Category Archives: Jobs

US employment crisis, Lowest labor force participation rate in over 3 decades, 55 and older staying in labor force, 16 to 19 rates plunge, 18 to 34 olds double digit unemployment rates

US employment crisis, Lowest labor force participation rate in over 3 decades, 55 and older staying in labor force, 16 to 19 rates plunge, 18 to 34 olds double digit unemployment rates

“People 55 to 64 years old, the first forget-about-retirement generation, are staying in the labor force to an ever greater degree. In 1992, only 56.2% were still in the labor force, in 2012, 64.5% were. Similar for older folks. The participation rate for people 65 to 74 years old jumped from 16.3% to 26.8%. Reality is this: fewer people can afford to retire.”…Zero Hedge January 8, 2014

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

Readers of Citizen Wells are aware of the true employment picture in the US.

Here is a revealing article from Zero Hedge January 8, 2014.

“This Chart Is A True Representation Of The Employment Crisis In This Country”

“The civilian labor force in the US has been causing bouts of hand-wringing and head-scratching. It represents the official number of people working or looking for work. It’s what the officialunemployment rate (U-3) is based on. If labor force participation drops – if for whatever reason, millions of people are no longer counted as part of the labor force, as is the case in the US – it’s a troublesome indicator for the economy and the real employment picture.

It also makes the unemployment rate, now 7.3%, look a lot less awful: if you’re not counted in the labor force, and you don’t have a job, you’re not counted as unemployed. There are millions of people in that category. And their numbers are growing, not diminishing.

“The irony of the U-3 unemployment statistic is the fact that while unemployment has gone down 30% since its 2009 peak, we have the lowest labor force participation rate in over 3 decades,” observed Ralph Dillon, Vice President at Global Financial Data, in an email. “The markets and politicians celebrate the official unemployment rate, but you have to be concerned with the trend that is most indicative of the health of the employment situation in this country: the downward trend of those who want to work and can’t.””

“The chart (Global Financial Data) juxtaposes the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate since 1980. After the financial crisis, suddenly, for the first time in history, they both started moving in lockstep. Downward.

““This chart is a true representation of the crisis of employment in this country,” Dillon wrote. The diminishing labor force participation rate – the officially available labor pool, however unrealistic it might be – has been driving down the unemployment rate for the first time in history.”

People 55 to 64 years old, the first forget-about-retirement generation, are staying in the labor force to an ever greater degree. In 1992, only 56.2% were still in the labor force, in 2012, 64.5% were. Similar for older folks. The participation rate for people 65 to 74 years old jumped from 16.3% to 26.8%. Reality is this: fewer people can afford to retire.

But who is not making it into the labor force? Young folks. The participation rate for those 16 to 19 has plunged from 51.3% in 1992 to 34.3% in 2012. OK, the BLS explains that by an increase in school attendance, and that would be a good thing. But the 25 to 54 year olds? Even among them, participation rates dropped from 83.3% in 2002 to 81.4% a decade later.

Among the 18 to 34 year old “Millennials,” those lucky ones who’re official counted in the labor force, unemployment has been a nightmare, with double digit unemployment rates, still, nearly 6 years after the financial crisis, reported the youth advocacy group Young Invincibles. It’s even worse for the 16 to 24 year olds, whose official unemployment rate is still 15%!”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-01-08/%E2%80%9C-chart-true-representation-employment-crisis-country%E2%80%9D

NC Governor McCrory unemployment rate drop taken from Obama playbook, Labor force participation rate plummets in North Carolina, Economy created by Obama and Democrat governments not corrected in one year

NC Governor McCrory unemployment rate drop taken from Obama playbook, Labor force participation rate plummets in North Carolina, Economy created by Obama and  Democrat governments not corrected in one year

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Over the last six months, of the net job creation, 97 percent of that is part-time work,”…Keith Hall, former BLS chief

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

Republican Governor Pat McCrory probably has taken measures to improve the economy and jobs situation in NC.

He inherited a mess from the former convicted Mike Easley administration and pro Obama Perdue government.

However, using Obama tactics to misrepresent the unemployment rate in NC will not help his cause.

From the Greensboro News Record January 7, 2014.

“McCrory: ‘Carolina Comeback’ economic recovery”

“Gov. Pat McCrory touted what he termed as the “Great Carolina Comeback” on Monday as evidence the state’s Republican-authored economic and tax reforms are working.
McCrory was the keynote speaker at the Annual Economic Forecast Forum hosted by the North Carolina Bankers Association and North Carolina Chamber. The crowd of about 1,000 people at the luncheon were friendly to McCrory’s pro-business message, giving the governor a standing ovation as he took the stage.

“We had the highest tax rates in the Southeast,” McCrory said. “… We think this tax reform, which lowered your corporate tax rates and lowered your income tax rate, will help existing businesses grow and help in the recruitment of new businesses and we’re already seeing a very positive impact.””
“McCrory cited the 2 percentage point drop in the state’s unemployment rate since he took office last January as evidence of the success of his administration’s agenda.

That state’s 7.4 percent unemployment rate is still higher than the national average, which has also declined in the past year. The size of the state’s total labor force has also declined as economists have said many unemployed people gave up looking for jobs, while the number of people actually employed has grown very modestly by about 6,100 workers.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/north_carolina_ap/article_fe4eeb5a-9ccf-57d7-b50b-6265f99285cc.html

From Citizen Wells December 22, 2013.

“I expect orwellian employment reporting from the Obama controlled US Government. I am less inclined to expect the same from the state of NC.

The unemployment rate fell from 9.5 percent in January to 7.4 percent in November. Yet there were fewer people employed in November than January.”

Why is the following not being reported?

In January of 2013 there were 4,322,922 people employed.

In November of 2013 there were 4,314,502 people employed.

The labor force participation rate plummeted from 63.4 percent to 61.3 percent in the same period.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/nc-employment-november-2013-fact-vs-fiction-unemployment-rate-drops-from-9-5-to-7-4-percent-jan-to-nov-2013-fewer-working-in-nov-than-jan-labor-force-participation-rate-plummets/

NC employment November 2013, Fact vs fiction, Unemployment rate drops from 9.5 to 7.4 percent, Jan to Nov 2013, Fewer working in Nov than Jan, Labor force participation rate plummets

NC employment November 2013, Fact vs fiction, Unemployment rate drops from 9.5 to 7.4 percent, Jan to Nov 2013, Fewer working in Nov than Jan, Labor force participation rate plummets

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Over the last six months, of the net job creation, 97 percent of that is part-time work,”…Keith Hall, former BLS chief

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

I expect orwellian employment reporting from the Obama controlled US Government. I am less inclined to expect the same from the state of NC.

The unemployment rate fell from 9.5 percent in January to 7.4 percent in November. Yet there were fewer people employed in November than January.

More on this below.

Once again the Greensboro News record has done a fair job of pointing out that much of the decline in the unemployment rate was due to people dropping out of the Labor Force.

From the News Record December 21, 2013.

“North Carolina’s unemployment rate declined sharply in November to its lowest level in more than five years, the state Commerce Department said Friday, but seemingly inconsistent data raise questions about how many new jobs are actually being created.

The jobless rate of 7.4 percent compares to 8 percent in October and 8.9 percent back in July. The state rate is also inching closer to the national rate, which was 7 percent in November.

The department’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division said the number of people employed in North Carolina grew in the past month by just over 20,000 to more than 4.3 million.

But the labor force itself declined by 8,100, attributed in part to the long-term unemployed giving up on looking for work, said Andrew Brod, a senior researcher within the business school at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Over the past 12 months, the labor force has declined by 95,000, while the number of employed has grown by just 6,100, according to division data.

With more detailed industry survey data released showing total nonfarm employment falling by 6,500 positions, Brod said it’s uncertain how much of the drop in the jobless rate is actually due to more hiring.

The unemployment number “looks great, but it’s a continuation of a six-month trend at least in which drops in the unemployment rate are happening mostly because of people leaving the labor force,” Brod said in an interview. “This number looks good, but I take it with a grain of salt.””

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/north_carolina_ap/article_690e003d-6c30-5704-b651-33e0326c7e63.html

Why is the following not being reported?

In January of 2013 there were 4,322,922 people employed.

In November of 2013 there were 4,314,502 people employed.

The labor force participation rate plummeted from 63.4 percent to 61.3 percent in the same period.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

This is good news???

Duke University study Obamacare impacts full time hiring, Fuqua School of Business, December 11, 2013, Nearly half of companies reluctant to hire full time employees, Shift to part time workers

Duke University study Obamacare impacts full time hiring, Fuqua School of Business, December 11, 2013, Nearly half of companies reluctant to hire full time employees, Shift to part time workers

“Over the last six months, of the net job creation, 97 percent of that is part-time work,”…Keith Hall, former BLS chief

“Nearly half of U.S. companies are reluctant to hire full-time employees because of the ACA. One in five firms indicates they are likely to hire fewer employees, and another one in 10 may lay off current employees in response to the law.

Other firms will shift toward part-time workers. More than 40 percent of CFOs say their companies will consider switching some jobs to less than 30 hours per week or targeting part-time workers for future employment.”…Duke University Fuqua School of Business December 11, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

From the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, December 11, 2013.

“——————————————-
DUKE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Duke University Office of News & Communications
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu
——————————————-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013
CONTACTS: Kevin Anselmo (Duke’s Fuqua School of Business)
(919) 660-7722
kevin.anselmo@duke.edu
or
David W. Owens (CFO Magazine)
(617) 790-3000
davidowens@cfo.com

CFO SURVEY: AFFORDABLE CARE ACT COULD CURTAIL HIRING

Note to editors: For additional comment, see contact information at the end of this release.
Watch professor John Graham discuss the results (or use this link
http://youtu.be/F4oj8d5F9Jo). You may also post this video on your website. Names of CFOs who took part in the survey and agreed to speak with media are available by request.

DURHAM, N.C. — A significant percentage of U.S. chief financial officers indicate that because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), they may reduce employment growth at their firms and shift toward part-time workers.

A majority of finance chiefs also believe the full Social Security retirement age should be raised to help close the budget shortfall.

Despite these issues, underlying economic conditions are expected to improve in 2014 and, except in Europe, corporate charitable giving remains strong

These are some of the findings from the latest Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey, which concluded Dec. 5. The survey has been conducted for 71 consecutive quarters and spans the globe, making it the world’s longest running and most comprehensive research on senior finance executives. Presented results are for U.S. firms unless otherwise noted.

EMPLOYMENT EFFECTS OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Nearly half of U.S. companies are reluctant to hire full-time employees because of the ACA.
One in five firms indicates they are likely to hire fewer employees, and another one in 10 may lay off current employees in response to the law.

Other firms will shift toward part-time workers. More than 40 percent of CFOs say their companies will consider switching some jobs to less than 30 hours per week or targeting part-time workers for future employment.”

Read more:

http://www.cfosurvey.org/14q1/PressRelease.pdf

 

US and NC employment status, December 7, 2013, Pearl Harbor like surprise for investors, Obama economy forces labor dropouts part time and discouraged workers, Greensboro News Record factual report

US and NC employment status, December 7, 2013, Pearl Harbor like surprise for investors, Obama economy forces labor dropouts part time and discouraged workers, Greensboro News Record factual report

“You get a declining unemployment rate. But it appears to be an artifact of people leaving the labor force, not of more people having jobs,”… UNCG Economist Andrew Brod, December 5, 2013

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 
Today, December 7, 2013, is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

America was caught sleeping then.

Many investors and policy makers are sleeping now.

The real employment picture in the US and NC is much scarier than most people realize. Partly due to the biased or sloppy reporting of the mainstream media.

I was pleased to read the recent report from the Greensboro News Record about the employment situation in NC.

It attempts to accurately portray employment in the region and NC.

From the News Record December 5, 2013.

“Area jobless rate at 5-year low, but it’s a complicated number”

“The unemployment rate in the Greensboro-High Point metro area is the lowest it has been since the beginning of the jobs crisis at the end of 2008.

The October unemployment rate was 8.3 percent, compared with 9.9 percent in October 2012. The figures were released Thursday by the N.C. Department of Commerce and are adjusted for seasonal-hiring variations.

It’s the lowest unemployment rate for the region since November 2008, when unemployment was 7.9 percent.

Triadwide, job growth for hotels and restaurants is soaring, but jobs in the region’s bedrock industry — manufacturing — are still declining.

The unemployment rate shows that fewer people in the overall labor force in the region are unemployed. But a disturbing trend has emerged that may cast a shadow over that bright statistic.

The metro region’s total labor force is smaller than it was a year ago.

In October 2012, 375,137 people said they were working in the Greensboro-High Point metro area. The most recent figures show that figure has dropped by 6,650 to 368,487.

Economist Andrew Brod said that suggests the employment picture is deteriorating here because unemployed people have simply stopped looking for jobs and are no longer counted as part of the labor force.

“You get a declining unemployment rate. But it appears to be an artifact of people leaving the labor force, not of more people having jobs,” said Brod, a senior research fellow at UNCG’s Bryan school of business.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/business/article_1f3828e2-5dbf-11e3-9223-001a4bcf6878.html

The labor force participation rate in NC has plummeted 2 percent since January of 2013.

And speaking of labor force participation rate.

It rose slightly in November in the US. Probably an adjustment for the .3 percent drop in the prior month.

The reported US unemployment rate is 7 percent.

Sounds great.

However.

Here are a few reality check numbers.

Since Obama took office in January 2009.

Labor force participation rate.

Jan 2009  65.7 %

Nov 2013 63.0 %

Unemployment rate Blacks.

Jan 2009 12.7 %

Nov 2013 12.5 %

Could only find part time work.

Jan 2009 1,676,000

Nov 2013 2,486,000

Do not be swayed by the mavens of misinformation.

The drop in the labor force participation rate was not caused by baby boomers retiring.

What it’s like to be poor and make terrible decisions, Poverty thoughts, Obama economy, Smoking a stimulant for exhausted, Lot of poor financial decisions, Poor exploited units of human capital

What it’s like to be poor and make terrible decisions, Poverty thoughts, Obama economy, Smoking a stimulant for exhausted, Lot of poor financial decisions, Poor exploited units of human capital

“In the Triad, a number of studies have ranked the area among the nation’s worst in terms of poverty and food hardship.”

““You have the people that were barely making it with 40 hours. Now, they’re below 30 hours and have the same household bills,” Sturdivant said. “And at the end of the day, if they go out and get another part-time job, they still won’t have insurance.””...Greensboro News Record September 2, 2013

“This commentary does not oppose CHD funding of genuine, grassroots community organizations, run and supported by individual members of a parish or diocese. There is potential value and virtue in the collective voice. However, when the CHD funds Alinsky-style, church-based community organizations as in the best interest of the poor and supports organizations which advance other agendas, it divests the poor of their right to an authentic voice. This process tends to treat the poor as exploited units of human capital, rather than as human beings created in the dignity of God’s image.”…report to the Catholic Bishops 1997

“And the Records Department, after all, was itself only a single branch of the Ministry of Truth, whose primary job was not to reconstruct the past but to supply the citizens of Oceania with newspapers, films, textbooks, telescreen programmes”

“Winston sprang to attention in front of the telescreen, upon which the image of a youngish woman, scrawny but muscular, dressed in tunic and gym-shoes, had already appeared.

‘Arms bending and stretching!’ she rapped out. ‘Take your time by me. One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four! Come on, comrades, put a bit of life into it! One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four! …'”…George Orwell, “1984”

 

 

I have much empathy for the poor and those struggling in this country. Especially in the Obama economy.

I was recently reminded of the drop in savings in this country over decades. We are programmed to spend.

The TV screen of “1984” is a reality. We are taught how to think, what to do and what to spend our money on.

We leave our schools ill prepared for survival in any economy.

Many of the poor are so because of bad choices. We all make them. And yet immigrants have come to this country for hundreds of years and fared well.

Despite the facts, it can happen to any of us. The Great Depression humbled many.

At the end of the day, I still believe we should help those in need. A real safety net, not way of life. Teach how to fish and sometimes provide a fish.

From Zero Hedge November 23, 2013.
“What It’s Like To Be Poor – And Make Terrible Decisions”

 

“What It’s Like To Be Poor – And Make Terrible Decisions”
“There are many reasons why the poor are ‘poor’ or why the middle-class is deteriorating into a state of being ‘poor’ but as this first-person account of the self-defeating feedback loops of poverty’s trap harrowingly suggests, escaping that social strata (as we noted previously) is becoming ever more difficult. Of course, a George Carlin noted previously, “the only true American value is… buying things,” which leaves the ‘poor’ increasingly losing hope. “Rest is a luxury for the rich,” the author notes, “planning is not in the mix,” as she explains why poverty has forced her to “make terrible decisions.”

Authored by @KillerMartinis (Killer Martinis blog) via The Burning Platform blog,

Why I Make Terrible Decisions, or, poverty thoughts

There’s no way to structure this coherently. They are random observations that might help explain the mental processes. But often, I think that we look at the academic problems of poverty and have no idea of the why. We know the what and the how, and we can see systemic problems, but it’s rare to have a poor person actually explain it on their own behalf. So this is me doing that, sort of.

Rest is a luxury for the rich. I get up at 6AM, go to school (I have a full courseload, but I only have to go to two in-person classes) then work, then I get the kids, then I pick up my husband, then I have half an hour to change and go to Job 2. I get home from that at around 1230AM, then I have the rest of my classes and work to tend to. I’m in bed by 3. This isn’t every day, I have two days off a week from each of my obligations. I use that time to clean the house and soothe Mr. Martini and see the kids for longer than an hour and catch up on schoolwork. Those nights I’m in bed by midnight, but if I go to bed too early I won’t be able to stay up the other nights because I’ll fuck my pattern up, and I drive an hour home from Job 2 so I can’t afford to be sleepy. I never get a day off from work unless I am fairly sick. It doesn’t leave you much room to think about what you are doing, only to attend to the next thing and the next. Planning isn’t in the mix.

When I was pregnant the first time, I was living in a weekly motel for some time. I had a minifridge with no freezer and a microwave. I was on WIC. I ate peanut butter from the jar and frozen burritos because they were 12/$2. Had I had a stove, I couldn’t have made beef burritos that cheaply. And I needed the meat, I was pregnant. I might not have had any prenatal care, but I am intelligent enough to eat protein and iron whilst knocked up.

I know how to cook. I had to take Home Ec to graduate high school. Most people on my level didn’t. Broccoli is intimidating. You have to have a working stove, and pots, and spices, and you’ll have to do the dishes no matter how tired you are or they’ll attract bugs. It is a huge new skill for a lot of people. That’s not great, but it’s true. And if you fuck it up, you could make your family sick. We have learned not to try too hard to be middle-class. It never works out well and always makes you feel worse for having tried and failed yet again. Better not to try. It makes more sense to get food that you know will be palatable and cheap and that keeps well. Junk food is a pleasure that we are allowed to have; why would we give that up? We have very few of them.”
“Nobody gives enough thought to depression. You have to understand that we know that we will never not feel tired. We will never feel hopeful. We will never get a vacation. Ever. We know that the very act of being poor guarantees that we will never not be poor. It doesn’t give us much reason to improve ourselves. We don’t apply for jobs because we know we can’t afford to look nice enough to hold them. I would make a super legal secretary, but I’ve been turned down more than once because I “don’t fit the image of the firm,” which is a nice way of saying “gtfo, pov.” I am good enough to cook the food, hidden away in the kitchen, but my boss won’t make me a server because I don’t “fit the corporate image.” I am not beautiful. I have missing teeth and skin that looks like it will when you live on b12 and coffee and nicotine and no sleep. Beauty is a thing you get when you can afford it, and that’s how you get the job that you need in order to be beautiful. There isn’t much point trying.”
“I smoke. It’s expensive. It’s also the best option. You see, I am always, always exhausted. It’s a stimulant. When I am too tired to walk one more step, I can smoke and go for another hour. When I am enraged and beaten down and incapable of accomplishing one more thing, I can smoke and I feel a little better, just for a minute. It is the only relaxation I am allowed. It is not a good decision, but it is the only one that I have access to. It is the only thing I have found that keeps me from collapsing or exploding.

I make a lot of poor financial decisions. None of them matter, in the long term. I will never not be poor, so what does it matter if I don’t pay a thing and a half this week instead of just one thing? It’s not like the sacrifice will result in improved circumstances; the thing holding me back isn’t that I blow five bucks at Wendy’s. It’s that now that I have proven that I am a Poor Person that is all that I am or ever will be. It is not worth it to me to live a bleak life devoid of small pleasures so that one day I can make a single large purchase. I will never have large pleasures to hold on to. There’s a certain pull to live what bits of life you can while there’s money in your pocket, because no matter how responsible you are you will be broke in three days anyway. When you never have enough money it ceases to have meaning. I imagine having a lot of it is the same thing.”

I urge you to read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-23/what-its-be-poor-and-make-terrible-decisions

 

 

NC unemployment rate drops due to labor force exodus, Greensboro News Record accurate report, November 22, 2013, 8 percent unemployment rate, Labor force participation rate plummets 2 percent this year

NC unemployment rate drops due to labor force exodus, Greensboro News Record accurate report, November 22, 2013, 8 percent unemployment rate, Labor force participation rate plummets 2 percent this year

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“In the Triad, a number of studies have ranked the area among the nation’s worst in terms of poverty and food hardship.”

““You have the people that were barely making it with 40 hours. Now, they’re below 30 hours and have the same household bills,” Sturdivant said. “And at the end of the day, if they go out and get another part-time job, they still won’t have insurance.””...Greensboro News Record September 2, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

I heard a radio report yesterday misportray the drop in the NC unemployment rate to 8 percent as good news.

I was pleased to read that the Greensboro News Record provided an accurate report of the dismal jobs situation in NC.

From the News Record November 22, 2013.

“Unemployment rate drops, but fewer N.C. residents are working than a year ago”

“North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell to an even 8 percent in October, which makes for a positive headline.

But there’s a gloomier underside.
Total employment, according to “smoothed seasonally adjusted” numbers, was down from a year earlier, when the unemployment rate was 9.4 percent.

How could that be? Our labor force keeps shrinking. It’s smaller by 77,429, the N.C. Department of Commerce reports.”

“Addendum: “The state’s labor force participation rate — a key measure of labor utilization — fell steadily over that time to the lowest monthly figure recorded at any point since 1976,” John Quinterno says.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/blogs/clark_off_the_record/article_4ba8cf74-539e-11e3-aeb0-001a4bcf6878.html

The labor force participation rate has fallen 2 percent this year!

The unemployment rate has dropped 1.5 percent.

You do the math.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

CBS poll 7 percent satisfied with Obamacare, Nov 20, 2013, Obama disapproval rating 57 percent, 61 percent disapprove of Obamacare, More evidence from California of Obamacare impact

CBS poll 7 percent satisfied with Obamacare, Nov 20, 2013, Obama disapproval rating 57 percent, 61 percent disapprove of Obamacare, More evidence from California of Obamacare impact

“If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan.”…Barack Obama

“millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.”…NBC News October 29, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

CBS reported on a Obama Obamacare poll on November 20, 2013.

Clicking on the search results:

  1. Poll: Obamacare support, Obama approval sink to new lows – CBS 

    www.cbsnews.com/…/pollobamacare-support-oba…

    1 day ago

    Support for Obamacare has dropped 12 points in a month; Obama’s approval is on  At the same time, only 21 percent approve of the job congressional  This poll was conducted by telephone November 15-18, 2013 among  …”

Yielded:

“The page cannot be found

The page you requested cannot be found on the CBS News website.
The page may have been removed, had its name changed, or is just temporarily unavailable.”

Therefore, I present the entire “rectified” article from The Wayback Machine.

“Poll: Obamacare support, Obama approval sink to new lows”

 

“President’s approval rating plummets: How Obama will try to rebuild credibility
President Obama’s job approval rating has plunged to the lowest of his presidency, according to a new CBS News poll released Wednesday, and Americans’ approval of the Affordable Care Act has dropped it’s lowest since CBS News started polling on the law.

Thirty-seven percent now approve of the job Mr. Obama is doing as president, down from 46 percent in October — a nine point drop in just a month. Mr. Obama’s disapproval rating is 57 percent — the highest level for this president in CBS News Polls.

A rocky beginning to the opening of the new health insurance exchanges has also taken its toll on how Americans perceive the Affordable Care Act. Now, approval of the law has dropped to 31 percent – the lowest number yet recorded in CBS News Polls, and a drop of 12 points since last month. Sixty-one percent disapprove (a high for this poll), including 46 percent who say they disapprove strongly.

Republicans are nearly unanimous in their disapproval of the law, and now more than two-thirds of independents agree. Almost six in ten Democrats continue to support the law, but their support has dropped 16 points from last month – from 74 percent in October to 58 percent today. Support has dropped 11 points among independents and five points among Republicans.

More than a month after the health care exchanges opened, just one in 10 Americans think the sign-up for the exchanges has been going well. Instead, more than two-thirds think it’s not going well – including seven in 10 of those who have looked up information on the exchanges themselves.

And just a third of Americans are confident that the federal government’s healthcare website – HealthCare.gov – will be fixed by the December 1st deadline set by the Obama administration.

Thirty-four percent are at least somewhat confident, while almost two thirds are either not very or not at all confident. Fifty-five percent of Democrats are at least somewhat confident.

Just seven percent of Americans think the Affordable Care Act is working well and should be kept in place as it is. Far more, 48 percent, think there are some good things in the law, but changes are needed to make it work better, and another 43 percent think the law needs to be repealed entirely.

The president’s overall job approval rating has declined among many demographic groups since last month, including independents (a 12-point drop), men (down 9 points), and women (a 10-point drop). More women now disapprove than approve of the job Mr. Obama is doing as president.

When compared to recent two-term presidents, President Obama’s approval rating is similar to that of George W. Bush at this point in his presidency, but lower than the ratings of both Bill Clinton (58 percent) and Ronald Reagan (65 percent). In November 2005, 35 percent of Americans approved of the job President Bush was doing. That number mostly declined over the rest of his term, hitting a low of 20 percent in October 2008.

President Obama has also taken a hit on views of his honesty. During the presidential campaign last fall, 60 percent of voters said Mr. Obama was honest and trustworthy, but just 49 percent of Americans think that today.

Most Democrats (84 percent) say the president is honest and trustworthy, but most Republicans don’t think he is (77 percent). Independents are more divided in their assessments: 43 percent think President Obama is honest and trustworthy, but 53 percent don’t think he is.

The Parties in Congress

Both major parties in Congress are viewed negatively. Just 26 percent of Americans approve of how the Democrats in Congress are doing their job, down five points from last month and the party’s lowest approval measure since January 2012. At the same time, only 21 percent approve of the job congressional Republicans are doing, and 73 percent now disapprove — a slight drop from last month.

______________________________________________

This poll was conducted by telephone November 15-18, 2013 among 1,010 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by Social Science Research Solutions of Media, Pa. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.”

http://web.archive.org/web/20131120184257/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57613067/poll-obamacare-support-obama-approval-sink-to-new-lows/

From Zero Hedge November 20, 2013.
“The “Obamacare Shock” – One California Employer’s Terrifying True Story”

“My company, based in California, employs 600. We used to insure about 250 of our employees. The rest opted out. The company paid 50% of their premiums for about $750,000/yr.

Under obamacare, none can opt out without penalty, and the rates are double or triple, depending upon the plan. Our 750k for 250 employees is going to $2 million per year for 600 employees.

By mandate, we have to pay 91.5% of the premium or more up from the 50% we used to pay.

Our employees share of the premium goes from $7/week for the cheapest plan to $30/week. 95% of my employees were on that plan. Remember, we used to pay 50% now we pay 91.5% and the premiums still go up that much!!

The cheapest plan now has a deductible of $6350! Before it was $150. Employees making $9 to $10/hr, have to pay $30/wk and have a $6350 deductible!!! What!!!!

They can’t afford that to be sure. Obamacare will kill their propensity to seek medical care. More money for less care? How does that help them?”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-20/obamacare-shock-one-california-employers-terrifying-true-story

 

 

 

 

 

BLS October 2012 jobs numbers faked by Obama controlled Census Bureau, .3 percent plunge, Reliable Sources claim, Employee told to make up information from higher up

BLS October 2012 jobs numbers faked by Obama controlled Census Bureau, .3 percent plunge, Reliable Sources claim, Employee told to make up information from higher up

“President Obama said in his inaugural address that he planned to “restore science to its rightful place” in government. That’s a worthy goal. But statisticians at the Commerce Department didn’t think it would mean having the director of next year’s Census report directly to the White House rather than to the Commerce secretary, as is customary. “There’s only one reason to have that high level of White House involvement,” a career professional at the Census Bureau tells me. “And it’s called politics, not science.””
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics also uses the Census to prepare the economic data that so much of business relies upon. “If the original numbers aren’t as hard as possible, the uses they’re put to get fuzzier and fuzzier,” says Bruce Chapman, who was director of the Census in the 1980s.”…WSJ February 10, 2009

“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

From the NY Post November 18, 2013.

“Census ‘faked’ 2012 election jobs report”

“In the home stretch of the 2012 presidential campaign, from August to September, the unemployment rate fell sharply — raising eyebrows from Wall Street to Washington.

The decline — from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September — might not have been all it seemed. The numbers, according to a reliable source, were manipulated.

And the Census Bureau, which does the unemployment survey, knew it.

Just two years before the presidential election, the Census Bureau had caught an employee fabricating data that went into the unemployment report, which is one of the most closely watched measures of the economy.

And a knowledgeable source says the deception went beyond that one employee — that it escalated at the time President Obama was seeking reelection in 2012 and continues today.

“He’s not the only one,” said the source, who asked to remain anonymous for now but is willing to talk with the Labor Department and Congress if asked.

The Census employee caught faking the results is Julius Buckmon, according to confidential Census documents obtained by The Post. Buckmon told me in an interview this past weekend that he was told to make up information by higher-ups at Census.”

“I’ve been suspicious of the Census Bureau for a long time.

During the 2010 Census report — an enormous and costly survey of the entire country that goes on for a full year — I suspected (and wrote in a number of columns) that Census was inexplicably hiring and firing temporary workers.

I suspected that this turnover of employees was being done purposely to boost the number of new jobs being report each month. (The Labor Department does not use the Census Bureau for its other monthly survey of new jobs — commonly referred to as the Establishment Survey.)

Last week I offered to give all the information I have, including names, dates and charges to Labor’s inspector general.
I’m waiting to hear back from Labor.

I hope the next stop will be Congress, since manipulation of data like this not only gives voters the wrong impression of the economy but also leads lawmakers, the Federal Reserve and companies to make uninformed decisions.

To cite just one instance, the Fed is targeting the curtailment of its so-called quantitative easing money-printing/bond-buying fiasco to the unemployment rate for which Census provided the false information.

So falsifying this would, in essence, have dire consequences for the country.”

Read more:

http://nypost.com/2013/11/18/census-faked-2012-election-jobs-report/

From Citizen Wells  November 3, 2012.

US employers added 171,000 jobs in October. Whoopie!

Did they mention the planned almost almost 48,000 job cuts. Or the other job losses or the average work week?

The stated unemployment rate of 7.9 percent is nothing to write home about either. Especially since the U6 rate, which includes those still seeking employment, is 14.6 percent.

From One News Now November 2, 2012.

“Unemployment rate number labeled ‘deceptive’”
“The October unemployment rate inched up to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in September. But Dan Celia of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries continues to insist this final pre-election look at the job figures is fictitious.

At the same time, U.S. employers added 171,000 jobs in October and hiring was stronger over the previous two months than first thought.

The Labor Department’s last look at hiring before Tuesday’s election sketched a picture of a job market that is gradually gaining momentum after nearly stalling in the spring. However, it is the highest unemployment rate of any incumbent president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney says the one-tenth-of-a-point increase in the unemployment rate to 7.9 percent is, quote, “a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill.””

“Dan Celia of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries continues to insist this final pre-election look at the job figures is fictitious.

“I will remain in the camp — until I can have proven to me mathematically otherwise — that a 7.9-percent unemployment rate is a ridiculously fabricated, deceptive number about the unemployment rate,” he says. “We still have nowhere near those in the labor participation rate that we had in January of 2009, nothing close to it. It did go up, as would stand to reason; it went up two-tenths of one percent. That only means that it must have gone up a lot more than that …. I’m really being cynical here, but [they] couldn’t control it or spin it, so they had to add at least two-tenths of one percent, [which is] one of the reasons why unemployment went up to 7.9 percent.”

CeliaLong-term unemployment, according to Celia, still remains high.

“The U6 unemployment rate, that is the number of unemployment [plus] those still looking for jobs, is 14.6 percent,” he explains. “It did go down one-tenth of one percent. [But] there are still 23 million people struggling to find a job. There’s an 8-million job gap … between what the president said we would have at this time, compared to what we really have …. [That’s a] gap that I’m sure you’re not going to hear anyone talk about.”

He also predicts another aspect of the unemployment picture that likely will not be talked about very much.

“One of the big numbers here this week, today, was that hours worked per week did not change [dramatically]. It went down a tick [to] 34.4 hours per week,” he notes. “That is not a good forward-looking number, and that is some cause for concern.”

And what about the number of new jobs reported Friday?

“We are still staying on track of consistently adding close to 150,000 private sector jobs per month, which by the way this year is consistent with a do-nothing, just under two-percent GDP growth. That’s consistent. That’s about where it ought to be,” he offers.

“[But] just so you know, we need about 350,000 [new private sector jobs] average per month to really have any kind of a growing economy — which, by the way, is impossible to have in a two-percent GDP growth.””

http://onenewsnow.com//ap/politics/unemployment-rate-inches-up-again

From Market Watch November 1, 2012.

“Planned layoffs jump up in October: Challenger”

“Led by the automotive sector, planned job cuts jumped up 41% in October to almost 48,000, the highest level since May, outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday. “The final three months of the year tend to see heavier downsizing activity as companies make year-end adjustments to meet earnings goals and to prepare for the new year,” said John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “Certainly, the deluge of weak third-quarter earnings reports that resulted from declining sales here and abroad does not bode well for workers as 2013 approaches.” Job cuts in October were up 12% from last year.”

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/planned-layoffs-jump-up-in-october-challenger-2012-11-01

From GOPUSA October 31, 2012.

“Malkin: The Obama Layoff Bomb”

“In June, a diffident and self-deluded President Obama claimed that “the private sector is doing fine.” Last week, the private sector responded: Speak for yourself, buster. Who needs an “October Surprise” when the business headlines are broadcasting the imminent layoff bomb in neon lights?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last Tuesday that employers issued 1,316 “mass layoff actions” (affecting 50 workers or more) in September; more than 122,000 workers were affected overall. USA Today financial reporter Matt Krantz wrote that “(m)uch of the recent layoff activity is connected to what’s been the slowest period of earnings growth since the third quarter of 2009.” Some necessary restructuring is underway in response to the stagnant European economy. But more and more U.S. businesses are putting the blame — bravely and squarely — right where it belongs: on the obstructionist policies and regulatory schemes of the blame-shifter-in-chief.

Last week, Ohio-based auto parts manufacturer Dana Holding Corp. warned employees of potential layoffs amid “looming concern” about the economy. President and CEO Roger Wood specifically mentioned the walloping burden of “increasing taxes on small businesses” and the need to “offset increased costs that are placed on us through new laws and regulations.”

Case in point: Obamacare. The mandate will cost Dana Holding Corp., which employs some 24,500 workers, “approximately $24 million over the next six years in additional U.S. health care expenses.” As Ohio Watchdog blogger Maggie Thurber reported, the firm’s Toledo area corporate offices laid off seven white-collar employees last Friday; company insiders told her more were on the way. They are not alone.

On Tuesday, Consol Energy issued a federally mandated layoff disclosure announcing its “intent to idle its Miller Creek surface operations near Naugatuck, W.Va.” The move will affect the company’s Wiley Surface Mine, Wiley Creek Surface Mine, Minway Surface Mine, Minway Preparation Plant and Miller Creek Administration Group, all in Mingo County, W.Va. Despite state approval, cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and myriad other agencies, and a stellar safety record, Obama’s EPA dragged its feet on the permit approval process. The impasse has forced layoffs of 145 Consol Energy employees that will hit at the end of the year. They are not alone.

In August, Robert E. Murray, founder and CEO of Murray Energy Corporation in Ohio, blasted the White House anti-coal agenda for the layoffs and closure of his company’s mine. He told Obama water-carrying CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien that “the many regulations that (Obama) and his radical appointees and the U.S. EPA have put on the use of coal, there are dozens of them and collectively by his own energy administration, have closed 175 power plants.” As O’Brien barked at her guest about purported environmental objections, Murray explained that “we cannot get permits for these mines. They are delaying the issuance of permits. If you can’t get the permit, you can’t have the mine. … I created those jobs, and I put the investment in that mine. And when it came time to lay the people off, I went up personally and talked to every one of them myself to lay them off. It’s a human issue.”

And it’s an innovation issue, too. As I reported in February, Obamacare’s impending 2.3 percent medical device excise tax has already wrought havoc on the industry:

Stryker, a maker of artificial hips and knees based in Kalamazoo, Mich., is slashing 5 percent of its global workforce (an estimated 1,000 workers) this coming year to reduce costs related to Obamacare’s taxes and mandates.

Covidien, a N.Y.-based surgical supplies manufacturer, recently announced layoffs of 200 American workers and plans to move some of its plant work to Mexico and Costa Rica, in part because of the coming tax hit.

Mass.-based Zoll Medical Corp., which makes defibrillators and employs some 1,800 workers in the U.S. and around the world, says the medical device tax will cost the company between $5 million and $10 million a year.

This July, Indiana’s Cook Medical Inc. shelved plans to open five new plants because of the imminent medical device tax hit. They are not alone.

The heads of Koch Industries, Westgate Resorts and ASG Software Solutions have all separately informed their employees of prosperity-undermining Obama economic politics. Left-wing groups have lambasted the executives for exercising their political free speech.

But they have remained silent while the White House corruptocrats bribed federal defense contractors into delaying federally mandated layoff disclosures before the election. In a memo now being investigated on Capitol Hill, Obama promised to cover the legal fees of Lockheed Martin and other defense contractors if they ignored legal requirements to inform workers in advance about so-called sequestration cuts to the military’s budget scheduled to kick in next year.

Truth suppression is a time-honored Obama tactic, of course. Remember: The administration and its Democratic allies on Capitol Hill attempted to punish Deere, Caterpillar, Verizon and ATT in 2010 for disclosing how the costs of Obamacare taxes were hitting their bottom lines — even though they were simply following SEC disclosure requirements. The White House also tried to silence insurers who dared to inform their customers about how Obamacare was driving up premiums. Not this time.

The administration’s bully boys don’t have enough whitewash and duct tape to cover up the past, present and future devastation of the president and his economic demolition team.”

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2012/10/31/malkin-the-obama-layoff-bomb/?subscriber=1

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/obama-jobs-data-november-3-2012-7-9-percent-unemployment-record-high-14-6-percent-actual-jobs-gained-jobs-lost-net-far-below-needed-obama-layoff-bomb/

Obama so called economic recovery hurts people just as Obamacare does, Behind economic and jobs reports are real people, Part time low paying jobs, Food stamps, Good jobs lacking

Obama so called economic recovery hurts people just as Obamacare does, Behind economic and jobs reports are real people, Part time low paying jobs, Food stamps, Good jobs lacking

“millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.”…NBC News October 29, 2013

 “The “real” unemployment rate rose from 13.6% in September to 13.8% in October, according to figures released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics”…CNS News November 8, 2013

“The Times of the nineteenth of December had published the official forecasts of the output of various classes of consumption goods in the fourth quarter of 1983, which was also the sixth quarter of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. Today’s issue contained a statement of the actual output, from which it appeared that the forecasts were in every instance grossly wrong. Winston’s job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with the later ones. As for the third message, it referred to a very simple error which could be set right in a couple of minutes. As short a time ago as February, the Ministry of Plenty had issued a promise (a ‘categorical pledge’ were the official words) that there would be no reduction of the chocolate ration during 1984. Actually, as Winston was aware, the chocolate ration was to be reduced from thirty grammes to twenty at the end of the present week. All that was needed was to substitute for the original promise a warning that it would probably be necessary to reduce the ration at some time in April.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

I often tell my friends and associates that much of what we discuss is not about politics or ideologies.

It is about people.

I have tried to keep the real news about the economy and jobs in front of people.

The real economic news is scary, but like the impact of Obamacare, it is the human side that is the scariest.

Here are two articles from Zero Hedge that tell part of the story.

“Guest Post: Meet One Of The Victims Of The “Economic Recovery””

“Have you ever cried yourself to sleep because you had no idea how you were going to pay the bills even though you were working as hard as you possibly could?  You are about to hear from a single mother that has been there.”

“What you are about to read is an open letter to Barack Obama that has gone absolutely viral on the Internet in recent days.  It is a letter that a single mother named Yolanda Vestal posted on her Facebook page, and it has really struck a nerve because countless other young parents can clearly identify with what she is going through.  The following is the text of her letter…

Dear President Obama,

 

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all you have done and are doing. You see I am a single Mom located in the very small town of Palmer, Texas. I live in a small rental house with my two children. I drive an older car that I pray daily runs just a little longer. I work at a mediocre job bringing home a much lower paycheck than you or your wife could even imagine living on. I have a lot of concerns about the new “Obamacare” along with the taxes being forced on us Americans and debts you are adding to our country. I have a few questions for you Mr. President.

 

Have you ever struggled to pay your bills? I have.

 

Have you ever sat and watched your children eat and you eat what was left on their plates when they were done, because there wasn’t enough for you to eat to? I have.

 

Have you ever had to rob Peter to pay Paul, and it still not be enough? I have.

 

Have you ever been so sick that you needed to see a doctor and get medicine, but had no health insurance because it was too expensive? I have.

 

Have you ever had to tell your children no, when they asked for something they needed? I have.

 

Have you ever patched holes in pants, glued shoes, replaced zippers, because it was cheaper than buying new? I have.

 

Have you ever had to put an item or two back at the grocery store, because you didn’t have enough money? I have.

 

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep, because you had no clue how you were going to make ends meet? I have.

 

My questions could go on and on. I don’t believe you have a clue what Americans are actually going through and honestly, I don’t believe you care. Not everyone lives extravagantly. While your family takes expensive trips that cost more than most of us make in two-four years, there are so many of us that suffer. Yet, you are doing all you can to add to the suffering. I think you are a very selfish and cold hearted man, who does not care what is best for the people he was elected by (not by me) to represent, but more so out for the glory of your name attached to history. So thank you Mr. President, thank you for pushing those of us that are barely staying afloat completely under water and driving America into the ground. You have made your mark in history, as the absolute worst and most hated president of the United States. God have mercy on your soul!

 

Sincerely,

 

Yolanda Vestal

Average American

These are the kinds of emotions that millions of American parents are wrestling with on a daily basis.  Many of them are working as hard as they possibly can and yet still find themselves unable to adequately provide for their families.”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-12/guest-post-meet-one-victims-economic-recovery

 

“”It’s Not Just Harder To Get A Job – It’s Harder To Get A Good Job””

“For many in the US, as WSJ reports based on the bifurcated ‘recovery’ in the US, the recession never ended, “we’re still in it… it feels like like we’re still in it and it’s getting worse.” Simply out, America’s jobs recovery is proceeding on two separate tracks – a pattern that is persisting far longer than after past economic rebounds and lately has been growing worse. For those with decent jobs, wages are rising, albeit slowly, and job security is the strongest it has been since before the recession. But many others – the young, the less educated and particularly the unemployed – are experiencing hardly any recovery at all.”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-12/its-not-just-harder-get-job-its-harder-get-good-job