Category Archives: Jobs

Bernanke unemployment high, Labor Day weekend August 31, 2012, Fed can do more, Economic recovery far from satisfactory, Jobless claims 374,000

Bernanke unemployment high, Labor Day weekend August 31, 2012, Fed can do more, Economic recovery far from satisfactory, Jobless claims 374,000

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama
“after 29 months of allegedly stellar job growth under Obama, the jobless rate is still 8.3%. By this point in the Reagan and Bush jobs recoveries, the unemployment rate was 7.2% and 4.9%, respectively. If we were one of those fact-checking organizations, we’d give Stephanie Cutter the “Lying Liar from Liersburg” award.”…News Busters August 26, 2012

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

From Boston.com August 31, 2012.
“Bernanke: With unemployment high, Fed can do more”

“Chairman Ben Bernanke made clear Friday that the Federal Reserve will do more to boost the economy because of high U.S. unemployment and an economic recovery that remains ‘‘far from satisfactory.’’

He also argued that the Fed’s moves so far to keep interest rates at record lows and encourage borrowing and spending have helped bolster the economy.

Bernanke stopped short of committing the Fed to any specific move, such as another round of bond purchases to lower long-term rates. But in a speech at an annual Fed conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Bernanke said that even with rates at super-lows, the Fed can do more.

After Bernanke’s comments were released at 10 a.m. Eastern time, stocks initially gave up most of their earlier gains. But as investors digested the speech, stocks bounced back. By late morning, the Dow Jones industrial average was up more than 100 points. Broader stock indexes also surged.

Bernanke noted that further action carries risks but says the Fed can manage them. The Fed ‘‘should not rule out’’ new policies to improve the job market, he said.

The most dramatic step the Fed could take would be another round of bond buying. This is known as quantitative easing, or QE. In two rounds of QE, the Fed bought more than $2 trillion of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities. Many investors have been hoping for a third round — QE3— to be unveiled as soon as the Fed’s next policy meeting in September.

In light of Bernanke’s comments Friday, some analysts said that might be a stronger possibility now.”

“In his speech, Bernanke cited studies showing that the Fed’s first two rounds of bond purchases created at least 2 million jobs.”

“Bernanke’s comments Friday made clear that the economy has a long way back to full health.

‘‘Unless the economy begins to grow more quickly than it has recently, the unemployment rate is likely to remain far above levels consistent with maximum employment for some time,’’ he said.”

Read more:

http://www.boston.com/business/markets/2012/08/31/bernanke-with-unemployment-high-fed-can-more/n9QmdIvIK9wPGKFNGsfSYK/story.html

From the US Labor Department August 30, 2012.

“In the week ending August 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 374,000, unchanged from the previous week’s revised figure of 374,000. The 4-week moving average was 370,250, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 368,750.”

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm

Obama lies from Stepanie Cutter, Obama campaign spokesperson lies about Obama job growth compared to Bush and Reagan, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Obama lies from Stepanie Cutter, Obama campaign spokesperson lies about Obama job growth compared to Bush and Reagan, Bureau of Labor Statistics

“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.”…George Orwell, “1984″

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

“Propaganda must not serve the truth, especially not insofar
as it might bring out something favorable for the opponent.”
… Adolf Hitler

From News Busters August 26, 2012.

“‘Fact Checkers’ AWOL After Obama Spokesperson Lies About Jobs Created Under Reagan and Obama”

“Obama campaign spokesperson Stepanie Cutter, appearing on MSNBC earlier this week, claimed that “over the past, you know, 27 months we’ve created 4.5 million private-sector jobs. That’s more jobs than in the Bush recovery (or) in the Reagan recovery.”

A Thursday Investor’s Business Daily editorial plaintively asked: “Where are those allegedly unbiased fact-checkers when you need them?” As will be seen shortly, the answer is “AWOL.”

First, to debunk Cutter’s lie (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics):”


“Thanks to the graph, yours truly doesn’t need to bore readers with lots of numbers. Outside of very small blips, there is virtually no point on the above graph where the trajectory of job growth under Obama is as high as that seen under Reagan, even though the Reagan-era workforce was about one-third smaller. If done on percentage of workforce, the slope of the Reagan-era ascent would be even steeper.

For those who crave some numbers — In its first 37 post-recession months, the economy under Reagan added more than 9.8 million nonfarm payroll (NFP) jobs, over 7 million more than the 2.7 million added under Obama. To replicate the Reagan-era performance, the economy under Obama would have needed to add over 14 million jobs since the recession’s end; it has really added less than 20% of that. The Reagan-era private sector margin is over 5.7 million jobs.

And of course, there’s an obvious point to be made about the unemployment rate, as IBD noted:

What’s more, after 29 months of allegedly stellar job growth under Obama, the jobless rate is still 8.3%. By this point in the Reagan and Bush jobs recoveries, the unemployment rate was 7.2% and 4.9%, respectively.
If we were one of those fact-checking organizations, we’d give Stephanie Cutter the “Lying Liar from Liersburg” award.
A Google News search done this morning on “Stephanie Cutter Reagan” (past week, not in quotes, sorted by date with duplicates) returned six items (the final result listed pre-dates Cutter’s lie). The results are from American Thinker, Real Clear Politics (2), National Review, Washington Examiner, and United Liberty.

The same search at the Associated Press’s main site returned nothing.

AP’s “Presidential Campaign Fact Check” appears to be limited to what the presidential and vice-presidential candidates say. The wire service is currently carrying its interview with President Obama, naturally headlined “AP INTERVIEW: OBAMA CALLS ROMNEY’S IDEAS ‘EXTREME’,” on its “Top Story” page. Zheesh.

As to “fact-checkers” like PolitiFact and others, nothing demonstrates that they have turned themselves into just another tool of leftist bias than the “fact” that they haven’t called out Stephanie Cutter’s lie for four days and counting while trying and failing to nitpick the Romney campaign over its true statement about women’s job losses during the recession several months ago. PolitiFact falsely claimed it was “Mostly False.”

Oh, by the way, as James Pethoukouis noted in his second crucifixion of Cutter’s comment (his original post relating to Reagan is here), “both the Reagan and Bush recoveries were stronger than the current recovery under President Obama.””

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2012/08/26/fact-checkers-awol-after-obama-spokesperson-lies-about-jobs-created-unde

Obviously, congress is mostly at fault. The Democrats controlled both houses beginning in 2007 to create a “perfect storm” of failing liberal policies with the help of Obama.

Consider the following:

Reagan inherited an economic mess from Carter. Many of you remember the long gas lines and 18 percent mortgage rates from the Carter years.

In January 1983, 2 years after Reagan took office, the unemployment rate was 10.4 percent. In January 1989, when reagan left office, the rate was 5.4 percent.

When George Bush took office in January 2001, the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent. When the Democrats took control of congress in January 2007, the rate was 4.6 percent.

So, the impact of a Democrat congress with the addition of Barack Obama in January 2009 led to an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent in January 2011.

The Republicans took control of the house in January 2011. The stated unemployment rate is 8.3 percent but would be much higher if so many folks had not dropped out of the labor force.

Check for yourself:

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000

From the Ulsterman,  February 24, 2012.

For a bit of contrast check out thiscomparative chart detailing the Reagan recovery vs the Obama recovery. One president charged ahead with plans to greatly reduce taxes, lessen regulations, and pushes to increase domestic energy production in the United States. The other president – Barack Obama, called for more taxes, more regulation, and has fought increasing domestic energy production at every opportunity – such as his shutting down of the much-needed Keystone pipeline:”


“The truth is clear – the Obama presidency has been a near-complete disaster for working Americans.  This might explain a term growing in popularity of late – “ABO”  –  Anybody But Obama in 2012…”

Obama lies in NC print edition of Rhino Times, John Hammer truth about Obama, Obamacare huge tax increase on middle class, ABC News lies, Obama lacks economic knowledge

Obama lies in NC print edition of Rhino Times, John Hammer truth about Obama, Obamacare huge tax increase on middle class, ABC News lies, Obama lacks economic knowledge

“North Carolina currently has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the country and has stayed well above the national average through 2012.”…WRAL, August 17, 2012

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

“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.”…George Orwell, “1984”

In print in NC, the Rhino Times August 23, 2012.

“Four years ago the stars lined up for Obama. He got into the Democratic primary in order to get name recognition and maybe a slot in President Hillary Clinton’s cabinet. Then the accidental candidate won Iowa and realized that with one more primary win – South Carolina – he could be president.

Everyone loved Obama because of his unlikely story, and he gave great speeches. Some noticed that he didn’t really say anything in the speeches, but those who noticed were mostly Republicans and nobody paid any attention to them.

The media went gaga. They reported only the good stuff about Obama. And the Republicans couldn’t have helped more. They nominated an old worn-out, politically compromised senator who had been in Washington for so long he actually thought he could run with the same running mate as former Vice President Al Gore. Failing that he picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who, as it turned out, was a brilliant pick for about two weeks. But then McCain turned her over to the political buffoons who were running his campaign, and Katie Couric in one interview completely destroyed Palin’s credibility. But there you have it, the news media stepped in and did what Obama needed to have done to make certain he would win.

Apparently this election is going to be different. Newsweek has come out with a cover that reads, “Hit The Road Barack. Why We Need A New President.”

I subscribed to Newsweek for about 15 years. I stopped my subscription recently, and even when the renewals got down around $10 a year I refused to bite because I was tired of reading about the messiah who we had elected president. There was nothing that Obama could do that wasn’t wonderful in the eyes of Newsweek. Since I already receive White House press releases, Newsweek seemed redundant.

Now, Newsweek has on its cover that Obama must go and it is a well-written, factual article. The very fact that Obama cheerleader Paul Krugman felt the need to instantly challenge the article is evidence of its damaging effect.

The article goes through the promises that Obama made at his inauguration and how he has failed to keep them. The economy is the big issue. But there are others, like promising no middle-class tax increase when Obamacare is a huge tax increase on the middle class, and we know it is a tax because the Supreme Court said it was.

, , ,

Usually you have to wait until after the election for the dirt to come out about campaign staffs, but there is already an e-book out about the 2012 Obama campaign and how it is beginning to fall apart.

One of the passages in the book is about how Obama doesn’t make big economic decisions because he doesn’t understand what he is supposed to be deciding.

Obama has no knowledge or experience that would indicate that he understands economics at an international level. Obama thought there was such a thing as a “shovel ready” government project when he signed the $1 trillion stimulus package. It was only much later when the money wasn’t being spent that he found out that shovel-ready projects are a lot like unicorns, people may talk about them but you can’t really put your finger on one.

If the Obama 2012 campaign kickoff is a foreshadowing of things to come it is going to be a long fall for Obama. The kickoff did exactly what a campaign doesn’t want to ever do: It put the candidate in front of thousands of empty seats. Obama just doesn’t have the drawing power that he did and the campaign realized too late that despite all of their efforts they weren’t going to fill the arena.

It’s not the way you want to kick off a campaign. A candidate is better off speaking to a crowd of 200 in an overflowing room than a crowd of 10,000 in a 20,000-seat arena. That is campaigning 101. It wasn’t such a bad mistake but it is a sign that Obama’s 2012 campaign is not going to be anything like his 2008 campaign.

, , ,

If you are getting your news from ABC, it’s time to stop. The networks other than Fox all tilt strongly left, but ABC is willing to lie, or else is filled with total incompetence. All of us in the news business make mistakes. Last week we managed to misspell sheriff, but ABC has taken mistakes to a new level. First, it reported that the Aurora, Colorado, shooter was a member of the Tea Party. He wasn’t, but someone with a similar name was. This is a huge story and you simply don’t make that kind of mistake in an election year by accident. Second, when ABC called the shooter’s mother she said, “You have the right person,” meaning she was the mother of the young man they were asking about. ABC managed to interpret that to mean, “Yes, my son did the shooting,” which is a really bizarre interpretation and sounds a lot like the leaps of faith that the News & Record makes.

Third, ABC reported that filmmaker Tony Scott, who jumped to his death from a bridge in Los Angeles, had inoperable brain cancer. He did not. ABC, sadly, is simply putting rumors and innuendo on the air as news. Any of the three mistakes could be explained away, but all three is a pattern. Nobody is watching the store.

If you get your news from ABC try Fox for a while, at least until there is a housecleaning at ABC. Until they clean house, including getting rid of the parking lot attendant and the custodial service, they are going to keep having problems.”

http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/Articles-Columns-c-2012-08-22-212929.112113-Under-the-Hammer.html

US unemployment claims rise 4000, NC unemployment rate 9.8 percent, Unemployment rate increased in 26 NC counties, Charlotte Mecklenburg rate 10 percent

US unemployment claims rise 4000, NC unemployment rate 9.8 percent, Unemployment rate increased in 26 NC counties, Charlotte Mecklenburg rate 10 percent

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

“North Carolina currently has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the country and has stayed well above the national average through 2012.”…WRAL, August 17, 2012

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

From the US Labor Department August  23, 2012.

“In the week ending August 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 372,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 368,000. The 4-week moving average was 368,000, an increase of 3,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 364,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending August 11, unchanged from the prior week’s unrevised rate.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 11, was 3,317,000, an increase of 4,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,313,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,311,500, an increase of 6,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,305,000.”

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm

From the NC Department of Commerce August 24, 2012.

“North Carolina’s statewide unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 9.8 percent in July. This was a 0.1 of a percentage-point decrease from June’s revised rate of 9.9 percent, and a 1.1 percentage-point decrease over the year.

Over the month, the unemployment rate decreased in 47 counties, increased in 26 and remained the same in 27. Thirty-four counties had unemployment rates below the state’s 9.8 percent rate.

Scotland County recorded July’s highest unemployment rate at 17.6 percent, remaining the same as the previous month. Graham County had the second-highest rate at 15.2 percent. Currituck County had the lowest unemployment rate at 4.7 percent, followed by Chatham, 7.0 percent; and Orange, 7.1 percent.”

http://www.ncesc1.com/PMI/Rates/PressReleases/County/NR_July2012CountyRate_M.pdf

Mecklenburg County, the home of the 2012 Democrat convention in Charlotte, has an unemployment rate of 10 percent.

Obama NC college economy in ruins, Tuition up, Healthcare almost doubled, Unemployment up, UNCG and A&T student cancellations, No college & no jobs

Obama NC college economy in ruins, Tuition up, Healthcare almost doubled, Unemployment up, UNCG and A&T student cancellations, No college & no jobs

“The hikes have forced more students to take on extra jobs to pay for school, or drop out altogether.”

“The state mandates that at least 25 percent of the money from the tuition dollars go toward financial aid for needy students. Some board members recently have spoken out about that requirement, saying it essentially calls for students, who themselves may be struggling, to subsidize the education of other students.”…Greensboro News record February 11, 2012

“The cost of health insurance will climb from a range of $61 to $77 monthly to a range of $118 to $133 monthly, according to a memo sent from UNC President Tom Ross to the UNC Board of Governors. On an annual basis, most students will pay about $500 to $700 more in 2012-13, depending on the campus.”

“Mallette said the insurance increases are due to the health care usage of UNC system students during the past couple of years, plus federal regulations on preventive care and pharmacy services issued in March. The process is complicated, he said, by the new provisions of the Affordable Care Act.”…Charlotte Observer May 1, 2012

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

Michelle Obama spoke at UNCG a few weeks ago.

“It means all of our kids should be able to go to college without a mountain of debt.”

“Because of this reform, our children can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old. (Applause.) So they don’t have to lose their health care when they graduate and they’re out there looking for a job, trying to build their lives.”

“I want you to tell them how many jobs he created. Tell them how much money he’s put back in the pockets of American people. You can tell them that more of our kids can afford college;”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/michelle-obama-uncg-speech-august-1-2012-obama-lies-job-lies-tax-lies-college-tuition-lies-health-care-lies-student-loans-and-records-hidden/

Obama lies versus Obama reality.

From the front page of the Greensboro News & Record August 20, 2012.

“Registration cancellations rising at UNCG, A&T”

“UNCG about two weeks ago canceled the registrations of about 1,300 students because they had yet to pay their tuition bills — the highest number of cancellations since fall 2009, university officials said.

N.C. A&T is also seeing an increase in the number of students facing cancellation. The schools’ officials attribute their numbers to a variety of factors, including tuition increases and cuts and other changes in state and federal financial aid programs.

“Every lost soul is unacceptable to me, and it really hurts when we have to cancel that many registrations,” said Steve Roberson, UNCG dean of undergraduate studies.

By Friday, UNCG had managed to whittle that number to just 500, according to preliminary data.

But administrators are concerned about the large number of students who are having trouble paying this year.

UNCG Vice Provost Alan Boyette said recently that some students ran into problems because they did not apply for financial aid on time, or their financial aid had not yet been packaged. So, he expected that initial number would be reduced.

He said enrollment this year is “really unpredictable.” The university is gauging payments and registration on a near daily basis to get a feel for what the final number will be, he said.

“We think the timing is clearly related to the current economy,” Boyette said of the number of students paying late.

Sarah Carrigan, UNCG director of institutional research, said Friday that UNCG canceled 1,300 student registrations between July 31 and Aug. 8.

That’s an increase of about 500 over last year at that same time, she said.

As of Friday, about 800 of those students had paid to register again, Carrigan said.

A&T has also had a slight increase in the number of students who risk having their registrations canceled, said Akua Matherson, the university interim associate vice chancellor for enrollment management.

As of late Friday afternoon, the university was scheduled to cancel the registrations of 541 students, Matherson said.

That’s a 2.5 percent increase from last year, she said.

Those students had until the close of business Friday to make some kind of arrangement to keep their registration.

Staff from both universities spent much of the summer reaching out to students who were eligible to return to school but had not registered to find out what their problems are and to offer solutions.

More than 80 percent of A&T students qualify for need-based aid. Staff members have talked to families whose financial situations have changed, such as one parent losing a job.

“Some of our students are looking at some real challenges,” Matherson said.

Deborah Tollefson, UNCG financial aid director, has heard similar stories of parents’ stretched incomes.

She said that counselors steer students away from private loans.

Instead, they inform them of such options as federal loans, part-time campus employment and tuition payment plans if they are having trouble paying.

Tollefson said that UNCG has received a lot of late financial aid applications this year. Students who didn’t have to take out loans two or three years ago are now having to but are unfamiliar with the process, she said.

A&T had 10,590 students enrolled as of Wednesday, the first day of classes.

UNCG’s latest enrollment figures showed an enrollment of 17,800. Students there start classes today.”

http://www.news-record.com/content/2012/08/20/article/registration_cancellations_rising_at_uncg_at

With the Obama economic plan we get higher tuition, much higher health care costs and higher unemployment.

From Citizen Wells February 12, 2012.

“Amid chants of protest from about 100 students, the UNC Board of Governors this morning approved President Tom Ross’ proposal for tuition and
fee hikes over the next two years.

Ross’ plan would raise tuition by an average of 8.8 percent across the system and keeps increases below 10 percent on every campus.”

“Today’s vote caps months of intense debate over tuition, which the system has used in recent years to help make up for legislative cuts to its budget. The
hikes have forced more students to take on extra jobs to pay for school, or drop out altogether.”

“The state mandates that at least 25 percent of the money from the tuition dollars go toward financial aid for needy students. Some board members recently have spoken out about that requirement, saying it essentially calls for students, who themselves may be struggling, to subsidize the education of other students.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/unc-tuition-hikes-university-of-nc-system-raises-tuition-costs-in-dismal-economy-working-students-and-families-pay-others-tuition-income-redistribution-unc-tuition-hikes-university-of-nc-system/

I have met and talked with many college students. Recently a UNCG student, who is struggling to support his family and attend school, confided in me that the recent tuition and health care increases (mandatory health care insurance almost doubled) could force him to leave school.

From Citizen Wells May 2, 2012.

“The UNC system began requiring students to be covered by health insurance in the fall of 2010. Students must either prove that they have their own insurance or buy a plan offered by the UNC system. Before that, 11 campuses required insurance; rates and coverage varied significantly among the schools.

On top of rising tuition and fees, those UNC system students who buy the university-sponsored health insurance plan will face steep premium increases in the next academic year.

The cost of health insurance will climb from a range of $61 to $77 monthly to a range of $118 to $133 monthly, according to a memo sent from UNC President Tom Ross to the UNC Board of Governors. On an annual basis, most students will pay about $500 to $700 more in 2012-13, depending on the campus.”

“Mallette said the insurance increases are due to the health care usage of UNC system students during the past couple of years, plus federal regulations on preventive care and pharmacy services issued in March. The process is complicated, he said, by the new provisions of the Affordable Care Act.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/obama-lies-work-on-unc-students-unc-student-health-care-increase-tuition-increase-high-unemployment-obama-uses-orwellian-language-to-sway-students-occupy-white-house/

From Citizen Wells July 27, 2012.

“Unemployment Rates Increase in 84 Counties in June”

“North Carolina’s statewide unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 9.9 percent in June. This was a 0.4 of a percentage-point increase from May’s revised rate of 9.5 percent, and a 1.0 percentage-point decrease over the year.

Over the month, the unemployment rate increased in 84 counties, decreased in 11 and remained the same in five. Thirty-nine counties had unemployment rates at or below the state’s 9.9 percent rate.”

“Guilford County, containing both Greensboro and High Point had an increase from 9.6 to 10.3 percent.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/nc-unemployment-rate-9-9-percent-june-data-unemployment-rates-rose-in-84-of-100-counties-mecklenburg-home-of-democrat-convention-rises-3-percent-to-9-9/

What evidence do we have that Obama had any student loans?

Obama gas price facts August 6, 2012, Canadians embrace oil jobs, Canada unemployment rate falls to 7.2 percent, Canadians richer than Americans for first time

Obama gas price facts August 6, 2012, Canadians embrace oil jobs, Canada unemployment rate falls to 7.2 percent, Canadians richer than Americans for first time

“For the well-off in this country, high gas prices are mostly an annoyance, but to most Americans they’re a huge problem, bordering on a crisis.”…Barack Obama May 2008

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,”…Barack Obama May 2008

“Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.”…Barack Obama 

Obama’s “energy policy”, aka Chicago style pay to play politics, is destroying this country’s economy and jobs. Citizen Wells has kept you informed about the impact of high gas prices.

From Citizen Wells July 29, 2012.

“Gas prices are going back up and currently average $ 3.49 in the US. One of the biggest reasons gasoline prices have not risen further is the downturn in the US and world economies.”

“In 2009 when Obama took office, gasoline averaged around $ 1.85 a gallon. Here is a chart of gasoline prices for the last 3 years.”

“The Obama administration, despite the nation’s economic woes, effectively killed the job-producing Keystone Pipeline last month. The Arab Spring is turning the oil production of Libya and other Arab nations over to the Muslim Brotherhood. Iraq is distancing itself from the U.S. And everyone recognizes that Iran, whose crude supplies are critical to the European economy, will do anything it can to frustrate America’s strategic interests. In the face of all of this, Obama insists on cutting back U.S. oil potential with outrageous restrictions.”

“Part of Obama’s apparent war against U.S. energy independence includes a foreign-aid program that directly threatens my state’s sovereign territory. Obama’s State Department is giving away seven strategic, resource-laden Alaskan islands to the Russians. Yes, to the Putin regime in the Kremlin.”

“After Obama Blocks Pipeline, China Readies $15.1B Canadian Oil Deal”

“When President Barack Obama blocked the Keystone Pipeline, Republicans said the move would encourage Canada to pursue oil deals with China instead of the United States and cede a massive chunk of North American oil assets to the communist nation.

Now, with China’s state-run oil company CNOOC poised to cut a $15.1 billion deal–the largest ever foreign acquisition for a Chinese company–with Canadian oil company Nexen, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are in full backpedal mode.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/july-29-2012-gas-prices-up-obama-energy-policy-rewards-friends-punishes-americans-alaska-island-giveaway-to-russians-keystone-pipeline-canada-china-oil-deal/

Not only are Obama’s policies stalling the economy with the high price of gas, they are killing jobs in the oil industry. Our friends to the north are not so foolish.

From the Wall Street Journal September 12, 2011.

“Canada’s Oil Sands Are a Jobs Gusher”

“For all its soaring rhetoric, President Obama’s “jobs speech” last week didn’t demonstrate a lick of insight into why economies grow or how wealth is created. It was merely trademark Obamanomics: using government diktat to move money that’s over here, over there.

Having spent an hour the day before with Ron Liepert, the energy minister from the Canadian province of Alberta, I found it especially disturbing to hear nothing in the speech about reversing the administration’s anti-fossil-fuels agenda. Canada has recovered all the jobs it lost in the 2009 recession, and Alberta’s oil sands are no small part of that. The province is on track to become the world’s second-largest oil producer, after Saudi Arabia, within 10 years. Meanwhile Mr. Obama clings to his subsidies for solar panels and his religious faith in green jobs.

U.S. unemployment is high because capital is on strike. Short-term offers to coax investors into taking new risks aren’t going to cut it when they have been forewarned that the president intends to pay for it all by raising taxes in the out years. The market dropped over 300 points the day after Mr. Obama’s speech.

On the regulatory front the picture is even gloomier. Much of America’s vast untapped energy potential lies dormant because Mr. Obama’s regulatory watchdogs have spent the past three years throwing sand in the gears of the permitting process for exploration and exploitation on federal lands. Separately, TransCanada has been trying since September 2008 to get a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. The Environmental Protection Agency has so far blocked it.

TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline could mean 118,000 American jobs, if the U.S. government ever issues the permit.

A glimpse of what all this has cost the U.S. economy can be seen by looking north to Canada, where animal spirits have been unleashed in the energy sector. Canada’s close economic ties to the U.S. have traditionally meant that when the U.S. gets the sniffles, Canada gets swine flu. This time it’s been different. Part of the reason is that Canada’s housing market was not poisoned by a federal government push to put unqualified borrowers into homes they could not afford. After the 2008 collapse of the housing bubble in the U.S., the Canadian financial sector remained strong.

That alone was not enough to protect Canada from the effects of the U.S. recession. The manufacturing sector was hit hard, and in the first quarter of 2009 the economy contracted by an annualized 7.9%.

Yet Canada has outperformed the U.S. since then. In 2010, according to the International Monetary Fund, Canada grew at 3.2% versus 2.9% in the U.S. In 2011, the IMF estimates Canada will grow at 2.9%; unemployment is now 7.3%. The IMF’s U.S. growth forecast is 2.5% this year, and U.S. unemployment is 9.1%.

One explanation for Canada’s more robust growth is its strong commitment to energy, which has become more valuable in U.S. dollar terms under Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s inflationary policies. Alberta is now producing two million barrels per day but expects that number will grow to four to five million within a decade.”

Read more:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904836104576560933917369412.html

From US News  July 18, 2012.

“For the First Time, Canadians Now Richer Than Americans

The average Canadian household is worth about $40,000 more than their American counterparts”

“The net worth of the average Canadian household in 2011 was $363,202.
While Americans might enjoy throwing politically-charged barbs at their neighbors to the north, Canadians now have at least one reason to be smug.

For the first time in recent history, the average Canadian is richer than the average American, according to a report cited in Toronto’s Globe and Mail.

And not just by a little. Currently, the average Canadian household is more than $40,000 richer than the average American household. The net worth of the average Canadian household in 2011 was $363,202, compared to around $320,000 for Americans.

If you’re thinking the Canadian advantage must be due to exchange rates, think again. The Canadian dollar has actually caught up to the U.S. dollar in recent years.

“These are not 60-cent dollars, but Canadian dollars more or less at par with the U.S. greenback,” Globe and Mail’s Michael Adams writes.

To add insult to injury, not only are Canadians comparatively better-off than Americans, they’re also more likely to be employed. The unemployment rate is 7.2 percent—and dropping—in Canada, while the U.S. is stuck with a stubbornly high rate of 8.2 percent.

Besides a strengthening currency and a better labor market, experts credit the particularly savage fallout from the financial crisis on the U.S. economy and housing market, which torpedoed home values and gutted household wealth. According to the report, real estate held by Canadians is worth more than $140,000 more on average and they have almost four times as much equity in their real estate investments.”

Read more:

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/07/18/for-the-first-time-canadians-now-richer-than-americans

 

Obama job facts August 5, 2012, Obama lies about jobs created, Fewer jobs since Obama and Democrats took control, Higher unemployment, Lower labor force participation

Obama job facts August 5, 2012, Obama lies about jobs created, Fewer jobs since Obama and Democrats took control, Higher unemployment, Lower labor force participation

“The United States economy has lost more jobs than it has added since the recovery began over a year ago.”…NY Times Sept. 20, 2010.

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth’s centre. With the feeling that he was speaking to O’Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote:

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

Obama is the biggest liar to ever occupy the Oval Office. One of his big lies is misleading the American Public on job creation. He only touts the jobs created, not the net impact of his policies. Not the jobs lost. Not the people dropping out of the labor force.

Here is a simplified example that explains what is happening.

Smallville USA, a fictional town, has five companies.

During the last month company A hires 2 people and company B hires 3. The mayor, interviewed by the local newspaper, brags about job growth in the town and states that 5 jobs were added.

What the mayor fails to mention is that company C dismisses 7, company D dismisses 5 and company E dismisses 3.

Smallville has a net loss of 10 jobs. The local economy is impacted. The mayor failed to mention that. So has Obama.

The misleading information, the lie, that Obama has been touting in his speeches can be found at BarackObama.com. Everything about the presentation of job creation leaves one with the impression that Obama has netted job gains.

For example:

4.5 million private sector jobs added in past 29 months.

The graph indicates many jobs lost prior to Obama taking office and the Recovery Act being signed.

The net jobs gained is not provided and no mention of the fact that the Democrats controlled congress beginning in January of 2007 until the Republicans took the House in 2011.

http://www.barackobama.com/jobsrecord?source=om2012_PR_G_gm-jobs-bg-search_core_&omtype=ofa&subsource=mkwid%7CXWIcSPIC%7Ckw%7C%5Bobama%20jobs%5D%7Cmatchtype%7Ce%7Cpcrid%7C15823272973%7Cpl%7C%7C&gclid=CN2Z5dLT0LECFW1j7Aod-SMAnw

Here is the acid test, the bottom line on Obama and the Democrats impact on jobs.

When the Democrats took control of congress in January 2007, the unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.

When Obama  took control of the White House in January 2009, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent.

The stated current unemployment rate is 8.3 percent.

That is job creation???

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000

And that is not all.

The Labor Force Participation Rate has dropped. If that rate had not dropped, the unemployment rate would have been significantly higher.

When the Democrats took control of congress in January 2007, the Labor Force Participation Rate 66.4 percent.

When Obama took control of the White House in January 2009, the Labor Force Participation Rate was 65.7 percent.

The Labor Force Participation Rate currently is 63.7 percent.

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000/

My reason for quoting Orwell’s “1984” should be crystal clear.


Ben Bernanke Federal Reserve gloomy forecast, August 1, 2012, US economy decelerated, Disappointing jobs reports and sharp slowdown in US growth

Ben Bernanke Federal Reserve gloomy forecast, August 1, 2012, US economy decelerated, Disappointing jobs reports and sharp slowdown in US growth

“The United States economy has lost more jobs than it has added since the recovery began over a year ago.”…NY Times Sept. 20, 2010.

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

“Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.”…Barack Obama

From the Guardian August 1, 2012.

“Fed gives gloomy forecast on US recovery but no new stimulus yet”

“Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has consistently said that he is not ruling out direct action in the event of a stalling economy. Photograph: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images
The US Federal Reserve signalled on Wednesday that it is increasingly worried about America’s fragile economic recovery – but once more stopped short of taking direct action.

After a two-day meeting, Fed officials said the economy had “decelerated somewhat” over the first half of the year, and gave a stronger signals they may take further action as they keep a close watch on the US recovery.

Weakness in the US economy has been underlined since the last Fed meeting by disappointing jobs reports and a sharp slowdown in US growth, which had led to speculation that the Fed might act. After two days of falls US stock markets had rallied ahead of the statement as investors expected action. But the Dow Jones turned negative when it became clear no action would be forthcoming.

“The committee will closely monitor incoming information on economic and financial developments, and will provide additional accommodation as needed to promote a stronger economic recovery and sustained improvement in labor market conditions in a context of price stability,” the central bank said in a statement issued at the end of the Federal open market committee’s (FOMC) two-day policy meeting.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has consistently stated that the Fed is considering further action should the recovery appear to be stalling.

There were fresh signs of weakness on Wednesday as a key poll showed economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in July for the second month in a row after 34 consecutive months of expansion. The Institute of Supply Management’s purchasing managers index (PMI) – which measures the acquisition of goods and services – stood at 49.8% in July, barely moving from June’s reading of 49.7%. The index must be above 50% to indicate growth.

Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, said the Fed was “clearly on a knife’s edge with respect to providing additional stimulus”. Fed statements are parsed line by line for indications of change in policy.

In a note to clients, Greenhaus wrote: “Importantly, the first sentence in the FOMC statement, which noted in June that ‘the economy has been expanding moderately this year’ now says that ‘economic activity decelerated somewhat over the first half of this year.’

“They note that ‘household spending has been rising at a somewhat slower pace than earlier in the year’ while ‘inflation has declined since earlier this year.’ All told, the Fed clearly took down its assessment of the current economic situation.”

Ken Goldstein, an economist at the Conference Board in New York, said the Fed was in a fix. Republicans have already criticised the Fed’s actions and are likely to pounce on any action from the Fed ahead of November’s election.
“This is going to get increasingly political as the election approaches,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein said the economy seemed to be “muddling along rather than falling off a cliff,” and that he believed the Fed was unlikely to act unless evidence of a severe weakening in the US economy emerged.

With economy emerging as the key battleground of the 2012 election, economic indicators have seldom been more closely watched. Last week the commerce department announced that US gross domestic product (GDP) – the broadest measure of an economy’s health – stood at 1.5% in the second quarter, down from 2% in the prior three months, and 4.1% in the fourth quarter of 2011.”

Read more:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/aug/01/fed-us-recovery-stimulus?newsfeed=true

NC unemployment rate 9.9 percent, June data, Unemployment rates rose in 84 of 100 counties, Mecklenburg home of Democrat Convention rises .3 percent to 9.9

NC unemployment rate 9.9 percent, June data, Unemployment rates rose in 84 of 100 counties, Mecklenburg home of Democrat Convention rises .3 percent to 9.9

“The United States economy has lost more jobs than it has added since the recovery began over a year ago.”…NY Times Sept. 20, 2010.

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

Yesterday, July 26, 2012, we learned that NC had the second largest  initial claims for unemployment in the nation.

“The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending July 14 were in California (+26,244), North Carolina (+11,948), Georgia (+8,372), Alabama (+4,148), and Oregon (+3,019)”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/nc-unemployment-claims-second-highest-in-nation-july-26-2012-11948-claims-second-only-to-ca-nc-labor-force-decreased-and-jobs-lost/

Today the news is even bleaker.

From the NC Dept. of Commerce July 27, 2012.

“Unemployment Rates Increase in 84 Counties in June”

“North Carolina’s statewide unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 9.9 percent in June. This was a 0.4 of a percentage-point increase from May’s revised rate of 9.5 percent, and a 1.0 percentage-point decrease over the year.

Over the month, the unemployment rate increased in 84 counties, decreased in 11 and remained the same in five. Thirty-nine counties had unemployment rates at or below the state’s 9.9 percent rate.

Scotland County recorded June’s highest unemployment rate at 17.6 percent, 0.6 of a percentage point higher than last month. Graham County had the second-highest rate at 15.2 percent. Currituck County had the lowest unemployment rate at 5.3 percent, followed by Orange, 7.1 percent; and Chatham & Henderson,
7.3 percent.

The unemployment rates increased in all 14 of the state’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (Metros). The Rocky Mount Metro had the highest unemployment rate in June at 13.2 percent. The Asheville & Durham/Chapel Hill Metros reported the month’s lowest unemployment rates at 7.9 percent, which increased 0.3 of a percentage point for Asheville and 0.5 of a percentage point for Durham/Chapel Hill. Raleigh/Cary followed at 8.0 percent.”

http://www.ncesc1.com/pmi/rates/PressReleases/County/NR_June2012CountyRateRelease_M.pdf

Mecklenburg County, mostly consisting of Charlotte, NC, the site of the 2012 Democrat Convention, had an unemployment rate increase from May to June of .3 to a rate of 9.9 percent. Adjacent county to the west, Gaston, went from 10.2 to 10.9 percent.  Guilford County, containing both Greensboro and High Point had an increase from 9.6 to 10.3 percent.

I am certain that Obama will portray this as utopian conditions.

NC unemployment claims increase second highest in nation, July 26, 2012, 11948 claims, Second only to CA, NC Labor force decreased and jobs lost

NC unemployment claims increase second highest in nation, July 26, 2012, 11948 claims, Second only to CA, NC Labor force decreased and jobs lost

“The United States economy has lost more jobs than it has added since the recovery began over a year ago.”…NY Times Sept. 20, 2010.

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

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

Remember this article from the Greensboro News record reported here on July 20, 2012?

From Doug Clark of the Greensboro News Record July 20, 2012.

“North Carolina loses or gains jobs in June, depending on which state numbers you believe, if any”

“North Carolina lost nearly 8,000 jobs in June from the previous month, the state’s Commerce Department reports this morning.”

“The unemployment rate held at 9.4 percent, but that was because the labor force decreased.”

“Note: There are two sets of numbers in the report. You will see some media reports stating the state gained 16,690 jobs in June.”

“Please weigh in on the credibility of these numbers.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/north-carolina-loses-or-gains-jobs-in-june-depending-on-which-state-numbers-you-believe-if-any-july-20-2012-greensboro-news-record-doug-clark/

From the US labor Dept July 26, 2012.

“The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending July 14 were in California (+26,244), North Carolina (+11,948), Georgia (+8,372), Alabama (+4,148), and Oregon (+3,019)”

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm

The unemployment rates for June by NC county will be released tomorrow.