Unemployment: 9.5 percent

Thank you, George W. Bush and Lon Cheney and the entire Republican Party, that group over there, in that telephone booth !! You have done your darnedest to sink the good ship, America !! Fortunately, we are made of sterner stuff. With President Obama in our White House and the Democrats at the helm, it is smooth sailing, from here, to the horizon. That is, if we can keep that crew in the telephone booth, indefinitely !! They seem to be co-operating !! Every time they open their mouths, more noise, is emitted !!
The job losses are being referred to as the Bush Hang-over !! Rightly, so !! With the Wall Street scammers and the Boardroom bandits, the Republicans carved out a unique place in American history !! The only Party in our history, that so blatantly betrayed the trust of the American citizen, so they could lined their pockets. When we complained about their betrayal, they called us, a nation of whiners !! Now, they are playing with each other, in a phone booth. That is what I call political justice !! They will think twice, before they betray us again and before they call us whiners, again !! They earned their secondary status. They have no one to blame, but themselves !! With leaders like they are championing, they don't need an opposition to defeat them !! They will do that, to themselves !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

Imagine that- who'd have thought that attacking business productivity with policies that will cause massive increases in energy and health care costs, punitive class warfare taxation, and ideology based fiscal and monetary policy would cause unemployment to increase...go figure.

Turns out that you can't use rhetoric and soaring platitudes to improve the economy...

The liar in chief insisted there was no time to read the stimulus bill before signing it. If it wasn't signed immediately, unemployment could rise above 8%. 8% would look pretty good right now.

Has this idiot actually accomplished anything positive regarding the economy? Thank god the teachers still have their pensions and the police state can still enforce the Patriot Act., at least the people spying on Americans have their jobs.

Didn't Obama claim that the "stimulus" bill would REDUCE unemployment?

Just the opposite is happening.

Obama claimed that WITHOUT the "stimulus" bill, unemployment this year might get as high as 9%. The bill passed. The 9.5% numbers show that Obama's trillion-dollar bill made things worse, not better.

Digging ourselves out of the Conservative/Republican led hole that 30 years of transferring wealth upward through egregious tax policies, off-shoring jobs, continuing out-of-whack defense spending, and failing to invest adequately in infrastructure and innovation is going to take better tools than we now have available to us.

This is a sleight of hand by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. A person does not meet the “official definition of unemployed” unless he or she has “actively searched for work in the past 4 weeks.” In contrast, a person who has wanted work, has been available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the recent past is not considered unemployed - even though they are. Instead, they are referred to as “marginally attached to the labor force.” Among the “marginally attached” there is a class of people designated as “discouraged workers” - i.e. those “who are not currently working for work because they believe there are no jobs available to them.” See http://www.bls.gov/opub/ils/pdf/opbils74.pdf
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In terms of raw figures, the number of discouraged workers in June was 793,000. In addition to discouraged workers, there are another 1.4 million people in the category of the “marginally attached to the labor force” who are not counted among the ranks of the unemployed because of their failure to look for work for reasons like school attendance or family responsibilities. See http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
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Right now, the number of unemployed persons stands at 14.7 million under the DOL’s definitions. If one adds in even the 793K figure for “discouraged workers” - who really are unemployed - then we clearly have double digit unemployment. The number is even worse if one includes the entire 2.2 million people designated as “marginally attached to the labor force.”
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So there you have if, folks. If you don’t like the unemployment figures (and nobody does), then just redefine “unemployed” in an unnaturally narrow manner. Using this technique, I’m sure we can entirely eliminate unemployment in our lifetime. For the time being, however, we can comfort ourselves in knowing that we haven’t reached double digit unemployment … yet.

Just the opposite is happening. Obama claimed that WITHOUT the "stimulus" bill, unemployment this year might get as high as 9%. The bill passed. The 9.5% numbers show that Obama's trillion-dollar bill made things worse, not better.

Posted by: Change for the Worse | July 2, 2009 1:48 PM
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The BushCo Republicans (that you cheerleaded for) gave us what? Record deficits, record foreign debt, record trade deficits, butchering the middle class, letting the financial sector run wild with absolutely no oversight etc etc etc etc...

The American people are not as stupid as you Wingnut mouthbreathers are and they do not blame Barack Obama for the fiscal condition of this country after only five months in office, you moron.

Imagine that- who'd have thought that attacking business productivity with policies that will cause massive increases in energy and health care costs, punitive class warfare taxation, and ideology based fiscal and monetary policy would cause unemployment to increase...go figure.

Turns out that you can't use rhetoric and soaring platitudes to improve the economy...

Posted by: heartburn | July 2, 2009 10:34 AM

heartburn, how did the pro-business policies of the Bush Adminstation do on the unemployment front? How much lower was unemployment when Bush left office after 8 full years of his brilliant conservative pro-business economiic policies. I bet policies like that cut unemployment in half, maybe even more, right?

A result of the Republican party and their dysfunctional polices dating back to the most overrated President in U.S. history, Ronald Reagan, and continuing up through the very worst President in U.S. history, the Supreme Court appointed, George Bush. The Republicans are out to destroy the middle class and working class Americans.

Here's the chart that tracks how Obama's promises on how his "stimulus" bill would cut unemployment, compare with the reality of rising unemployment:
http://michaelscomments.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/oh-frabjous-day-unemployment-rate-increases-by-only-0-1/

As can be seen, by Obama's own numbers, his "stimulus" bill has made things worse, not better.

How's that stimulus working for ya? You libs can blame Bush all you want but it's your guy's name on the door and remember if we didn't hurry up and pass the porky stimulus bill that they had to have the unemployment could hit 8.4? The only shovel ready job that existed was the snow job they pulled to pass all their pork.

heartburn, how did the pro-business policies of the Bush Adminstation do on the unemployment front? How much lower was unemployment when Bush left office after 8 full years of his brilliant conservative pro-business economiic policies. I bet policies like that cut unemployment in half, maybe even more, right?

Posted by: Curious | July 2, 2009 2:13 PM

Curious-

Bush.. really you want to talk about Bush? Isn't Obama prez right now?

When was the last time unemployment was even close to what it is now?

What would you do if you were an employer now- given that thanks to Obamanomics you don't have any idea how much your taxes, health care or energy costs will be next year? If you have two brain cells to rub together you would NOT hire-

At what point do you think Obama should be accountable for his policies?

Leave it to right-wing nutcases to go finding scapegoats rather than solutions for the financial disaster that the Bush administration laid at President Obama's door step.

Than again, that's why we're in the situation(s) that we are in, because while any idiot can point fingers and make stupid comments, it actually takes a degree of intelligence to find solutions.

I'm disgusted that these bottom-feeding mental midgets even think they have a place in the political discourse. These knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing "conservatives" are a far greater danger to our nation than any terrorist, rogue regime or disease could ever be.

But hey, when you're not smart enough to actually understand the issues, what can you expect besides stupid, pointless comments?

These people seem intent on making the term "conservative" a synonym for "stupid," "lazy," "crass" and "uneducated."

Real conservatives are offended that these drooling dolts have stolen our ideology and instead, turned it into an excuse for stupidity and demonstrating a complete lack of any kind o f intelligence or class.

I don't call myself "conservative" anymore for fear of being mistaken for someone who shouldn't be allowed in society without a chaperon.

Heratburn, what's the problem. I just asked a simple question about the last brilliant, conservative President who left office a few short months ago, and you get all huffy. I know it's not nice to brag, but it's ok. Tell us how much Bush cut unemployment so that we can see just how bad Obama is. I bet Unemployment was at like 3% when he left office, wasn't it?

Heratburn, what's the problem. I just asked a simple question about the last brilliant, conservative President who left office a few short months ago, and you get all huffy. I know it's not nice to brag, but it's ok. Tell us how much Bush cut unemployment so that we can see just how bad Obama is. I bet Unemployment was at like 3% when he left office, wasn't it?
The last time unemployment was this high was in 1982, but that was all Jimmy Carter's fault, wasn't it?

What have we heard for the past 30 years from the free-market "Conservative" fundamentalists besides the wonders of private enterprise, where efficiency and competence are so much greater than stodgy government inefficiency?

Wasn't that the rationale for the fashion to privatize everything that wasn't nailed down that started way back in the days of the Virgin Maggie and St. Ronnie Raygun?

Now, all of a sudden, the poor downtrodden Wingnuts are blaming the entire financial mess on a Democrat (Obama) who has only been in office for five months? Does anybody besides me see a laughable inconsistency here?

Let's clear up some errors:

K,

So are you saying the GOP has been in charge since 1979? Bill Clinton might disagree, as might Jimmy. And the fact that Congress wasn't controlled by the GOP until 1995.

I guess we could go back to the economy of 1979 if you like? Wait - we are well on our way.

Teresa,

The Bush economy gave us 73 striaght months of economic growth, low unemployment, low inflation, and low interest rates.

As far as record deficits, hang on tight dear, since you ain't seen nothing yet.

As for the cause of the recession - the housing market and the mortgage meltdown. Please show me the Bush policy that started this. I can show you the Frank policy of protecting Fannie and Freddie that started this house of cards to tumble, but I can't find the Bush policy.

Curious,

See above to what President Bush's policies led to - the 5th largest economic expansion in US history.

Dougie,

The middle class is better off no than they were before Reagan.

The socialists will always blame Prince and Darth. Always. One socialist even went back 21 years to RR, Ron Raygun, I guess that would be.

There is no way that Mustapha Mond, Socialist, is going to turn around anything. Who would want to invest in an over-taxed, over-regulated, czar controlled, different rules / changing rules for every situation, 3rd world, despotic, banana kind of economic system. Who can even understand it? Amerika is
d o o m e d.

Listen to the Wingnut crybaby section on here - Waaaaah! Obama has only been in office barely 5 months and they're already trying to dump the last eight years of BushCo Republican screwups, the ones that put us in the economic crap-hole that we're in now, on him.

Unfortunately for the right-wing droolers (Terry-the-Sociopath), no one listens to them anymore.
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http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/the-incredible-shrinking-gop-only-one-in-five-self-identify-as-republican/

Obama is only spending to stimulate the economy because the Bush administration took a budget surplus they got from Bill Clinton and blew it by doubling our national debt in only eight short years. And they did it by giving tax cuts to the richest 2% and starting an unnecessary war, among other things.

Obama is investing in AMERICAN JOBS FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE and he's only doing it because after the eight years of Conservative deregulated cowboy trickledown crap economics trashed our economy, he had no choice.

I know that the deadender wingnuts on here already know this but you figure you're going to con people into coming back to that train wreck you call the Republican party by lying. You're not, because most people in this country aren't as stupid as the average Republican is.
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http://conservationreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/history-of-budget-surplus-deficit.gif

I agree with Django. This is Obamanomics, the Bush blame game has run out of gas. But look on the bright side, we now have the Obama "surge" in Afghan. Do you think Obama and the Dems. have the fortitude to continue their "just" war and start creating some decent defense jobs? Come on libs, where is the rah, rah, rah?

Come on libs, where is the rah, rah, rah?

Posted by: bubba Porter | July 3, 2009 7:01 AM

Liberals view the war in Afghanistan as a tragic necessity. We don't cheer killing and destruction like conservatives. We don't get pleasure from watching war news like you. We are civilized, not war worshipping barbarians.

Terry, 73 months of job growth? Fantastic! I bet that means that Bush cut unemployment even more than I first thought. I bet it was 2/3 lower than when he took office, right?

Why won't you guys just tell me how much lower it was? Were the records destroyed or something? I would think you'd want everyone to know how much the obviously brilliantly successful Bush policies lowered unemployment during his term.

Egregious Georgie isn't to blame, it was Lon Cheney and his sniveling snarl, directing this Dynamic Duo !! Egregious Georgie couldn't find his way back to Texas, if Daddy War-Bucks, didn't talk him back !!! Of course, they aren't to blame !! The devil made them do it, the cloven-footed one and a whole lot of Republican Hacks !!! I'll see you Hacks, in about 50 years. That should be enough time, for all of you, to cleanse your selves of the dirty work, you performed on America !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

The misguided $700B+ "stimulus" legislation has already crapped out: these figures are far worse than the ones the White House warned us about if we DIDN'T pass the bill- but it was passed, and still unemployment soars?

Instead of creating jobs, interest rates were bumped up, the dollar slid... and it didn't help anybody get any work. Much of this is due to the fact that Obama's agenda has mortified almost every machine of job-and-growth creation in the country. The Democrats had to insist and tax-n-spend, rather than a tax holiday for six months... can you imagine how things would be doing with a $700B tax cut instead?

And the One couldn't deliver the type of "temporary, targeted, and timely" bill that he promised for weeks. Irregardless of his beautified image in the press, Obama lacks the the political stature to control Pelosi and Reid... who hit the trough hard, while bickering like siblings.

But the lack of GOP co-conspirators exposed Obama politically... this legislation now looks to be a huge gamble. And when all this pork-n-welfare fails to generate any real economic gains... the Democrats could face a bloodbath in 2010.

One could make the argument that Obama knows his legacy will be in tatters by 2012, and could care less how much damage his radical programs do to the economy.... and is ramming through as much of his far-left agenda as he can before the day comes when people cringe at the mere mention of his name

Sure seems like it.

http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com

Thanx, bubba. Unlike the leftists here, I have tried to give the new guy a chance. I recognize the cyclic nature of a national economy, but every damn day it is a new crisis that can only be fixed by some Liberty / Capital Stealing Fix apparently taken DIRECTLY from "Brave New World". Aldous Huxley was AMAZINGLY prescienct some 68 years ago. Unbelievable, but yet here we are, stuck with a charismatic president selected and elected by apparently stupid people.

Unless something changes, this movie will be worst than the Jimmy Carter Disaster.

Curious,

Since you obvious don't know your way around economic websites, please visit www.nber.org

Unemployment rate was low when President Bush took office 40 days before the recession of 2001. The rate was in the low 4% range - historically low. The unemployment rate rose during the recession and after the end of the recession - as unemployment always does Although it was still in the 5% - 6% range - historically very low. During 2006, unemployment went below the 5% threshold and held there until early 2008. Unemployment did not cross the 6% threshold until Summer of 2008.

Back to my original statement - the Bush expansion of 73 months had low unemployment.

Are you talking about the expansion into Iraq, where, the numbers of our brave women and men, in uniform, that were killed, are at, about 5,000-6000; maimed and crippled, 100,000-200,000. Oh, that's right, you want to talk about imaginary numbers, that are the figments of Republican Hacks, limited imaginations !! Come on, give us one of those Lon Cheney, sniveling snarls !! That's about all you, Republican Hacks are good for, these days !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

Only a delusional sociopath would be touting the economic successes of the Bush years.

Unemployment went up underbthe brilliant job creation strategies of George W. Bush? How could that be? The Republicans have all the answers don't they? I'm also shocked to find out that a recession started 40 days into his term. Clearly from the posts here, that can only be considered to be his fault. I'm so disallusioned.What happened to unemployment in later 2008 Terry? Is that when Bush's policies really kicked in and unemployment plummetted? I bet that's it isn't it?

Curious,

Unemployemnt went up when the recession kicked in.

Please tell me one Bush policy that led to the recession.

Letterman,

You are as dumb as the late night host. If nobody is listening, then why are responding to me?

Between Curios and Letterman (John E), this is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Oh my gosh, Bush didn't stop the recession from starting? I'm so disappointed. Unemployment went up even more? But I thought all of his policies created jobs? How can that be when unemployment just went up during his term? How could a President with such great economic policies have had not one but two recessions start? I know that must be all his fault from all the talk about the President being accountable here.Terry, please tell me again how brilliant Bush was and how perfect his economic policies were.

Curious - I guess you couldn't name one policy of teh Bush administration that led to the recession. Don't feel bad - no one else in here has been able to either.