Are you a Luddite or are you prepared for automation and AI?

| November 8, 2019

We often use the term “Luddite” whenever we refer to people resisting new technology or mechanization. Recently a Wall Street Journal article detailed a timeline of changes as much of the world is faced with yet another wave of robotic automation and artificial intelligence (AI) changing career and taking over many of the jobs we […]

Seattle-based Amazon creating 1000 new jobs with a fulfillment center in Monroe, Ohio (between Dayton and Cincinnati)

| August 30, 2017

Good news for our neck of the woods … Amazon will open a new fulfillment center in a Monroe industrial park near Interstate 75, bringing 1,000 new jobs to the region, the state announced Wednesday. The specific location of Amazon’s latest investment in Ohio was not disclosed, but it will be the closest location for […]

Remembering one of my early jobs after seeing a Tweet #TBT

| August 17, 2017

Earlier this week, I had a Throwback Thursday moment when reading my Twitter feed. A reporter commented on @PortageNotebook and the logo/icon was a dead giveaway for the spin-off company where I once worked. The Akron, Ohio based Portage Newspaper Supply was the purchasing arm for Knight Ridder Newspapers and I was part of the […]

How does government best assist in job creation?

| October 7, 2016

What is the goal? More and better paying jobs, profits for companies and growing tax revenues to fund government services, entitlements and improved ability to pay down our nation’s debt. How do we accomplish this? There are two ways government helps to create jobs in the US. The current Democrats remain focused on #1, while […]

Job growth above expectations, but markets continue declining

| January 8, 2016

The financial markets took another slide this Friday afternoon even after “impressive” job numbers were released this morning. Growth was well above expectations showing 292,00 jobs were created in December 2015. This came as a mixed message for investors as they needed something to stimulate their interest in buying stocks … unfortunately many came away […]

Jobs report: 280,000 jobs in May with 5.5% unemployment

| June 5, 2015

The jobs numbers were relatively positive considering the weak growth earlier this year, but still concerning in that the post-recession job growth is not was is normally expected after a recession. Still, one positive is that we are not facing inflation or seeing numbers that would indicate the U.S. is slipping back into a recession. […]

Fed Minutes indicate little reason to raise interest rates in June

| May 20, 2015

The Federal Reserve officials doubted they would be ready to raise short-term interest rates by midyear, according to minutes of the meeting released Wednesday. Fed officials, along with most economists, are struggling to make sense of a first-quarter economic slowdown. The normal pattern of post-recession growth has been non-existent as job growth has been tepid […]

Job openings are up … but hirings are down

| April 8, 2015

Very confusing numbers in a recent Wall Street Journal graph noting that the number of job openings being posted are way up (green line) … up to the highest level in 14 years. That’s good news right? Unfortunately a look at the red line shows the number of hiring. Hmm, that trend has moved down, […]

Positive Jobs Report as US economy continues to recover

| February 6, 2015

While watching my Twitter feed and tuning into Squawkbox on CBNC (my usual morning routine), the excitement was notable particularly since partisans on both sides of the political spectrum spar to take credit for improving numbers. We do seem to be on a trajectory of adding jobs consistently which should eventually put pressure on employers […]

Lower U.S. corporate tax rates will grow jobs and the economy

| May 6, 2014

Outspoken President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Richard Fisher, talked with Maria Bartiromo on her new Sunday Morning Futures program this weekend and laid out a good case lower tax rates. His point is that money and investment flows to where it is treated the best and in turn jobs and […]

Sometimes what you need is a slap in the back of the head

| April 30, 2014

Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs often offers some pretty solid commonsense advice that should be like the infamous NCIS Leroy Jethro Gibbs smack in the back of the head. I wonder how many asking Mike for advice ever bother to correct their mindset or change their actions when it comes to looking for work (or […]

Jobs for America: Ideas that made America great

| March 10, 2014

For a country that should have a robust economy, we’re not showing it when looking at the employment numbers or the average family’s purchasing power (link Gallup). The U.S. Payroll to Population employment rate (P2P), as measured by Gallup, continued its recent decline in January, dropping to 42.0% from 42.9% in December. This is the […]

Expensive rent: The Apartment Guide highlights Williston ND

| February 19, 2014

I’m always keeping my ear to the ground when it comes to where my son is living and working … Williston, ND. The last couple of day a few national publications mentioned an Apartment Guide study which highlighted the cost to rent in that small boomtown. Even The Verge, a site that I think of […]

Are we doing what we need to stimulate growth and create jobs?

| February 4, 2014

If business growth is the medicine for job creation and a healthy economy … how does the U.S., or more specifically, each state, encourage business growth and incentivize expansion? Companies need to have an attractive tax climate in order to put capital at risk (or at less competitive), although it is not the only criteria […]

Santa Barbara, California to Williston, North Dakota

| August 28, 2013

My recent college graduate came back from his test-taking City-County Planning interview trip to Santa Barbara today and has fallen head over heels in love with California, at least the part that he was seeing. Besides his taking the next step in the interview process, Taylor was able to explore the area a bit by […]

Big government policies = slow economy and no jobs

| July 7, 2013

Having a recent college graduated living at home and looking to start his career gives me intimate insight on what young adults and their parents are facing. The frustration exacerbates the strong opinions regarding the new health care law and the economic policies put in place by the federal government under the leadership of President […]

Pitiful. Bureaucratic incompetence is part of the problem

| April 5, 2013

We’re hardly sputtering along when it comes to getting Americans back to work. One wonders why we bother to spend so much money on government when our over compensated bureaucrats only add to the problem. If it were not so frustrating and painful, government’s adding “programs,” meddling with tax rates and monetary policy and out […]

Gasoline prices top $5.00 in California

| October 9, 2012

Seriously folks, are we really suppose to see an economic recovery with incomes down $4000/year for the average family over the past 4 years and the cost of fuel and food up? At least with over the board inflation peoples paychecks rise a little along with prices … but not in this Obamaconomy. The latest […]

The long term unemployment problem in America

| January 10, 2012

A WSJ article illustrated what economists monitoring the U.S. employment market have known, but have failed to communicate successfully; we as a nation are on a long-term trend of  fewer decent paying middle class career jobs with dim prospects unless things change. (we deny it, make excuses and kick the can down the road just […]

US Has 3.2 Million Job Openings Unfilled

| October 10, 2011

Brian “Sully” Sullivan, one of my favorite reporters and business news anchors who is now on CNBC, wrote and interesting post that addressed  unemployment, growing the economy and the correct way to increasing tax revenues — “all without spending a dime of taxpayer money.” The point of the article is that of the 14 million […]

About the only thing “certain” is that tax rates are “uncertain”

| September 23, 2011

Much of the political debate coming from Washington DC is focused on cutting the deficit, reforming the tax code and generating more revenue for the federal government. Hopefully those who currently pay federal income taxes (only 52%) are going to be given the loudest voice, but that may not be the case now that we’re […]

Questions to test analytical thinking

| June 25, 2010

I was reading in a LinkedIn college group which posted ten questions “often asked at Google job interviews that are designed to test candidates’ analytical thinking.” The list might be worth looking over if you are charged with hiring or planning to interview in the near future. The questions are of the brainteaser type and […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog