Obama Brings Down Veterans Unemployment by 5 Points!!! Below National Average!! (Important Updates

[Playinghardball]

Source: Daily Kos

Wow. Stunningly good news and an unequivocal success of the Obama administration.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- More veterans are coming back from war and getting back to work in the civilian job force, thanks to efforts by both employers and the government, as well as the improving economy.
The jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans has fallen to 7.6%, well below the overall U.S. unemployment rate of 8.3%, and nearly five percentage points below the 12.5% rate for veterans a year ago.

Some firms have formal military recruiting programs, and others are creating or expanding them. This week Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) announced "Heroes Work Here," a program it says will recruit 1,000 vets over the next three years.
The government wants to encourage more efforts like this. "This past year saw the passage of a number of bills specifically designed to support veteran hiring and training," said Adriana Kugler, chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, which produces the BLS statistics.
Kugler cites the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warriors tax credits, both of which went into effect in November.
Returning Heroes provides a credit of up to $2,400 to employers who hire a vet who's been unemployed for at least four weeks. It was expanded to give $5,600 to employers who hire veterans who've been jobless for over six months.



Read more: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/15/1074622/-Unemployment-Among-Iraq-Afghanistan-Vets-Drops-by-5-Points-in-Last-Year-

[Enrique]

1. it was passed by Congress, but the President does deserve the bulk of the credit

yes, of course like all laws, these tax credits were passed by Congress, but the President plays an enormous role in legislation. In this case, he took the lead and used the bully pulpit, and pushed Congress, it got passed, and now it's already shown to be very effective.

So, it's correct to give Obama the credit for this, even though he "only" signed it.

[Enrique]

2. anecdotal evidence showing how it works

I was out of work recently for a long time, and these quotes really hit home. You go to interview after interview and you begin to believe that you have nothing anyone wants, and then suddenly someone does see some value in you. I say that's a very good thing for government to be doing.

There’s been a lot of fanfare about the new tax credit for businesses who are hiring veterans (worth up to $9,600), but is it making a positive difference in veteran hiring? Some early evidence from the Star-Ledger in New Jersey suggests that it might be. At a recent job fair in Newark, numerous veterans were interviewed, and many cited the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which was signed last November and included the new tax credit program, as helping them get more attention from prospective employers.

Army veteran Sharon Strand said in her interview, “For years I didn’t really talk about my time in the service. I didn’t realize the relevance of it, but now it has its advantages… A woman from a law firm called me for an interview this Friday and she wanted to make sure I had been in the military… I’m excited. I’m going to bring my dog tags and DD-214 form with me.”

Other job seekers such as National Guard veteran Farhaj Hassan have noted that conversations with employers have changed since institution the tax credit, with one employer calling him a “walking lottery ticket.”


Read more: http://jobsforveterans.military.com/583/tax-credit-hiring-veterans-helping/#ixzz1pEJDBP4v

[totodeinhere]

3. The article says "thanks to efforts by both employers and the government."

Yet your headline gives sole credit to Obama.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

6. we are all in this together

it works better when citizens (including employers...and government, actually) work together for good causes.

[Sugarbazooka]

4. Obama Rocks!

Well, what did you expect? Our president totally rocks!

[longship]

5. FOX Headline: "Obama bringing down Veterans"

'nuf said?