The lowest jobless rate since 2008

[ProSense]

The lowest jobless rate since 2008

By Steve Benen



For most of President Obama's first term, one of the more common Republican talking points focused on the overall unemployment rate: it was stuck above 8%, a fact they blamed on the president who inherited a global economic crisis.

You may have noticed that this GOP talking point has since vanished...the unemployment rate is down to 7.5%, which is not only the lowest point of the Obama presidency, but also the lowest since late 2008. It's dropped a full point in the last year and a half, a 2.5 points since its October 2010 high.

It's also one of the fastest improvements in the jobless rate in the last 30 years.

<...>

Incidentally, the other main Republican talking point on jobs for much of Obama's first term was that the net total of jobs gained on the president's watch is zero. It was always a ridiculous argument -- it was predicated on the assumption that Obama deserved the blame for the jobs lost a couple of weeks after his inauguration -- but it looks even sillier now. To date, the net gain for jobs under Obama is over 1.5 million overall and over 2.2 million in the private sector.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/05/03/18037220-the-lowest-jobless-rate-since-2008

Dow Jones Reaches 15,000 For First Time
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/dow-jones-reaches-15-000-for-first-time

Yup, Mitt's (and his allies) predictions sucked: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022462260

[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[HappyMe]

3. Never expect a republican to see beyond their nose.

[HiPointDem]

4. woohoo! 5 years out, jobs are back to what they were at the start of the recession!

but still fewer jobs than before the recession, and higher UE!

"fastest improvements in the jobless rate in the last 30 years."

these days pundits seem to think they can just lie and no one will call them on it.

[ProSense]

5. Look

more good news: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022792808

[HiPointDem]

7. "if this pace continues for the entire year!" = but it won't, and hasn't. sequester. it will be

revised downward next quarter, same as every other jobs report.

one summer doesn't make a swan.

[ProSense]

8. "but it won't"

Wishful thinking?

[HiPointDem]

29. my town is being destroyed by unemployment & you think i'm wishing for more? get out of your

DC hole.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

36. Mine too, but I guess that we're not supposed to believe our lying eyes.

[Enrique]

33. the sequester may cost us jobs, but look on the bright side

the GOP will be made to look extreme.

[Ikonoklast]

6. Burns you up, doesn't it?

Good.

[HiPointDem]

9. burns me up, yes. the slowest recovery in modern history.

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/10/niesr-q3-2012-gdp-growth-forecast/

[Ikonoklast]

10. Due to a Republican House.

But let's blame OBAMA!!!!11111!

[nxylas]

124. But according to the rah-rah squad, there's nothing to blame the Republican House for

Everything is just peachy, and if you point out that the unemployment rate is dropping in part due to people giving up looking for work, or that American workers aren't reaping the benefits of record stock markets, then clearly you are just trying to undermine the glorious achievements of the Greatest President Ever.

[ProSense]

11. Nice attempt at deception.

"burns me up, yes. the slowest recovery in modern history."

It is not the "slowest recover in modern history," especially relative to the severity of the crisis. There is a reason Benen made this point:

"It's also one of the fastest improvements in the jobless rate in the last 30 years. "

Try the updated chart.

[HiPointDem]

13. 62 months & we're still not back to zero. slowest recovery in modern history. slower than

even the great depression.

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/10/niesr-q3-2012-gdp-growth-forecast/


what's deceptive is touting 1 month's growth rate as though it applied to the recovery as a whole, which is what you & the article are doing.

[ProSense]

16. More nonsense

"62 months & we're still not back to zero. slowest recovery in modern history. slower than even the great depression."

President Obama hasn't been in office "62 months" and this is not the "slowest recovery in modern history." It is the worse recession since the great depression.

Snapshot last four recessions
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021302622

Also, try using updated GDP numbers: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022757727

[HiPointDem]

21. i didn't say obama had been in office 62 months. i didn't say *anything* about obama.

you view everything through the lens of obama.

gdp is irrelevant to the issue of unemployment.

[ProSense]

24. What?

"i didn't say obama had been in office 62 months. i didn't say *anything* about obama. you view everything through the lens of obama. gdp is irrelevant to the issue of unemployment."

The OP is about the recovery. You mentioned "62 months." The recovery didn't begin 62 months ago. You aslo posted a chart showing GDP.

Again, more nonsense.

[HiPointDem]

44. the chart *you* posted is where the 62 months comes from.

[ProSense]

47. Try this

"the chart *you* posted is where the 62 months comes from."

...math. The chart doesn't show the recovery beginning "62 months" ago.

[HiPointDem]

83. i didn't say it did. i said "from the start of the recession". your attempts at distraction are

Last edited Fri May 3, 2013, 09:16 PM - Edit history (1)

amusing.

see if the people on this thread are laughing.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022795035#post41

[duffyduff]

92. It's not a recovery AT ALL. n/t

[HiPointDem]

25. unemployment to population ratio 25-54 years -- lowest since women started entering the

workforce in large numbers.

[whopis01]

79. Maybe I'm missing something - but doesn't your graph show it is the slowest?

Or at least pretty much tied for the slowest?

I understand that a lot of the reporting - particularly the reporting that wants to blame Obama - looks at the length of time being the longest and reports that as the slowest. But length and speed are not the same thing.

So, to measure the slowness, you should look at the slope of the graph - the change in unemployment over the change in time.

When you look at that, it appears to have a lower slope than any of the other recoveries. Arguably, the 2001 recovery has roughly the same slope, and the 1990 recovery is not too much faster. But clearly many others (1948, 1953, 1957, 1960, 1974, 1980, 1981) have a much steeper slope and are thus faster recoveries.

One of the other trends that jumps out at me from that graph is a general tendency of the recoveries to get slower and slower over time. Clearly the 1948 recovery is the quickest, followed closely by the 1953 and 1957. But by the time you get to 1990 and 2001 the rate has slowed done a great deal.

[maxsolomon]

12. do you think Obama sets oil prices?

do you think Obama made wages stagnate before he was elected?

do you think Obama controls the crisis in the EU, where a double dip recession is underway?

the fact that there is a recovery at all is a fucking wonder to behold.

[HiPointDem]

14. no, i think obama doesn't control anything. he is entirely powerless to mystical forces of

nature.

[maxsolomon]

15. what, then, do you think a president controls with regards to the economy?

does he control the drag of oil price speculation on the economy?

we're in a global economic crisis, a major restructuring.

[HiPointDem]

20. obviously, presidents don't control anything and are completely irrelevant. you told me so yourself

i made no comments about obama. i made comments about the recession.

[DevonRex]

23. Perhaps someone like Kim Jong Un is more your style.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2682993

[HiPointDem]

86. you have a big problem.

[phleshdef]

18. To be expected. Worst recession in modern history.

Of course it would be much better if Congress wasn't entirely useless for almost 3 straight years.

[HiPointDem]

19. slower recovery jobs-wise than the great depression. & unemployment was higher under reagan.

[phleshdef]

63. Thats fairly misleading considering the unemployment rate was stuck well above 10%, even above 15%.

...for more than a decade during the depression.

Not really relevant.

[HiPointDem]

66. "& unemployment was higher under reagan."

[phleshdef]

74. The recession Reagan faced was overall way less significant, especially the housing market.

Reagan had a better set of circumstances to work with overall. That goes for the overall economic factors and the cooperation of Congress.

[Ikonoklast]

60. From the worst recession after the Great Depression.

Still isn't enough, is it?

"News Flash: President Obama Cures Cancer"

From the Far Left Loons: "Thousands In Medical Field And Pharmaceuticals Laid Off Due To Obama's New Policy."

[HiPointDem]

61. depends on how you define 'worst', the reagan recession reached higher unemployment.

you guys really have a contradictory position. why do you get mad on obama's behalf when i criticize the numbers when, as you say, 'it's structural,' and there's little to nothing obama can do because of all the reasons you claim?

either he can do something so a poor economy reflects badly on him, or he can't do something so the poor economy does not reflect badly on him.

you want to have it both ways. it's his win when things go well but not his fault when things go poorly.

myself, i could give a rip about obama personally, i'm criticizing the spin & the class warfare. not obama, but the political class and the ruling class.

[Ikonoklast]

62. And he had a Democratic House and Senate fix it for him, that's why it was shorter.

What else you got?

[phleshdef]

64. Unemployment is just one economic factor.

The Bush recession took a larger bite out of the economies ass at a much faster pace.

[LanternWaste]

75. You may wish to explain yourself better and write more clearly then.

"i'm criticizing the spin & the class warfare. not obama, but the political class and the ruling class...."

You may wish to explain yourself better and/or write more clearly (much more clearly) then, as you may be the only person in the thread who recognized your clever and brilliant satirical stabbings of the class system.

I used to write badly too, and more often than not, blamed and became frustrated with others for not clearly understanding my horrible writing. It was quite the self-fulfilling prophecy on my part.

Then I began to realize that while not everything is my fault, many things (including my bad writing, poor punctuation, lazy grammar, horrible spelling, et. al.) indeed, are.

[HiPointDem]

82. funny, i didn't say word 1 about obama. maybe the problem is with the readers.

[Number23]

116. Win. Just chock full of win.

[duffyduff]

93. When you were unemployed during the Reagan years, you did find work elsewhere.

It's almost impossible to find work these days, especially if you are over 50. Now, though, we have a concerted policy in Washington NOT to do one damned thing about job creation. Obama is as much to blame as anybody because he doesn't believe the government should do anything about it.

So everything continues to go to shit. No jobs or low-paying jobs, no demand. No demand, no further jobs are created.

[treestar]

57. Ya better believe it does!

[Ikonoklast]

68. The unemployment rate in North Korea is 0%, everyone has a job.

Little known fact.

[DevonRex]

78. That's why Hannah LOVES North Korea.

[uponit7771]

17. Typical GOP\Basher meme; Downplay horrible horrid effects Republican Created recession was

The trend is record breaking

[DevonRex]

22. Whose propaganda is that? North Korea's or the GOP's?

It makes me fucking sick.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2682993

[HiPointDem]

27. 5 years out and there are still fewer jobs total than before the recession started. that's a *fact*.

February’s numbers were better than the average job creation for the previous three months. But don’t break out the bubbly. We are still in a debilitating jobs recession. As these charts show, while corporate profits and the stock market are setting records, we still have 3 million fewer jobs than we had at the start of the recession. In a typical post-war recovery, the U.S. economy now would have had about 10 million more jobs than at the recession’s start.

http://blog.ourfuture.org/20130308/jobs-report-we-are-still-in-a-jobs-recession


I don't know where you live, but where I live, there's no recovery.

[ProSense]

34. Again,

"5 years out and there are still fewer jobs total than before the recession started. that's a *fact*."

...the recovery didn't begin "5 years" ago, and you're right, the economy isn't in full recovery, which isn't the point of the OP.



On pace for "strongest annual rate for private sector job growth since 1999"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022792808

[DevonRex]

37. You know what? Try your bullshit on somebody else.

I don't believe a single word you say. Just my opinion of course. But I tend not to like people who DO like those who threaten us with nukes. Call me crazy.

And you've got some fucking nerve to criticize OUR president when the guy YOU like can't even rub 2 plug nickels together and has to threaten war to get other countries to cough up fucking charity to feed his people.

[HiPointDem]

85. you know what? i don't care. you clearly can't even read. "the guy i like" = ? i don't like any

Last edited Fri May 3, 2013, 09:42 PM - Edit history (1)

of the guys.

on edit: i see from your other posts that according to you 'the guy i like' is the dear leader of north korea.

because i posted an article that attempted to explain why the most powerful country in the world is all hot & bothered about north korea, population 24 million, gdp 40 billion.

fucking scary man! i'm so scared!

all the propaganda has more to do with china than north korea. It's our capitalist class that funded china and built it up, maybe you should talk to them about why they did that.

[RBInMaine]

81. Perhaps you'd prefer to return to the 10+% rate at the height of the recession? Sheesh.

It was nearly a Great Depression, deep and wide. Obama said day one it would take YEARS to recover. He was right on. But he saved us from that nearly Great Depression. And things are better than what he inherited. So let's look on the bright side. Yes, there is MUCH more to do, and it would be good if we didn't have the RePUKElicans to impede us.

[HiPointDem]

125. 1) Your numbers are wrong. 10% was the highest UE went, for one month, Oct. '09.

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000

2) It *is* a Great Depression, cushioned somewhat by the safety net & a moderate stimulus, mostly going to the top, & aggravated by austerity/deficit reduction policies, mostly directed at the bottom.

3) You can't blame everything on republicans.

[kenny blankenship]

120. It's MUCH WORSE than that. Labor force participation rate falls to lowest in a generation

BLS: lowest labor force participation rate in 34-35 years.
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/05/the-bls-jobs-report-covering-april-2013-lowest-labor-force-participation-since-19789-weekly-hours-and-wages-down.html

The ballyhooed unemployment figures are more bullshit from the usual bullshitting pros. According to the same supposedly great BLS stats, weekly hours worked DECLINED, taking wages paid down with them. Bottomline: less paid in wages, less work and we're supposed to believe that more people had jobs? And grant it for the sake of an argument - is less work and less pay shared among more people is supposed to be a good thing now? It is NOT a good report. Back when Bushler reigned, we would scoff at the jobs reports like this one, because at that time we needed 150,000 new jobs each month just to keep pace with the rising work age population. Now we need even more, hence the BLS' stats note that labor force participation has actually declined.

The headline U figure is calculated to ignore people who would work if they could get work but can't find employment quickly, and it covers up the 9 million or so who've just given up. Where do those jobless go? Their lives crumble
Suicide Rates Rise Sharply in U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/health/suicide-rate-rises-sharply-in-us.html?_r=0

And the pros sweep the bodies under the rug so their hero can look good.

[progressoid]

26. Jobs that pay shit.

[ProSense]

28. Recovery:

"Jobs that pay shit."

...moving from complaining about no jobs to complaining about jobs that "pay shit."

On pace for "strongest annual rate for private sector job growth since 1999"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022792808

[HiPointDem]

30. 3 million fewer jobs today than before the start of the recession. FEWER JOBS THAN BEFORE

THE RECESSION 5 YEARS AGO.

and more of them part-time, non-benefited.

[ProSense]

35. Repeat,

"3 million fewer jobs today than before the start of the recession. FEWER JOBS THAN BEFORE THE RECESSION 5 YEARS AGO"

...the recovery didn't begin "5 years" ago, and you're right, the economy isn't in full recovery, which isn't the point of the OP.



On pace for "strongest annual rate for private sector job growth since 1999"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022792808

[HiPointDem]

51. i didn't *say* the recovery began 5 years ago. but just for the record, it supposedly began

4 years ago, and we still have 3 million fewer jobs than when the recession started.

[HiPointDem]

84. 3 million fewer jobs than before the recession, despite 5 years of population growth.

[progressoid]

40. Yeah really.

Let us eat cake.

[ProSense]

52. No,

"Let us eat cake. "

...let's not. I damn sure want the recovery to continue, the pace to increase and things improve to better than normal. That doesn't mean I have to ignore good signs. I mean, no one is ignoring the bad signs. In fact, the bad news makes some people giddy.

[JoePhilly]

46. Its called supply and demand.

When you have more people looking for work, wages go down. Employers have potential employees competing for fewer jobs. The people who are willing to accept less in pay will get the jobs.

When unemployment is low, the exact opposite occurs. Employers have to compete for better workers, so they have to pay more. Workers with valuable skills have greater mobility.

I'm not sure why anyone is surprised by the fact that after we had UE jump to over 10%, the initial jobs in the recovery would be at a lower pay rate than the jobs that existed prior.

And I'm definitely sure know one on DU can explain how you get all the jobs back and have them pay as much or more as before prior to getting UE down to a more manageable level.

[bvar22]

76. "They" have developed the "Jobless Recovery" into an art form...

...to further DRIVE DOWN wages and benefits for the Working Class.
The cycle has been repeated over the last 3 "recessions".
I don't think the Working Class can survive much more.



Corporate Profits Hit Record High While Worker Wages Hit Record Low
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/12/03/1270541/corporate-profits-wages-record/?mobile=nc

HOORAY!!
They opened a new McDonalds!!!
That'll drop the unemployment rate!!!
Would you like some fries with that?


Gee. I wonder if all that "Free Trade" and "Free Market" stuff has anything to do with it?
Where is the Invisible Hand when you really need him?

[duffyduff]

91. The neolibs or globalists want that.

They WANT American workers to be on the same playing field as the Chinese or third world countries where the cost of living is much cheaper.

[pnwmom]

31. But it's still TERRIBLE for 18-29 year olds.

We shouldn't be patting ourselves on the back too soon.

[nobodyspecial]

38. Nobody is claiming everything is great

But it would be nice if we could celebrate some good news around here without people pissing in the punch bowl.

[progressoid]

43. We're not pissing in the punch bowl.

Just pointing out that the punch bowl has already been pissed in.

[HiPointDem]

45. i'd have no problem if the OP wasn't misleading. the rate they're touting is for ONE MONTH.

they imply it applies to the entire recovery.

[JoePhilly]

53. There is a chart in the OP ... its pretty clear how long a period it refers to.

There's nothing misleading about it.

[HiPointDem]

55. the chart does nothing whatsoever to make it clear.

[JoePhilly]

56. looks clear to me.

[HiPointDem]

58. yes, you're right on the op, i'm mixing the two articles posted by prosense. it's the other one

that talks about the rate of job creation.

this one just touts how 'low' 7.5% unemployment is.

[duffyduff]

94. It doesn't mean squat, and not only that, one can't believe anything

coming out of D.C.

Most of these people are a pack of liars.

[ProSense]

39. I posted Boehner's

"We shouldn't be patting ourselves on the back too soon."

statement here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2793259

Nothing wrong with acknowledging progress and point out where austerity and Republican obstruction are holding back the recovery.

[pnwmom]

42. I think we need a significant further stimulus.

Which is not what Boehner's saying, I'm sure.

[MineralMan]

67. It's also terrible for 50+ year olds.

It's improving, though. I'd be hard-pressed to ask for more than improvement. The factors that make up the slowness of that improvement are not in the control of our President.

[pnwmom]

70. You're right -- but we should be screaming at Congress. We need another stimulus. nt

[MineralMan]

71. What we should be doing is starting work on the 2014

congressional and state legislative elections. That's what we should be doing. Nothing that will happen in the next year and a half will be as important than that. And nothing will be as useless as the Congress we will end up with if we fail.

Right now, just about nothing else matters more.

GOTV 2014!

[JackN415]

32. Any one of us who voted Democrat should feel that we have made a small contribution...

toward saving the US economy from the European "Austerity" malaise that might have happened right here in the US, had (oh shuddered) McCain-Palin been elected.

[Myrina]

49. Oh, it's still gonna happen here ...

'shared sacrifice' and 'grand bargain', ya know ...

[Myrina]

48. ... how many people have dropped completely out of the workforce?

There's a shit-ton more people who fell off the radar because they've used all their unemployment bene's and are either doing odd jobs for cash, or not working at all.

If those people are added back in, what's the REAL unemployment percentage?

[DearHeart]

87. Good question! Most people have forgotten about us!

[OnlinePoker]

114. Since January 2009, about 9 million more not in labor force

According to BLS there are currently 90.436 million people 16 years and older no in the labor force whereas in January 2009, that figure was 81.293 million. I'm pretty sure a lot of these numbers are for the baby boomers that have started the mass retirement. The problem with BLS numbers is they count everybody not institutionalized who are over 16 when doing their calculations on the labor pool, but don't factor in those who are so senior they would never hold a job again. As the demographics of the baby boom generation are hitting the statistics, it may be time to rework how the participation rate is calculated.

Edit - link won't work, but go to the BLS website and look for Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey - Not in Labor Force.

[JoePhilly]

50. More bad news for the folks who hate Obama.

And of course I'm referring to Republicans.

Who did you THINK I was referring to?

[Warren DeMontague]

54. K&R For Good News.

[Iliyah]

59. If GOPers help create jobs and raise

the minimum wage within the United States, the % would be lower and we would be ending the recession. GOPers don't want America to recovers EVER. California is slowly recovering and one of the reasons is the temporary higher taxes that the Californians approved. The expansion of Med-Cal (Medicaid) and Medicare also is keeping our state more healthier. But NOOOOOOOOOO, the party of no don't want to see Americans succeed because they feel its takes aways from their profits.

Now GOPers want to take away "consensus" which allows the U.S. Government and States to determine the status of the society. Take that away and Americans won't know what the FUCK GOPers will do in making sure they stay in complete power, i.e dictatorship. Yes, dictatorship is what the GOP party is pushing for.

[NCTraveler]

65. I find it interesting that.

I find it interesting that a thread that is suppose to be positive about the economy ends up being shit upon. Then another group of posters confronts them by saying "it's all the repubs fault". Seems like in the end no one thinks it is all that good. The question seems to be, where is the blame placed.

[MineralMan]

69. I'm afraid there are those who live to shoot down any good news.

It's unfortunate, since dooming and glooming produces no positive news whatsoever. It only serves to minimize any good news that does appear with whining and puling. It's depressing, is what it is, and it's meant to be, in many cases.

Improvement in the unemployment rate is improvement in the unemployment rate. That is a good thing, no matter what the purveyors of doom would have you believe.

So, I'm ringing a celebration bell, not tolling a funeral bell. In any case, bells are ringing somewhere.

[NCTraveler]

72. Short term yes, long term is debatable.

"Improvement in the unemployment rate is improvement in the unemployment rate. That is a good thing, no matter what the purveyors of doom would have you believe. "

And you are correct. Positive reinforcement is good for all kinds of things. Even if it is just a small item of positive.

[MineralMan]

73. Lacking a crystal ball that works, I cannot see into the future.

All I can do is whatever I can to promote beneficial change, and right now that means working on 2014. Right now, today, decisions are being made about who will be running for congressional and state legislative offices. I've talked already to three people who are considering running. They're thinking about it, and so am I.

By the time 2014 actually arrives, the people who will be running will have already made it clear that they are running. Right now, it's time to encourage those who can win in districts that can be changed from a Republican to a Democrat to run. And doing that means pledging to actively support them.

The 2014 campaign has begun. Check your local districts. See what's happening...right now.

[treestar]

77. not good enough is their constant refrain

no matter what the issue is.

[leftyladyfrommo]

80. I surely don't feel any closer to finding permanent work.

Don't care what the numbers say. All of my over 50 friends are out of work. We all are. And not so much as one interview among us. We just get ignored.

[duffyduff]

90. Absolutely. Those statistics are total b.s.

When you are kicked to the curb after 50, your working career is done for.

And these effers in Washington want to RAISE the SS age or cut benefits and screw over Medicare.

[woo me with science]

96. +10000.... AND pass the Trans-Pacific free trade assault, and expand H-1B quotas.

No, the chocolate ration has not been increased. In fact, we have been and continue to be under ASSAULT.

[leftyladyfrommo]

104. I know.

It's very discouraging for all of us that are over about 45. We never get a chance to get a job because employers won't even look at us - they just delete the application, I think.

We have to come up with our own little businesses to get by.

[snappyturtle]

106. I think it's interesting that we aren't given reports of what actual income is

for the masses. Sure a few get good paying jobs. Many not so much.
When a rise in employment accompanies a fall in the numbers working
at the poverty line or less and a fall in those needing food stamps will
I take seriously that the country is recovering.

"Those statistics are total b.s."......I agree.

[adieu]

113. I know what you mean exactly

the solution isn't to keep finding work. The solution is to band together and create work. Create a business.

[babylonsister]

88. Great news despite the fall out, inevitable. ;) nt

[duffyduff]

89. Like hell it is. More statistical garbage.

We have a DEPRESSION out here, and manipulating the statistics so Obama and the others in Washington do NOTHING about job creation is nothing but a bunch of bullshit.

I wouldn't believe ANYTHING coming out of Washington by either Republicans or fake Democrats.

[magellan]

97. +1000 When stores like Dollar General are adding 10,000 jobs this month

...while federal, state and local governments alone cut 11,000 jobs last month, you have to wonder at the disconnect. What kind of jobs are being created, and why?

Seriously. There's that much demand for low-priced goods that Dollar General is hiring 10,000 people this month, most at minimum wage. That should chill the blood of anyone who wants to make hay out of lower unemployment figures.

Unemployment reports aren't just fucking numbers. They're people, and they're saying something. (Well, except for the ones no longer being counted.) And what they're saying is that the job creation in this country is a joke.

[ProSense]

100. Yeah,

"Like hell it is. More statistical garbage."

...it's a conspiracy.

On pace for "strongest annual rate for private sector job growth since 1999"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022792808

[leftstreet]

118. +1

[woo me with science]

95. And plans for cutting SS, and for the Trans-Pacific free trade assault are still in place.

Last edited Sat May 4, 2013, 12:21 AM - Edit history (1)

And the headlines look like this:

Suicide Rates Rise Sharply in U.S. -- +30% (and not only in the US: neoliberalism is a death cult)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022795650

I just got home a few minutes ago, cops everywhere, the coroner's van parked in the street
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022795035


There is NOTHING on the horizon to help the 99 percent. NOTHING. What we see on the horizon is more proactive, deadly ASSAULTS on Americans who have already been impoverished by policy. Slashing budgets, cutting Social Security, free trade assaults, expansion of H-1B visas to take MORE jobs from Americans...

We are under assault. We need much, much better than this. This is not acceptable.

[ProSense]

99. First,

Suicide Rates Rise Sharply in U.S. -- +30% (and not only in the US: neoliberalism is a death cult)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022795650

...suicide is not a tool for political propaganda: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2795871

"There is NOTHING on the horizon to help the 99 percent. NOTHING. What we see on the horizon is more proactive, deadly ASSAULTS on Americans who have already been impoverished by policy. "

Second, why not try advocating a solution (http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022795784) instean of complaining incessantly, even in the face of some positive news?

[flamingdem]

98. This is a triumph

The Republicans have omlettes on their faces today

[limpyhobbler]

101. How much of the change is due to long-term unemployed no longer being counted in the labor force?

I think if you have been unemployed for so long they stop counting you.

[limpyhobbler]

102. Also how many have lost good jobs, and been rehired at crappy jobs?

Making half their previous pay rate? New job with no benefits?

A lot.

The economy sucks. People are really hurting.

We need a real jobs program like a WPA. Create jobs doing stuff our country needs. Like planting trees, and like converting to a sustainable energy situation.

Obama's economic policies are weak and puny. It's time to get serious.

[DallasNE]

103. Something That Gets Under Reported

Is what is happening in the automotive area. Made in America cars/light trucks have come surging back. That is confirmed by the units sold as reported by the government. But what does that mean to the economy? Well, it is showing up in the improving trade balance. It is showing up in the jobs reports for the manufacturing sector, which are good paying jobs. It is keeping GDP increases afloat. There is pent up demand for new cars so this area will remain favorable for several more months. And it works as a stimulus because a lot of cars are bought on credit (private deficit spending, if you will).

And to think, Mitt Romney penned an editorial "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" before claiming that Obama stole his idea.

[bread_and_roses]

107. oh, right. My daughter helped that figure - though she still has no job

- her UI just ran out. And there are - what? millions? - like her around the country.

There are no jobs around here, and what few there are most pay less around $8.00 hr. And after our wonderful Dem Clinton's welfare deform, that's enough to knock you off public assistance and cut your food stamps, but not enough to live on and a far, far cry from enough to pay for child care, or keep a car to get you to work (our public transportation real limited in that regard - but hey, who cares? It's only the proles who need to ride it ....)

What a farce.

[ProSense]

108. There are people

"oh, right. My daughter helped that figure - though she still has no job - her UI just ran out. And there are - what? millions? - like her around the country."

...whose unemployment benefits ran out more than a year ago, and they still have no job.

I wonder if it would help if people bugged their members of Congress to act?

Members of Congress have the power to change the economic equation, but they're refusing to act.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022796943

[bread_and_roses]

109. and you think I don't know

that "There are people ... ...whose unemployment benefits ran out more than a year ago, and they still have no job?" While you're on the topic, take a look at the unemployment rate among youth and people of color.

I also know we have a President who seems fully behind bailing out the Banksters at every opportunity, assuring profits in perpetuity for the Ghoul Insurance Moguls, wants to put some Billionaire in office to keep his Bankster Buds company, and has done very little to provide for those suffering in this economy.

Although he's too mild, and reluctant to criticize Obama, Trumka has to acknowledge that these figures are actually nothing to write home about - full statement:

http://www.aflcio.org/Press-Room/Press-Releases/Statement-by-AFL-CIO-President-Richard-Trumka-on-April-Jobs-Report2

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
on April Jobs Report
May 3, 2013

The economy added 165,000 jobs in April, bringing the unemployment rate down slightly, to 7.5 percent. This is welcome news, together with upward revisions to prior months’ jobs figures. But overall, the nation’s economic recovery remains lackluster – almost four full years after the “official” end of the recession. By any measure, the shortage of jobs is the real deficit crisis for this economy.

Beneath the headlines, there are several troubling indicators in today’s report. Hours worked per worker actually fell; involuntary part-time work increased; and the unemployment rate for teenagers is stalled at 24.1 percent. Youth unemployment rates would be even higher, were it not for the dramatic drop in the labor force participation numbers for young people, meaning that many are not counted as unemployed.

Our economy is struggling to achieve the economic velocity necessary for full recovery. The blame for this falls largely on Republicans in Congress. For years, they have pushed austerity policies that have turned stimulus tailwinds into austerity headwinds. It is this misguided policy direction that distinguishes this weak and slow recovery from past economic cycles.

Austerity policies are failing around the world, and have now also been discredited among policy analysts. The main research cited to support these policies -- by Professors Reinhart and Rogoff -- contained significant errors in calculation and design, and no longer supports the strong policy recommendations initially claimed.

It is time for leaders in Washington to take immediate action to reverse these disastrous policies. That starts, first and foremost, with repealing the harmful and unnecessary “sequester.” Misguided austerity has hurt our economy, kept unemployment high, and undermined wages, and we urgently need to change course. But the price for correcting this mistake should not be cutting Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits, or other harmful cuts that would further damage the economy. Working people were not responsible for this mistaken policy, and they should not have to pay the price. We need more economic security, not less. We need to invest in good jobs and our future – not slash essential social programs and investments.

He says it better than I could - even if too kind - and I'll leave it with his as my last words on the topic.

[ProSense]

111. So

<...>

I also know we have a President who seems fully behind bailing out the Banksters at every opportunity, assuring profits in perpetuity for the Ghoul Insurance Moguls, wants to put some Billionaire in office to keep his Bankster Buds company, and has done very little to provide for those suffering in this economy.

Although he's too mild, and reluctant to criticize Obama, Trumka has to acknowledge that these figures are actually nothing to write home about - full statement:

...you point wasn't about jobs, but inaccurately criticizing the President for "bailing out the Banksters at every opportunity, assuring profits in perpetuity for the Ghoul Insurance Moguls"?

Thanks for Trumka's statement.

Our economy is struggling to achieve the economic velocity necessary for full recovery. The blame for this falls largely on Republicans in Congress. For years, they have pushed austerity policies that have turned stimulus tailwinds into austerity headwinds. It is this misguided policy direction that distinguishes this weak and slow recovery from past economic cycles.

See these commentaries by Krumgan: "States of Depression" and "The Jobs Program That Wasn’t"

...posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022780980

Members of Congress have the power to change the economic equation, but they're refusing to act.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022796943

[John2]

117. Just what skills

does your daughter have and how much of a demand is there for it? What I find in the place I work, a lot of management cut corners, to hire less people, for more profits. They contract Temporary workers when the season gets busier. The more people out of work gives them a bigger pool to hire from. They don't have to pay people benefits either. They negotiate contracts based on how fast the job can get done. They cut corners in efficiency also, when the time is cut back for the employee to get the job out. That gives the employee less work.

I also find it is usually the same people in management positions and gives nobody else opportunities. They perform several jobs that could be tasked out to other workers. Those people in those positions sometimes form long term relationships also and hire within these companies other people they know through mutual relationships. They have sort of a glass ceiling. It is hard to get in the company.

Lets take a look at Government jobs. Everybody knows the V.A. has a large backlog. What is their problem on hiring employees to take care of it? What about the Postal Service? Why are those jobs being shifted to the private sector? Why are Public Education jobs being cut back when there is a serious need for teachers? The claim being made, there is nobody qualified by management. Even people seeking social services find it hard getting services on time. The Government jobs being cut, use to hire a lot of people, and the private sector competed to get skilled people in the Labor pool. When you see countries with very low unemployment, you usually see some Government control. The highest rate of job stability as far as less discrimination was in the Government because workers had better recourse against the employer. Government workers have been demonized. Minority workers are being targeted most because they have fairer chances of employment in the Government and so do women. Employers in the private sector can pick and choose, and they don't have to hire anybody. The main concern is profits. And when these companies buy up other companies, they have lesser competition. They can dictate their own terms. The less Government intrusion, the more they can do this. Sure the growth in jobs have been increasing but they are also gobbling up Government jobs because of the hostile attack for lesser Government. It is happening on the Federal and State levels. The biggest employer in this country was Government. If a person graduating could not find a job in the private sector, they usually found one in the Government. The private sector competed for those applicants by offering better wages. The more people losing their jobs will also go into the private sector where there is less job security. It reminds you of serfdom.

[spanone]

110. good news is always shit upon at the good 'ol du....you can count on it.

k&r....

[Scurrilous]

112. Good news!

[abelenkpe]

115. O Joy

Someone please inform the VFX and animation community which is for the most part newly unemployed, learned to accept short term no benefits gigs, or has already moved overseas where the jobs have been outsourced. Woo Hoo jobs are back.

[Marr]

119. More deceitful, press release bullshit.

When Bush was in the WH, this sort of deceptive number juggling was universally scorned around here-- particularly on the subject of unemployment.

[ProSense]

121. More

"More deceitful, press release bullshit. When Bush was in the WH, this sort of deceptive number juggling was universally scorned around here-- particularly on the subject of unemployment."

...fact-free nonsensical drivel. People who don't like facts should ignore them instead of trying to claim everything is "deceitful, press release bullshit."

On pace for "strongest annual rate for private sector job growth since 1999"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022792808

[Marr]

122. Repeatedly reposting links helps them show up in search engines, I know.

Go ahead and post another one as a "response". They might as well get maximum bang for their buck.

[ProSense]

123. People

"Repeatedly reposting links helps them show up in search engines, I know."

...who don't like facts invent bullshit conspiracy theories to justify ignoring them. Go ahead, post more drivel.