in reality, you ride a recession out better by growing and expanding with new hires, shrinking a high turn over business causes losses.

AsiJu:

I've thought for a good while that legislation should be passed dictating companies turning a profit cannot layoff workers.

So long as the profit margin accounts for the paycheck of those who would be laid off, I think this is a good idea. I'm sure businesses on the stock market would hate this because that means profit margins would get thinner and shareholders might start backing out more quickly to the point where the company might actually lose that profit, but, maybe that would help prevent gargantuan companies from participating in the stock market. As I alluded to before, I think the stock market for such large businesses is bad for the consumer. Investments strongly remind me of patents: they were intended to protect/assist small upcoming businesses from being crushed by others, except nowadays they're pretty much only used by the big corporations to stifle competition.

AsiJu:

I've thought for a good while that legislation should be passed dictating companies turning a profit cannot layoff workers.

Actually, the legislation goes completely different. Once the company has gone public its fiduciary duty to the shareholders is to maximize profit (at any "cost").

Horus-Anhur:

Taking billions is government subsidies, then firing thousands of people.

In other countries, that is called corruption. But in US, it is called a bailout.

Valken:

In other countries, that is called corruption. But in US, it is called a bailout.

Lobbying.

Horus-Anhur:

Lobbying.

Also illegal in other countries...

Valken:

In other countries, that is called corruption. But in US, it is called a bailout.

In the US, it's called "business as usual"....

AsiJu:

I've thought for a good while that legislation should be passed dictating companies turning a profit cannot layoff workers.

I`ve also thought of something similar but it would be extremely difficult to implement something like that, for several reasons. So instead, i think that CEOs and similar higher ups should have their bonuses cancelled for firing employes if the company had good profits in the past 3 or 5 years.