Economic Nausea- Lauren Kuehmeier

  This article caught my interest because it takes a narrative approach to a broken down and revived industrial mill to explain the changes that have occurred with the economy.  When given real world content rather than just graphs and statistics, I was able to make connections and grasp the story being told.

  Labor and the job force were nicely elaborated on here. It's one thing to say unemployment rates are high, but obviously more effective when you explain why that is. Here I gained a better understanding on why employees were unhappy.  As employment rates rise, people try to find whatever work is available and end up in hopeless jobs without the destination of an increase in wages. This means there is a lack or downturn in business spending, a factor that inevitably effects other factors. Companies, like the textile mill, aren't willing to increase business spending because they cannot afford to take such risks when the economy fluctuates, as they've experienced, and this is the reality for the majority of companies and corporations. Because labor can so easily be replaced, there's no point in making the extra effort to satisfy employees.

  This is of course terrible and unfair to those who do the heavy lifting and aren't well compensated, yet this is economy we as a society created and continually sustain. The best option, as mentioned, is to specialize in the job force so you can begin to name your price. It’s easy to say to just specialize and you’ll be better off because a specialized education costs money that means you have to be well off in the first place or take out loans. So, is making more really worth it when most of that income goes right back into paying off your debt. What a vicious cycle. 

  When reading this and going over what all this means, it became increasingly upsetting to me. All this effort we contribute for the sake of wealth or the future of wealth or the sustaining of wealth.  It's understandable to want to support yourself and family, but past that- at what point do we become greedy? More importantly, I wonder if these people stuck in the vicious cycle are content and happy with their lives or if they are just there because the cycle is inescapable. I hope I do what I love for every other reason but money. All I know is that if I specialize in my passion, it will be because I want that education to improve my craft and not because I wanted to make a few dollars extra.