Lack of jobs in U.S. must be addressed

Tom Keller, Henderson

Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 | 2 a.m.

Thomas Friedman’s column in Tuesday’s Las Vegas Sun on how technological advances are permanently reducing job opportunities, and Harold Jackson’s column (on the same page) lamenting the increasing number of poor people show two sides of the same coin.

When jobs were increasing to support an expanding economy, even people without a high school education could find work. Two-income families could move into the middle class. And there was enough money being generated to support the less fortunate.

Job losses have pushed more people into the ranks of the poor while reducing resources to support them. This problem can’t be solved with diminishing jobs and resources. If we don’t find a way to reduce population growth and educate our kids to enable them to compete for the available jobs, the problem will grow.