Robert Reich: What Todays Job Numbers Mean

[xchrom]

http://www.nationofchange.org/what-today-s-job-numbers-mean-1333804111

he economy added only 120,000 jobs in March – down from the rate of more than 200,000 in each of the preceding three months. The rate of unemployment dropped from 8.3 to 8.2 percent mainly because fewer people were searching for jobs – and that rate depends on how many people are actively looking.

It’s way too early to conclude the jobs recovery is stalling, but there’s reason for concern.

Remember: Consumer spending is 70 percent of the economy. Employers won’t hire without enough sales to justify the additional hires. It’s up to consumers to make it worth their while.

But real spending (adjusted to remove price changes) this year hasn’t been going anywhere. It increased just .5 percent in February after an anemic .2 percent increase in January.

[ProSense]

1. The President

could definitely use Romney's rhetoric to push the Buffett rule: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002526926

Reich:

President Obama will claim the economy is improving – and, technically, it is. Growth this year will most likely average around 2 percent. The problem is, most Americans aren’t feeling it in their paychecks.

Mitt Romney will claim the economy is in terrible shape – and there will be enough evidence to justify his “cup-half-empty” rhetoric.

But when it comes to explaining what’s really wrong with the economy, Romney is the perfect foil for Obama because Romney represents the richest of the rich – a man who raked in more than $20 million last year, and paid a tax rate of just 13.9 percent (lower than much of the middle class).

He made that money by buying up “under-performing” companies – that is, companies that employed more people than they needed to, and carried less debt than was necessary to show big profits (interest on debt is deductible from company income). Romney’s firm, Bain Capital, made him and his colleagues fortunes by firing workers and loading companies up with debt.

[B Calm]

2. It's still a better record than the last adminstration,

so why in hell would people want to put back in power the political party that caused this recession!

[KG]

3. rec.

things still really, really, really suck out there.

[pipoman]

4. Thank you, now when will you go back under that

very small rock you slither out from under from time to time? Thank you mr former (disgraceful) labor secretary who sold labor out to the multi-nationals with your disturbing support for trade policies which are the cause for these numbers you decry..what a schmuck..

[scheming daemons]

5. you've convinced me, xchrom. I'm voting for Romney now.

[Hissyspit]

8. No where anywhere in that column is there anything remotely arguing that people should vote for

Mitt Romney.

[grahamhgreen]

6. It means the costly trade agreements you supported are killing us, sir.

[jwirr]

7. And if you judge by my freinds and family us consumers are still deeply in debt. We buy but it is

only things that are absolutely necessary.