what is your opinion- how do you think that the government can change the economy, or is there a way, tell us why o rwhy not you think so or if it can even be done.

I know some will be offended, but get rid of excess government workers or those who do not work to their fullest capacity and this is on every level of government. Make better deals, just because it's government ordered doesn't mean it should be gouged.

Mickey, explain to me how elminating unions would be an answer. I honestly want to know your reasonings.

We need smaller government. It was never intended to be this big, and here it is the largest employer. Major waste! Let's get rid of the pork, the bills that go through should be just what is in the title of the bill...that'll save big $$$$$$. We don't need to take on health care, it'll make the economy worse and having the government controling our health. That just scares me. We, the government needs to quit spending. Our current condition just scares me.

eliminate unions? pay people what they are worth, period. I have a friend who owns a construction company, a heavy equipment operator, say bulldozer, at union scale is 32.85/hr his perks are, overtime after 8 (49.27/hr) double time for Sun/holidays (65.70/hr) plus 4 hours show up time if he gets to the job and is rained out, and 2 hours show up if he gets called that morning and told to stay home.
I was raised, and believe, nothing in life is free, yet a union shut down a hospital, in Chicago, because (god forbid) the hospital wanted the nurses and staff to contibute to their own personal healthcare insurance. Hell I have been paying 38% of my healthcare for 20 years, my wife has been paying 60% of hers. Every year the school teachers go on strike for the same rreason. Remeber the Air traffic controlers strike? Regan FIRED the whole lot of them, as should have been done with the nurses, EMT's, ED tech's and everyone else who honored the chicago strike and over worked, over crowded the surrounding hospitals and fellow nurses and staffs.
Maybe I'm to "old school" but the entitlement mentality of this world is what's killing it. The "I'm entitled" attitude really wears thin.
As for NAFTA, you can't expect cheap labor to replace quality merchandise, look at the lead scare from China, what became of it? they pulled the toys, the companies said "oh well" and shipped the stuff somewhere else, why weren't they fined like a US company would have been? oh yeah, NAFTA
As long as we stay complacent, nothing will change.

While I agree with you on some things Mickey, I completely disagree with you on others. If not for CNA, ( California Nurses Association) patient to nursing ratios wouldn't exist and beginning to be implemented in other states besides California. If not for CNA, physicians would still be able to physically and verbally abuse staff and not be held accountable. This to is beginning to creep across the country. If not for nursing unions, you would still be making $7.65/hr, which is where I started at a major hospital in 1976. Steel workers were making over 3 times what I was making. So, would you be a nurse who would cross a picket line and not stand together with other nurses, but would reap the rewards?

When I lived in WA the hospital I worked at was union. They were there to take our money every two weeks. The hospital reorganized and laid off 100 nurses, took, took, took. The union was NO where in sight to help us, we were on our own. They continued to take the money of the people that had a job at the end.

I grew up in a union family. I think unions can be corrupt just as any organization. I can tell you if it wasn't for the union my husband is in we would not be able to live the lifestyle we have now and we be just getting by. As for the economy-invest in our own country, stop spending billions on the war in Iraq, stop sending jobs over seas.