming in. Most were too young to retire just yet.

While reading all those messages, it finally hit me that I had been discriminated against due to my age, I'm 61 now. So I gave up job hunting. I guess I'll never be out in the work force again. I'm starting my own website businesses, which I enjoy. I just hope I can be a success.

I avoid Walmart the majority of the time, so Walmart not being around wouldn't bother me much. I'm a Target fan, always have been. :-) Though Chinese made and other foreign made products can be found in almost every store in the U.S. I bet Walmart and the dollar stores pump tons of money into China.

:), (10/1/2009 11:15:38 AM)

That is sooo interesting.

cheesepoff, That place next to BA (10/1/2009 11:27:32 AM)

China is less economical socialist then we are sadly. China taxes less on business because they learned from the Russians how socialism and communism can run a county into the ground. Though China is communist in the way they are structured economically they are very capitalist. Problem is that the US has so many taxes and labor union problems that most manufacturing jobs left the US because of it. Some on who makes a piece of re-bar should not be making 19 dollars an hour because the cost would be passed onto us the consumer. Not only that the companies were being taxed at rates close to 40 to 60 percent overall. For those companies it was move or die. Now there were companies that moved for cheap labor but that was the not as common as the politicians make you think. What they are paying a Chinese guy in a factory is comparable or more to US minimum wages once you factor in the exchange rate and cost of living. The difference is that china does not mandate taxes on every inch of paperwork that the employer does nor does china require health care and other benefits. Too people who say punish the companies good luck with that you would only be shooting yourself in the foot. The companies can pick up and become an overseas company or they can shut down. A good chunk of this mess was not caused by cheaper labor but government. Europe is finally learning from it and is making major changes in its tax political system and China learned from it in the 90s on the carcass of Russia. The sad thing about the whole situation was 2 months ago when Prime Minister Putin warned Obama.

Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin has said the US should take a lesson from the pages of Russian history and not exercise “excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence”.

“In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute,” Putin said during a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.”

Sounding more like Barry Goldwater than the former head of the KGB, Putin said, “Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors, and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.”

That sad, really sad. Obama is being lectured on basic economic theory by now prime and former head of the KGB.

Mar, Tulsa (10/1/2009 11:33:25 AM)

Cheesepoff, not surprising though, considering the empty suit we have for a president. Is it 2012 yet?

getreal, (10/1/2009 3:31:43 PM)

Putin is a dictator and has not helped the Russian economy. The country is in absolute shambles. The infrastructure is falling apart, business people are murdered, and any voice against the government is harassed or worse. The country is basically run by criminals.

This is what people want for America? And you call our President names.

Few Clothes, America (10/1/2009 5:37:22 PM)

Good luck KYCane,

cheesepoff, That place next to BA (10/1/2009 5:50:03 PM)

Sounds like Obama's friend Chavez's country. I am by no means a fan of Putin but he has to fight the hardliners in his country because even though the country is no longer true communist is still has its government leaders grasping for power over the populace. China is not in shambles in fact is doing quite well but by his actions Obama is taking the road of socialism that led to Russia collapse. Look at what Obama is doing and what Russia did and you will see similarities. Putin did not destroy Russia he is just picking up the pieces that his predecessors left him. The rest of the world is not as blind as most American Liberals, they see Obama for what he is and laugh at the Americans who follow him. Europe dealt with nearly 60 years of communism and socialism and is now recovering from it, and Russia was destroyed by it. They are just warning Obama not to make that mistake. However Obama and the senate does not care what they do to the country because like the Communist East Bloc parties and the European socialist parties its about power. As long as they feel they are above the populace who cares what the common man thinks or wants. Socialism and Communism is a new replacement for Feudalism. Communism and Socialism are near identical to old European Feudalism. You have the ruling class who makes all the decisions for the ignorant Fiefs and peasants. The socialist communist were run by the old ruling class because they knew that they had to change from monarchy because it would not survive the 20th century. In the basis for socialism and communism which is Marxism is derived from Feudalism. However in America it does not quite work because Americans unlike Europeans by large are not into serfdom. The people who want these changes in America are usually families with long blood ties within the senate and government like the old monarchies and because they have held power for so long they believe they are better then every one else thus they try and create a government system were they are the rulers and you the individual are the servant.

Seppo, Sydney, Australia (10/1/2009 9:15:17 PM)

I understand exactly what Bradley Wilson feels. That happened to me in 1995, and I had to up and move to Switzerland for work, thinking I would be back in Tulsa in a year or two. I have been doing the expat thing now for almost 15 years, and all I really want deep down inside is to come back to Tulsa.

I have moved about the globe a bit and finally wound up in Australia for the last decade or so.(Hey, it was the closest thing to home. Just think Oklahoma V2.0, the dirt is red, people talk funny, drink a fair bit, drive on the wrong side of the road, just like home!), and I love living in Australia, but I want to come back to Tulsa but cannot find work in my field.

I have an excellent executive job in Australia, so I am not going to leave until I line something up back in Tulsa. Even though I get great pay, and have a great life, it is not home. The irony is, that even in this rough economy, I have head hunters trying to poach me for other companies in other countries...but can I get a job in Tulsa to save my life...not a chance.

Over the last year, I have sent probably over 50 resumes for mediocre jobs that I am way too qualified to do in Tulsa. But, this is where Tulsans have let me down. Not so much because I did not find work, but because not ONE employer has even bothered to write back and say no thank you, we are not interested. Not even a form letter! What has happened to manners in Tulsa? I suppose that they may fear relocation costs from Australia to America??? Still that is no excuse to not take the time to write back.

Also, EMPLOYERS,let it be known, if you happen to hire me. I am more than happy to relocate myself at MY expense back to Tulsa. I have been on expat packages for a while, I have my nest egg, trust me, I can afford it. Just give me a job that is in TULSA! That is all I want!

Good luck Bradley Wilson, I hope you get back to Tulsa as well!

Oklahoma Catfish, Tulsa (10/3/2009 6:35:16 AM)

Shame on you Tulsa CEO's. I remember watching Keith Bailey on television talking about how great and wonderful The Williams Companies are. He went on and on, bloating about how great they were. You would think that such a company would be a powerhouse of Tulsa employment. But I remember a short time after that hearing about layoffs at Williams. Then not another peep out of Mr. Bailey.

Let this be a lesson. Tulsa area CEO's will fill you full of B.S. They really are just self-serving puppets and care nothing about their employees.

I recall hearing about Hilti and how "Gung Ho" they were. They had this wonderful "coporate culture" they indoctrinated everyone with. Then they got a new CEO and all that went right out the window. Everything changed and suddenly it wasn't cool to be "Gung Ho". In fact they would correct you if you mentioned this propaganda in any meeting. How silly is that? Can you imagine what the employees are thinking? They are thinking that Hilti leadership is crazy!!!!! Cary Evert should be spanked for such behavior!!!! Does he think that people are idiot robots????

Do not put your faith in Tulsa CEO's. They really care nothing about you. Just get your paycheck and go home.