Unemployment

A Fact That Cannot Be Denied: With Creation of 120,000 More Jobs, All Jobs Lost In Great Recession Are Recovered!

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A plain fact that Republicans and conservatives wish to deny is that the entire loss of jobs from the Great Recession under their President George W. Bush, the worst since the Great Depression, and actually in pure numbers, far worse, is nearing an end!

With next month’s report of job gains, the negative will finally have ended, six years after the total collapse!

Only 120,000 jobs need to be created, and every job created after that is additional, and the job growth will continue over the remainder of the Obama Presidency!

Yes, the author is well aware that this is not in itself something to rejoice, while we have so many people unable to make a decent living, and millions having to survive on the minimum wage or just above, and others further impoverished by the refusal of Republicans to extend unemployment compensation.

And manufacturing jobs, while reviving to some extent, are still losing to overseas competition, and too many jobs that are created are service jobs, traditionally low paid.

The fact of the recovery of the millions of jobs is to be saluted, but the need to create millions of new, high paying jobs is still the daunting task of Obama and the next President of the United States, but with GOP obstructionism, that will continue to be difficult.

The fact of the recovery of jobs, however, should be bragged about by Democrats, and should be a major factor in avoiding major loss of seats in the House and Senate, as if the Republicans had cooperated in the past four years, our economic revival could have been swifter and more focused on creation of good jobs, rather than just minimum wage jobs, which are in pay, 25 percent behind what they were in economic value in 1968!

The Economy Improving Greatly, But Obama Gets Little Credit For It!

Ronald 1 Comment

The American economy is rapidly growing and improving, and the future is bright, except for the problem of unemployment. The auto industry is booming, as Obama saved the industry by giving them assistance in 2009-2010, and the expansion of the economy has also been benefited by three to four percent growth in the past two economic quarters. But one would get the impression that Barack Obama deserves no credit, when he deserves most of the credit for the improvements!

There is still the issue of refusal of the GOP House of Representatives to promote infrastructure spending, to raise the minimum wage to the level of inflation over the years, to continue the assistance to long term unemployed to avoid starvation and homelessness, and the need to push for education, as the future for the young, with proof that the more educated one is, the much lower the unemployment rate really is, and will continue to be. Also, lowering the debt for college students and graduates, as much as there are subsidies for corporations, would be a massive move in the right direction.

That is why it is essential for an end to the deadlock in the nation’s capital, and for action to be taken, but if not, the urgency of a Democratic Congress majority in both houses in November’s midterm elections is apparent!

Veterans Day: We Honor Veterans, And Then Republicans Cut Unemployment, Food Stamps, And Health Benefits To Them!

Ronald 4 Comments

Today is Veterans Day, the day when we honor all veterans who have served in the military, whether in war or peace, and it also marks 95 years since the end of the First World War.

Republicans are famous for mouthing support for veterans and the military, and are only too willing to send men and women off to war, but when it comes to dealing with their needs and problems after they return from war, it is a lot different in reality than rhetoric.

It is Republicans and conservatives who complain about unemployment compensation, Food Stamps, and disability and health benefits, and are only too willing to cut spending on those programs, while giving corporations benefits by the multiple billions.

They seem to be unaware of the high unemployment rate of veterans, the fact that many families with veterans are poor and depend on food stamps, and that the ability to gain disability and other health benefits is overwhelmingly difficult.

They seem to be unaware that 22 veterans, on the average, commit suicide every day, about 8,000 per year, due to a total sense of abandonment and despair by those who have sacrificed themselves more than most Americans, and yet are ignored and forgotten.

A nation that mistreats its veterans is a nation that needs to reconsider priorities, but any attempts to recognize this have been vehemently opposed by flag waving hypocrites in the opposition party!

The “Poverty Belt” And The Republican Party

Ronald 12 Comments

America has a “Poverty Belt”, recently outlined by the Centers for Disease Control, states that have higher rates of poverty (30 percent or more), and substantially lower life expectancy.

These states are, not surprisingly, the Confederate South of the Civil War years except for Virginia and Florida; along with Kentucky and Missouri, two states of the “Border” South which had slavery, but stayed loyal to the Union during the Civil War; and West Virginia and Oklahoma–therefore, a total of 13 states!

These 13 states have not only extreme poverty and lower life expectancy rates, but also high levels of poor education, higher crime rates, poor nutrition, higher unemployment, inadequate food and housing, and less access to quality health care.

And these states with the highest poverty percentages are dominated by the Republican Party, and won all of their electoral votes in 2012, and most have Republican state legislatures and Republican Governors, and elect mostly Republicans to the House of Representatives and US Senate.

Do Republicans, by their words and actions, give a damn about these horrific conditions in their states?

The answer, clearly, is NO, and no one can claim otherwise, as the reality on the ground proves this sad fact!

The question is WHY the voters of these 13 states constantly vote to send, to the state capitals and Washington, DC, individuals who show a callousness to their plight, and set out to make certain that conditions can never improve! What is in the psyche of these voters that they do not get the message that the GOP is not concerned about them, and instead works to limit the freedom and justice of African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, women, the elderly, and the young?

And, instead of wishing to make the lives of working class or poor whites better, the intention instead is to promote ignorance and fear among them to keep power, and do nothing to improve the lot in life of the citizenry of their states!

What could be more despicable and outrageous than that reality?

College Graduates Now One Third Of Those Ages 25-29: The Highest Percentage Ever

Ronald 37 Comments

Higher education has reached more and more Americans over time, and now among those 25-29, one third have at least a four year undergraduate degree.

More Americans have started and graduated college in recent years, spurred on by the Great Recession, and the recognition that unemployment levels among college graduates is 3.3 percent for those ages 25-34, compared to 11.8 percent for high school graduates.

Still, too many students fail to finish a four year, or even a two year degree, and in many states, the graduation rate is much lower than in others, with the trend being that the “Blue” states have higher graduation rates than the “Red” states, another indication of two Americas in our midst, one in the 21st century, and the other moving back socially to the 19th century in many ways, sadly!

And low income American families still see only about one out of ten of their children going on to college and graduating in a six year period, while high income families see seven out of ten children gaining a college degree.

And women are graduating at higher rates than men, another disturbing issue regarding the emotional maturity of young men, many seeing just having any job as enough, making more women more highly educated than men, and in many cases, choosing not to marry someone of lesser educational attainment.

And Asian Americans continue to have higher percentages of college degrees, followed by whites, blacks and Hispanics, respectively.

The road to the future in a technology based and digital economy is higher education, so those not attaining that goal are at a long range disadvantage in the American economy of the future.

Stock Market Hits Five Year High As Obama Is To Be Inaugurated For Second Term As President!

Ronald 2 Comments

After four tough years for the economy, Barack Obama is about to be inaugurated for his second term as President, and the stock market Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 have hit their highest point since December 2007, when the Great Recession was beginning.

Housing starts are up, and unemployment is staying below 8 percent, and many economists predict a good recovery becoming clear during 2013, as long as budget deals and debt ceilings controversies are resolved. But the debt ceiling issue is a troublesome one.

Obama has asked for a lifting of the debt ceiling only three times, while George W. Bush asked for it seven times, Bill Clinton a total of four times, George H. W. Bush four times, and Ronald Reagan a grand total of SEVENTEEN times!

In percentages, Obama has had the debt limit go up only 26 percent; Bush II 90 percent, Clinton 44 percent, Bush I 48 percent, and Reagan nearly 300 percent!

But now, it is suddenly a massive issue, when Republicans assert that, somehow, Obama has been more reckless than anyone else, when in fact, he has been far more responsible than any recent President, and particularly Reagan, who ranks at the bottom on this list of the past four Presidents and Barack Obama!

So Obama has a lot to be thankful for, relating to the stock market revival, but there are still many issues and problems that he will face in the next four years!

Barack Obama And Veterans Day: A Great President On Veterans Issues

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Barack Obama may not have served in the military, becoming an adult during a time when military service by draft had ended, and instead choosing to become a community organizer, in many ways a domestic version of the Peace Corps.

Mitt Romney supported the war in Vietnam, but used his religious commitment to the Mormon Church to avoid service, and instead spent his entire life acquiring massive amounts of wealth, with no social commitment to anyone, and only using one term as Governor of Massachusetts as a tool to run for President, and become the ultimate “BOSS’, which has been his only goal in life other than materialism!

Barack Obama has been very respectful and supportive of the plight of veterans who have served in our various wars, and he has done so much for their needs when they return, and he is pledging again our total commitment to them in the future. with recognition of the reality that much needs to be done.

As we become aware that one out of four homeless people in this nation are veterans, and that many veterans are unemployed, it means that no stone shall be unturned to do what must be done to help these people who served with courage and determination.

There may be budget cuts coming, but not at the expense of veterans!

Seeing Barack Obama speak at Arlington National Cemetery right now is such an inspiring moment, and realizing that one of our heroes, Tammy Duckworth, who gave up both legs and one arm in Iraq, is now the Congresswoman Elect in an Illinois district, having soundly defeated one of the worst Tea Party elected Representatives of 2010, Joe Walsh, is a very exciting moment! And seeing Allen West of Florida, who abused his power in Iraq and was drummed out of the military, also leaving Congress in January, is a very satisfying event!

A Good Week For Barack Obama, Including Debate Performance!

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The first week of October has been good to Barack Obama!

His Gallup poll rating is at its highest since the fall of 2009, now registering at 54 percent! This is a strong indication of his upcoming victory precisely one month from today!

Many want to believe that his debate performance harmed him, without realizing that while he might not have been at his best, it really does not matter, as incumbent Presidents tend to do poorly on the first debate with a challenger, as indicated in an earlier post. After all, they have more on their mind than the campaign, such as governing and dealing with crises on a daily basis. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney has done nothing for the past six years other than run for President, and he has had a multitude of mistakes and poor performances with his rhetoric and comments!

If Obama had come out charging in this first debate, he would be accused of being an “angry black man”, which terrifies many working class whites and uneducated people, who are accustomed to a different image of blacks, which is an unspoken sign of massive racism! So if he smiles and lets Mitt Romney hang himself as a phony, a chameleon, a liar on a massive scale, he is criticized, but Romney has added to the image that he is untrustworthy by his aggressive performance full of deceit and manipulation! Obama actually handled the situation well, and that will be seen as time goes by!

Now that Romney has proved again that he is a charlatan, Joe Biden will go on the assault against ideologue Paul Ryan, and then Obama will go after Romney in the last two Presidential debates. He will follow Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush in recovering from a theoretical first debate that was unimpressive, to go on to electoral victory!

But also, the victories for voting rights in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the stopping of voter registration by Republicans in Florida and four other states, due to obvious GOP corruption, will upend the Republican attempt to cut out millions of potential Democratic voters in “swing” states.

And the economic revival that is going on, lowering the unemployment rate below 8 percent for the first time in his term of office, will help Obama, as most sane people will dismiss the conspiracy theories of conservatives and Republicans that the honorable and independent Bureau Of Labor Statistics is corrupt!

And the fact that Obama saved the auto industry; has seen the stock market double during his term; that manufacturing is reviving in America; and that energy production is up domestically without destroying the environment—-all this is further proof that this has been a good week on the road to ultimate victory one month from now!

Republicans Condemn Downturn In Unemployment, Claim Conspiracy, Condemn Bureau Of Labor Statistics As Corrupt: Showing True Contempt For Unemployed!

Ronald 1 Comment

The Bureau of Labor Statistics contains statisticians and economists who pride themselves on their work, and have a firewall to prevent any doubts about their work.

But it is easy to condemn government ‘bureaucrats”, and Republicans have now promoted a conspiracy theory, that Barack Obama is manipulating that revered agency, setting up lower unemployment numbers just in time for the Presidential Election of 2012. This is the theory promoted by Congressman Allen West of Florida, Senator John McCain of Arizona, and other irresponsible Republicans, angry over the dramatic drop in unemployment from 8.1 percent to 7.8 percent, the first time unemployment has been under 8 percent since the Obama Presidency began, and occurring just a month before the election.

So when more people gain employment, that is bad news, as it works against the Republican attempt to prevent Barack Obama from having a second term in the White House. It also shows the contempt of the Republican Party toward those who are unemployed! Instead of celebrating the wonderful event, instead besmirch hard working, loyal federal government employees as Obama lackeys, tainting the whole Bureau of Labor Statistics!

But think about it: Why, if the Bureau of Labor Statistics is being controlled by Obama, did it take until now to bring unemployment numbers down? It could have been done a year ago, so as to make the Republican campaign more difficult, instead of giving them the economy issue that they could hold over the head of Barack Obama constantly! The whole concept of collusion is so preposterous that it reflects badly on West, McCain and others!

One could excuse the West statements, as he is a well known whacko in trouble in his Florida district, as his Democratic opponent, Patrick Murphy, is leading in many polls. But for McCain, Barack Obama’s opponent in the Presidential Election of 2008, it again indicates the dual personality of the Arizona Senator—sometimes responsible in his utterances, and other times, totally loony and nutty—a good sign that maybe McCain should resign, as his behavior is truly embarrassing, and maybe he should just retire and enjoy his family, and stop his reckless, conspiratorial accusations, with no backing, which embarrass him and remind us that his prime is past!

As has been commented by others, the true answer is that EDUCATION is the best way to bring down unemployment, and that there are seasonal variations up and down in unemployment. The idea, that employment numbers are finally starting to improve greatly, should be celebrated by any patriotic American, who should be happy that unemployment is down and employment is up!

But the Republicans only see it as politics, since they refuse to take responsibility for the fact that it was under their watch that the Great Recession occurred, just as was so with the Great Depression eighty years ago! George W. Bush was the updated Herbert Hoover, without the integrity and intelligence of Hoover!

And again, a reminder, EDUCATION is the best guarantee of employment. So Asians have an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent last month; whites have 7 percent; Latinos have 9.8 percent; and African Americans have 13.4 percent. Also, college educated have an unemployment rate under 5 percent, while high school graduates are almost double that rate, and dropouts even higher!

So instead of complaining, what Republicans, Democrats and everyone who is independent should be doing is promoting EDUCATIONAL opportunities as the way to insure the future of the American economy!

The Barack Obama Economic Record: Worth Defending!

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Republicans love to attack Barack Obama as a dissater on economic matters, claiming he is a total failure, and conveniently forgetting the horrible record of George W. Bush, and what Barack Obama inherited, the worse economic conditions for a new President entering office since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933!

But just as the FDR economic record is seen as positive by most historians and other scholars, someday the Obama record in his first term will be praised.

Of course, there are still naysayers for FDR’s economic record, and they seem to be multiplying, as part of the conservative and Republican assault on Barack Obama, but the truth is otherwise from what the propagandists state!

Is there room for improvement? Of course, but considering where we started in January 2009, the economy has come a long way.

What has been accomplished?

The creation of 4.1 million jobs.
25 straight months of economic growth.
The lowering of the unemployment rate from a high of 9.7% to 8.2%.
An increase of 63 percent in the stock market.
The revival and success of the auto industry.

This is a record Obama can be proud of, and we must remind ourselves that, as Obama has stated, the mess we were left in by the Bush Administration cannot be reversed completely in four years, and maybe not even eight years.

It will be a long haul, but the point is progress is being made, and Mitt Romney refuses to recognize that, and thinks his business experience will be the way to get us out of our economic mess more quickly.

A final thought: The last businessman President was Herbert Hoover! That is correct, Herbert Hoover! Enough said!