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Comment by yummyfajitas | Hacker News Reader

This article suggests that perhaps the way to get out of the recession is to force people to accept reality:

"Workers whose entire occupations...are disappearing (think: auto workers) will need to start over and find a new career path. But the new skills they will need take a long time to acquire."

Reality: auto work was not highly skilled labor, and it just paid as if it was skilled due to union coercion. This turned out to be unsustainable. Former auto workers must now accept low skill pay.

"...some workers may need to move to new places in order to start a different career....Homeowners who are “underwater” ...may not be able to sell their house for enough money to enable them to buy a home in a new area."

Reality: you speculated on real estate and lost. You can not afford to own a home anymore. Rent.

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Former auto workers must now accept low skill pay.

Or try to get a job at the industry unionization is least likely to kill: the government. You don't need to be a highly trained specialist to be a DMV clerk or supervise the Berkeley toolshed.

In related news, the portion of unionized workers working in the public sector exceeded 50% this month...

This is also a reminder that for those struggling during this recession, it would go a long way if those who are not reached out to help. That way we don't need to rely on ever more inefficient gov't programs trying to help. Private charity is good for the giver and receiver (most of the time).

The funny thing is, the problem auto workers face isn't exactly new to America. I remember when there were massive auto plant layoffs in the 1980's, yet new people must have been going into that line of work.

Exactly! Many people don't want to accept the reality. We have been enjoying a really high standard of living which we can't really afford. But now we have to perfect storm and people don't want to accept that they won't be able to buy a 50in TV or a new car every 3 years.

Reality: you speculated on real estate and lost. You can not afford to own a home anymore. Rent.

Look at the silver lining. Due to ridiculous cultural issues in the U.S., you got to live well beyond your means for quite a long time.

cultural? Please explain. The trickle-down of Wall Street irrationality, perhaps.

> This article suggests that perhaps the way to get out of the recession is to force people to accept reality.

In other words, the way to get "out of the recession" is to redefine the current situation as normal, rather than to actually improve it. Well, that would work.

> redefine the current situation as normal

I think the point is that the current situation is normal.

I think the point was that the current situation is acceptable. I can't agree with that.

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