Inarguably the USA has one of the most diverse, perhaps the most diverse workforce on the planet. On the other hand, is such diversity a job creator or more so a job killer? At a first glance the answer seems an obvious - job creator. With the massive influx of ethnic groups into the USA, a great number of services are required to accommodate new comers. Jobs like foreign language teachers, culture awareness educators, and a host of other jobs are definitely required to get new comers off to a good start. On the other hand, do such jobs generally go to native-born Americans or other members of the respective ethnic group that needs newcomer services? For the most part, it seems as though Chinese new comers are aligned with other Chinese, already in the States, as service providers. So if the goal of diversity is to put a choke-hold on racism, than how is aligning service providers based on the consumer helping? In fact, isn't that a form of racism in of itself?

It is easy to see how diversity can and does create jobs initially but does that initial spike last long? Well as least some like Pat Buchanan tend to believe that this new "diversity" movement creates more problems (and kills more jobs) than it solves. Just look at how the Courts are flooded with cases related to ethnicity related issues from employment discrimination, religion discrimination, racial profiling, racial preferential treatment in the public sector with contract awards, and so on. Corporations are spending billions in settlements and verdicts on these ethnicity related issues. With that trend, it is hard to see how any jobs created by diversity would continue to be a positive trend before the trend is reversed and even passed on to innocent bystanders working for such corporations in the form of downsizing, rightsizing and flat out outsourcing. If you think find a job is already hard, how much will easier will downsizing and outsourcing make matters?

Whether or not Buchanan's assessments are correct, one thing is true. The diversity movement is getting a lot of attention. Some good; but mostly bad. As the saying goes, "bad news travels fast." For every bad incident around diversity such as major multi-million dollar lawsuits and settlements it takes 5 times as many good things about diversity to make up for the bad. So in the end it comes down to you, the people, is diversity good or bad i.e. is diversity a job creator or job killer?

Ok it's the day after the Manningham sideline catch leading up to the Giants game winning touchdown. Sure, that was spectacular but not as spectacular as the 243,000 jobs the economy added last month, but is the economic war over. Not hardly. That does not suggest, by any means, that adding 243,000 new jobs is not significant. On the other hand the big question -- is this more statistics or is this latest economic rebound a real rebound or a one trick pony? Who knows, we'll have to see some repetition of these kinds of hiring numbers for it to sink in as the long awaited economic turnaround.

Clearly, there are still some that have been left out in the cold despite the good news about increased hiring. Teenagers, African Americans and Hispanics with 23.2%, 13.6%, and 10.5% unemployment rates, respectively, are still having a bad day, so to speak, with getting back onto the field of gainful employment. What makes finding a job for these three groups so much more difficult than other groups? After all, the USA is the most diverse nation around with numerous ethnic backgrounds and ethnicities. It makes one kind of wonder if such high unemployment numbers are indicative of something systemic. Who knows? It does raise compelling questions though. Maybe not so much for teenagers, since teenagers don't necessarily have to work given they are still supported by their parents. Of course, it sure helps to work and earn money for that IPod, prom dress, smartphone, or date with "girl next door" but again teenagers can still fall back on their parents. The same cannot be said about African Americans and Hispanics who seem disproportionally affected by economic conditions. This should be alarming for both of these groups since without either the stability of the USA economy is a sure disaster - big time and long term.

So sure, it's great to know the economy is doing something positive for a change. On the other hand, a one-month surge is a far cry from the economic war being over. Now, if this pace of 200,000 plus new jobs continues for say six months or so, then it might be time put the Bear to rest for a bit and usher in the Bull. For now, we'll just hang onto the optimism based on the current economic growth. Maybe this means the economic war is over soon.