Hurricane Sandy Create JOBS? , Rebuild America Employing more people!! HAVE YOUR SAY!

The short term 'boom' in employment for construction/electrical/etc contractors will not be enough to offset the massive costs of recovery, rebuilding, debris removal, lost revenue due to the East Coast being out of commission for a few days. Also consider the many IT and service people who will be unable to work in the near term as the region tries to get back on it's feet.

Only long term, stable jobs will result in any meaningful economic bounceback.

The only catastrophre that tends to be profitable is war, and that is extremely avoidable.

This storm will be great to many industries, the auto industry as well. If GM were smart, they'd lower the cost of Chevy Volt and/or provide special financing to get their numbers up there! Appliances, materials for houseing, carpet etc., landscapers, infrastructure....the list is expansive.

If any benefit is gained economically,it is only temporary,and believe it or not,minimal.

The so called "Leaders",will ask for more money to fix problems they overlooked in disaster response and preparedness,which comes from where?.

Nowhere,it's play money,every fake dime you add to the system reduces the value of all the fake dimes in the system.

The money comes from nowhere,it is just an accounting entry,it is based on nothing.

The PTB love events like this,they use it as an excuse to make things better for themselves,under the guise of helping us.

Why is it,that by the time people realise the truth about the way the system works,that they are too dependent on it in so many ways,they couldn't fix it without hurting themselves?.

Cuz it's very carefully thought through,over many years to keep you from seeing it.

And because your contemporaries don't see it,or refuse to admit they do,it is easier to lable you a "crackpot conspiracy theorist",than to agree that it is all BS.

Originally posted by Dreine
The short term 'boom' in employment for construction/electrical/etc contractors will not be enough to offset the massive costs of recovery, rebuilding, debris removal, lost revenue due to the East Coast being out of commission for a few days. Also consider the many IT and service people who will be unable to work in the near term as the region tries to get back on it's feet.

Only long term, stable jobs will result in any meaningful economic bounceback.

The only catastrophre that tends to be profitable is war, and that is extremely avoidable.

exactly but a few days will be a few months to years until it is fully functional if ever again in some areas.

most people who have never lived in an environmentally devastated area don't seem to grasp something very important in an already indebted country. that is this, they don't fix most major damage because there is no money to do so.

we lost a 5 mile section of a state route back in the 1990's due to flooding and the state said sorry we don't have the money to fix it so they just eliminated it as a road. most of our infrastructure was built when we had excess and extra money/resources, now we have I-O-U's and they don't buy a damn thing. most of our luxurious lives are made possible by this excessive time in or history but they are very quickly being removed due to various reasons, never to return.

is this a boon to our economy, are you all friggin crazy?????????

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


Obviously it is a bad thing but surely some good could come out of it? Like i said, i do not know the veracity of the lady that claimed your power lines were all above ground but if this is true, place them underground when rebuilding. Then, next time this occurs, power loss (although still likely) would be less widely spread - therefore of benefit to future generations.

That is the sort of thing i am thinking of. Definitely not seeing it as an economic boom though, more that something could come from it. Practical choices for the future rather than fanciful public works for the sake of it, or media attention grabbing claims of assistance to various industries affected, etc.

Hurricane Sandy Create JOBS? , Rebuild America Employing more people!! HAVE YOUR SAY!,

Ask the people of the Gulf Coast if Katrina was instrumental in rebuilding America and creating jobs.

I think you will find the answer to be a resounding NO!!

Originally posted by olaru12

Hurricane Sandy Create JOBS? , Rebuild America Employing more people!! HAVE YOUR SAY!,

Ask the people of the Gulf Coast if Katrina was instrumental in rebuilding America and creating jobs.

I think you will find the answer to be a resounding NO!!

yeah i often wonder how much was lost in infrastructure in that area never to return? must be astronomical when you look at what was in place before and after that bastard of a storm.

interesting artcile on just this type of issue can be found here. economics.about.com...

In a real life example, scientist and environmental activist David Suzuki has often claimed that a corporation polluting a river adds to a country's GDP. If the river has become polluted, an expensive program will be required to clean up the river. Residents may choose to buy more expensive bottled water rather than cheaper tap water. Suzuki points to this new economic activity, which will raise GDP, and claim that the GDP has risen overall in the community although the quality of life surely has decreased. Dr. Suzuki, however, forgot to take into account all the decreases in GDP that will be caused by the water pollution precisely because the economic losers are far more difficult to identify than the economic winners. We do not know what the government or the taxpayers would have done with the money had they not needed to clean up the river. We know from the Broken Window Fallacy that there will be an overall decline in GDP, not a rise. One has to wonder if politicians and activists are arguing in good faith or if they realize the logical fallacies in their arguments but hope the voters will not.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

Thank you, I was hoping someone would bring up Bastiat and his broken window. You shouldn't be allowed out of high school if you don't know that.

If you believe that there is some benefit to Sandy, then certainly there would be even more benefit if we destroyed the entire country! Think of all the jobs that would create.

Sorry, I'm crabby tonight.

reply to post by charles1952


Dear Charles1952,

I know you're way too smart for this question. Is there any economic gain if you pay your neighbor $1000 to dig a hole in your backyard and he pays you $1000 to dig a hole in his?

-au

reply to post by alternateuniverse

Dear alternateuniverse,

You're setting me up. Recheck my signature "I'm not the sharpest bulb in the drawer."

Is there any economic gain if you pay your neighbor $1000 to dig a hole in your backyard and he pays you $1000 to dig a hole in his?

I'd need to know your definition of economic gain, but if you are only considering these two transactions, your cash stays the same, but society has benefitted by gaining two holes.

For tax purposes, of course, you both have to declare income. But for practical purposes, the economy is up by two holes (or loads of laundry, or whittled stick figures, or whatever). This benefit was created by your labor. Iit's the same result as if you dig your own holes.

I must be missing something here, though.

With respect,
Charles1952