Labor Secretary Chao Blames High Unemployment Rate On America’s Youth»

[babylonsister]

Lying for this admin? That wouldn't surprise me...

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/06/chao-unemployment/

Labor Secretary Chao Blames High Unemployment Rate On America’s Youth»


According to new Department of Labor data released today, the U.S. unemployment rate rose from 5.0 to 5.5 percent in May, which was higher than the expected 0.1 percent jobless rate increase. It was also the largest jump in unemployment since 1986. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao put out a statement today, attempting to explain the jump. Her answer? Blame America’s youth:

Today’s increase in the unemployment rate reflects the fact that unusually large numbers of students and graduates are entering the labor market.

Chao is just trying to hide bad news. These unemployment numbers are not good, nor are they normal. As Center for American Progress Director of the American Worker Project David Madland told ThinkProgress, unemployment isn’t just for young people:

The unemployment rate for prime-working age adults – people from 25 to 54 – also increased in May, rising from 4.2 percent to 4.4 percent. In addition, the share of this age group that was employed fell slightly from 79.6 percent to 79.5 percent.

Similarly, Jared Bernstein at EPI noted that “even if we take teenagers out of the data, unemployment still rises from 4.5% to 4.8%, a considerable 0.3% increase, and well above the 4.0% adult rate of one year ago.”

New workers are always entering the market. A healthy economy can absorb them; a Bush economy can’t.

[Bob Dobbs]

1. America's youth demand guillotining of Labor Secretary Cho.

It's a start.

[DJ13]

2. Kids entering the workforce never used to ba a problem

Now that they are competing with displaced older workers (thanks NAFTA!) for those minimum wage jobs its suddenly a problem.

And who's fault is that Ms. Chao?

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Anyone Who Would Marry Mitch McConnell Is Creepy

Eeew.

[babylonsister]

4. No kidding! nt

[dchill]

8. That is more than enough to qualify.

Double-Eeew!

[DCKit]

5. "Elaine Chao is married to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Chao#Family

OMG, I was soooo fooled by her keeping her maiden name.

:sarcasm:

[blondeatlast]

6. The nerve of these upstarts who were born and raised in a time of prosperity--

that is, the last Democratic administration.

[Muttocracy]

7. I thought the baby boomers were starting to retire, so shouldn't unemployment go down?

Or are they not retiring yet?

[frogcycle]

10. I'll retire when I can afford to

and that WON'T be age 65

[Muttocracy]

13. I do wonder how much of that is happening

Not people wanting to stay in their careers longer because they're healthy and want to, but because they must.

[frogcycle]

9. "New workers are always entering the market. "

is he promoting abortion rights?

[ShadowLiberal]

11. What a great way for the GOP to reach out to the youth vote they'res already losing pretty badly

Imagine how things would be like if she was a candidate who had to appeal to the youth vote.

18 year old Teen: Why do you think the economy is so bad?

Chao: Too many young people like you are looking for work, it's very selfish of them to look for a job and boost the unemployment numbers when I'm secretary of labor.

[tabasco]

12. AWOL has packed the government full of idiots like Chao.

The results were inevitable.

[speedoo]

14. She's an incompetent twit, who got her job because she's married..

to McConnell. Bushco could care less about having an effective labor secretary. In fact they want an INEFFECTIVE one.

She'll be gone in January.

[muntrv]

15. It's the youth!! Not Chimpy's corporatist policies that encourage outsourcing,

it's the youth!!:sarcasm:

[miles 2 go]

16. Jeese, when did these youths get out of school?

they weren't out of school last month. Nice try though.