U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Blames iPad For Loss of Thousands of American Jobs

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Posted April 17, 2011 at 3:48pm by Shalom Levytam

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. told the House that Apple's iPad is responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs, according to RealClearPolitics

"A few short weeks ago I came to the House floor after having purchased an iPad and said that I happened to believe, Mr. Speaker, that at some point in time this new device, which is now probably responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs. Now Borders is closing stores because, why do you need to go to Borders anymore? Why do you need to go to Barnes & Noble? Buy an iPad and download your newspaper, download your book, download your magazine," Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said on the House floor Friday afternoon.

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bdfu - April 18, 2011 at 7:55pm

Mr. Jackson needs a lesson in global economics. If Apple, like thousands of other companies, manufactured their products in USA, the cost would be prohibited. Subsequently the end cost of those products would be too high for anyone (in any country) to purchase them. Fortunately we live in a global economy. By manufacturing off-shore; or producing whatever parts necessary for whatever products in the most cost effective place to produce them, a manufacturer that would otherwise not be able to afford to produce anything at all - is able to do so, thereby providing work in their own country. Apple employs over 20,000 employees right here in the USA. If they did not manufacture their products overseas, they might not employ any at all - because they'd be squeezed out of the marketplace, likely by the very people they hire to make their products now. This is the way economics works in a global economy; each region or country doing what they each do best and all profiting from the exchange. We need to stop focusing on "Made in America" and embrace "Created in America and made all over the world" if we are going to survive in the 21st century.

Trev - April 18, 2011 at 10:40am

Lol, and the cause of the fall of the Roman empire ;p

Fishbone - April 18, 2011 at 9:11am

He wants to be more famous. LoL

tomasradej - April 18, 2011 at 5:33am

Home cooking is killing the restaurant business!

Guest - April 18, 2011 at 3:06am

I love how he talks about the bookstores closing because of the iPad. What about the kindle and all of those other e-readers? Forgot that one buddy.

Sea - April 18, 2011 at 3:10am

Yeah there are tones of ereaders out there that are designed to do exactly what he's talking about. But noo it's the iPads flat. I bet he's a Windows user.

joey - April 17, 2011 at 7:40pm

I also agree makes no sense to hand out our tax money to all these countries how come no one pbjects this is insane

Jay - April 17, 2011 at 6:11pm

Innovation = Creative Destruction. Go take an elementary economics class, sir.

Greyfots - April 17, 2011 at 5:49pm

Maybe he aimed that comment to outsorcing but really what is he thinking about!!!! The ipad? Seriously? Now a day we have the iPad, nook,kindle,e reader from Sony from other companies and he is talking about the iPad why ant he talk about phone companies? Or car companies , last time I checked major car comps moves factories to Mex and closed even more so why seriously why mention apple?

judy - April 17, 2011 at 7:38pm

i agree mark everything is being cut here in usa medical housing money etc i can go on and on so why is obama pleging finacial support when our own people are suffering i hopw donald trump gets in

Karl Blessing - April 17, 2011 at 5:48pm

And yet Barnes and Nobles sells their own similar eReaders at a significantly lower price and higher availability than the iPad. That alone would do more 'harm' to a retail outlet without those options. Not to mention when you compare the device's market share to EVERYTHING else capable of doing what it does, be it laptop, netbook, phone, tablet. Apple is still a very small slice of that blame pie, but yet still remains the most noticeable piece. The nail that sticks out, gets hammered down.

Ranmat - April 17, 2011 at 4:34pm

Typical. Blame it on apple. I bet most/all iPad users spend far more time in other apps than reading books etc. If any device is to blame, it is the e reader, like the kindle. Anyway, people have still go to write the newspapers, and people still have to sell the device, so basically it makes NO DIFFERENCE. In fact, more jobs are probably created than destroyed. For example: you don't need tech support for a normal book, do you? But you do for a digital device. See; that is just one example of the many jobs related to iPads and other similar devices.

Karl Blessing - April 17, 2011 at 5:50pm

I own both an iPad and a Barnes and Noble's Nook e-reader, and I use the nook primarily for books. The iPad for me is mostly for games and productivity.

Ranmat - April 18, 2011 at 3:17am

Exactly my point. He does have a tiny bit of a point, but directing it at the iPad shows he hasn't done ANY research on the product. Also, I have thought of some more iPad related jobs that aren't required with paper: interactivity designers, who design how the page turns, and can add in things like little reply forms and things like that into the digital newspaper; you also need more guys to run the website, if it's going to host all the content as well.

McMac - April 17, 2011 at 4:15pm

Where did he get his iPad? I desperately been looking for one but no luck. What about the people that runs and maintain the download sites? No lost jobs if we manufacture the IPads here in the US.

Kev - April 17, 2011 at 4:10pm

just like the invention of the aeroplane destroyed jobs in the rail, cruise ship etc industry .. Oh yea but it created hundreds of thousands of jobs to replace them connected with flight .... what are we supposed to be doing, still living in the stone age !!!!!!

fair - April 17, 2011 at 4:10pm

That's a crazy thought, its just like saying that the tractor caused a loss of jobs for many, yes it did but eventually they moded on with other kids of work and we dont need to have many people doing the tractor's job, just the driver!!

Alicia - April 17, 2011 at 4:07pm

I agree to some point but why blame apple. What about the kindle and all the other devices. Let's go way back and stop technology on the whole. Stupid comment.

Guest - April 18, 2011 at 3:14am

Yeah that's why I say why blame apple. When there are tones I devices that had these functions way before the iPad. Frickin windows user I'll tell ya.

Jay - April 17, 2011 at 3:59pm

He's got a point.... It's not really aimed at the iPad. It's aimed at out sourcing.