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To: Pogeu Mahone who wrote (269788)	12/6/2003 4:16:48 PM
From: laura_bush	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

But this little invention of measure is Larry Kudlow's, aka Lawrence of America. Another prep school dry drunk from the Reagan adminstration. LOLOL. lb

To: Pogeu Mahone who wrote (269788)	12/6/2003 5:34:13 PM
From: GraceZ	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 436258

Bingo. The self-employed show up on the household survey which measures unemployment but are missed by the establishment survey which measures job growth. Basically what we've seen in the last three years is a sort of a widespread, "we're not going to take it anymore" reaction on the part of employers in regards to steadily rising employment costs coupled with declining profitability. They lay off thousands and then as the economy picks up they hire back some of the same people only not as employees but as outside contractors (bring your own benefits). Then some of the best of the best start their own small companies making sure, they too, avoid taking on employees. One of the reasons we (as opposed to those countries we are exporting jobs to) have such a high labor cost is because of the move over the last three decades to attaching medical benefits to employment (as well as the continual expansion of those benefits). If medical costs were paid for after tax by individuals (as us self-employed have been doing all along) they would be considerably lower and salaries would be higher. But more than that, people would have a vested interest in making lifestyle changes that would enhance their health if they saw the costs coming out of their own pockets. A huge percentage of the expensive medical conditions are preventable with a few lifestyle changes. There are a lot of overweight fifty something boomers out there who smoke with expensive existing medical conditions, they are future liabilities no one wants. No company wants to hire them because they are prohibitively expensive to add to a medical plan so they hire them as outside contractors or consultants. I've even seen people who were in good health who were married to someone at high risk have trouble getting a job because the price of providing the family coverage where one family member was in poor health was too high. It is a fiasco to have medical coverage attached to employment and it is bound to get worse before it gets better. I have always urged people to maintain their own health insurance and pension plans outside of employment for this reason and to start doing this while they are still young and healthy. Unfortunately few listened to me, they thought I was nuts for recommending they turn down the "free" medical insurance that their employer offers. Now they have no employers. Frankly, when I buy something I want to know up front what it will cost me. I don't like hidden costs.