Category Archives: Unemployment

US economy healthy?, Obama Democrat economic policies helped?, 12.6 % more part time jobs, High unemployment, Labor force plummeted, Average length of unemployment more than double, Median household income dropped

US economy healthy?, Obama Democrat economic policies helped?, 12.6 % more part time jobs, High unemployment, Labor force plummeted, Average length of unemployment more than double, Median household income dropped

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

“Between 2009 and 2012, the federal government recorded the largest budget deficits relative to the size of the economy since 1946, causing federal debt to soar. Federal debt held by the public is now about 73 percent of the economy’s annual output, or gross domestic product (GDP). That percentage is higher than at any point in U.S. history except a brief period around World War II, and it is twice the percentage at the end of 2007. “…CBO September 17, 2013

 

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

 

 

Anyone who believes that the US
economy is healthy and has improved under Obama and the Democrats is some combination of the following:

Illiterate
Crazy
Sleeping under a rock.
Gullible
Liberal Democrat.

Ok I know, the last one was redundant.
This has always been and will always be a group effort.

Real citizen journalism.

Commenter bob strauss provided a link to an excellent article about the true state of the economy.

The article from Independent Review Journal, in a series of graphs, paints a picture of the true state of the economy and the changes in the past 5 years.

  • There are 12.6 percent more part time jobs and 4.6 percent fewer full time jobs.
  • Even with part time workers being counted the stated unemployment rate is 7.3 percent instead of 5 percent.
  • The labor force participation rate has plummeted 3 percent.
  • The average length of unemployment has risen from 17.7 weeks to 37 weeks.
  • Median household income has dropped $ 5,000.

Oct2013Slide-1-Full-Time-vs-Part-Time

Oct2013Slide-8-Housing

Oct2013Slide-10-Debt

Read more:

http://www.ijreview.com/2013/09/80348-16-stats-put-claim-economy-healthy-shame/

Bernanke Fed GDP projections, US Labor Dept. BLS employment data, Obama speeches, 1984 Orwellian rhetoric, We control life Winston at all its levels, Men are infinitely malleable

Bernanke Fed GDP projections, US Labor Dept. BLS employment data, Obama speeches, 1984 Orwellian rhetoric, We control life Winston at all its levels, Men are infinitely malleable

“We need an educated citizenry that values hard evidence.”…Barack Obama

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

“It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty grams a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it. Parsons swallowed it easily, with the stupidity of an animal.”

“We control life, Winston, at all its levels.  You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us.  But we create human nature.  Men are infinitely malleable.  Or perhaps you have returned to your old idea that the proletarians or the slaves will arise and overthrow us.  Put it out of your mind.  They are helpless, like the animals.  Humanity is the Party.  The others are outside – irrelevant.”…George Orwell, “1984”

Obama, in speech after speech, continues to tell us of improvements in the economy and jobs market.

Promises of improved and less expensive health care.

Pure Orwellian.

“1984” manifested in the US.

From Zero Hedge September 19, 2013.

“Guess What The Fed’s Original 2013 GDP Forecast Was”

For some reason, today pundits are appalled by the loss of Fed credibility only because Bernanke “surprisingly” U-turned on the taper announcement, catching virtually everyone offguard. Perhaps instead of that, the sophisticated financial community should focus on the core of the problem: the Fed’s chronic inability to look even more than a couple of years into the future without being dead wrong about what transpires, even in the absence of a great financial crisis (which the Fed never could predict in the first place of course). Case in point, yesterday’s most recently downward 2013 GDP projection. The chart below tracks how the latest and greatest prediction of the 2.15% 2013 GDP (2.0%-2.3%) moved over the past two years.

“In other words, the Fed started at 4.2%… and ended with half that numberOh, and that includes the recent GDP-boosting revision, without which GDP growth for the year would have been even lower.”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-19/guess-what-feds-original-2013-gdp-forecast-was

The US Labor Dept. continues to present unrealistic employment data as it did yesterday.

From Zero Hedge September 19, 2013.

“Initial Claims Data Worthless For Second Week Due To Ongoing “Computer Upgrade” Glitches”

“Economic data may be completely meaningless now that the Fed is openly blowing a bubble without any qualms, but even the Fed at least pretends its policy is guided by said economic data. Which is a problem because for the second week in a row, Initial Claims data is absolute garbage, following an admission by the BLS that “two states” are still working through the claims backlog caused by the “computer-system changeover.” Recall that last week’s “computer upgrade” was the reason why claims plunged from 323K to 292K (on expectations of 330K). And yes, they actually put that “excuse” on paper:”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-19/initial-claims-data-worthless-second-week-due-ongoing-computer-upgrade-glitches

Former BLS chief Keith Hall recently stated:

“This has been a very slow, very bad recovery,”

“And I think the numbers have really struggled as a result. In fact, I’ve been very disappointed in the coverage of the numbers.”

Hall was replaced by Erica L. Groshen.

From the BLS site.

“I have a very non-political, non-partisan background,” Groshen said. “That’s the kind of work I’ve always done at the Fed and when I was briefly an academic. The BLS is just a continuation of that sort of career because that’s who I am. That’s what I do.”

“The BLS prides itself on being non-political and that makes it a good fit for me.”

Groshen sent her children to a leftist leaning camp, Camp Kinderland.

http://netrightdaily.com/2012/07/who-is-erica-groshen/

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”…William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”

Syria Obama economic diversion, September 9, 2013, Food stamp use soars, Labor force participation rate at 35 year low, Long term unemployed worse than 1970’s 80’s recessions

Syria Obama economic diversion, September 9, 2013, Food stamp use soars, Labor force participation rate at 35 year low, Long term unemployed worse than 1970’s 80’s recessions

“I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States. This is not a political issue. It is a matter of his judgement, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty, and trust–all absolute tenets of command.”…REAR ADMIRAL ROY F. HOFFMAN, USN (RETIRED)

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

 

“I don’t oppose all wars,” “What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.”…Obama, antiwar rally downtown Chicago October 2002

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

So why would Obama want us constantly thinking about a possible attack on Syria and chemical threats there?

From Zero Hedge September 8, 2013.

“Households On Foodstamps Rise To New Record High: More Americans Live In Poverty Than The Population Of Spain”

“There was much discussion of Friday’s “disappointing” non-farm payrolls goal-seeked, seasonally adjusted, X-13-ARIMA conceived jobs “number.” The conclusion was that it showed an economy which one year after the start of QEternity was growing nowhere near where the Fed has projected and hoped it would be at this time. But in addition to the BLS jobs number, there was another just as important number that was released on Friday: the monthly foodstamp (SNAP) participation update. There was no discussion of this particular number and for good reason. If the NFP number was at least meant to show some economic stability, if subpar, the monthly foodstamp update shows month after month that the greatest depression is nowhere near ending for millions of American living in poverty (83% of SNAP households have gross income at or below 100% of the poverty guideline ($19,530 for a family of 3 in 2013), and these households receive about 91% of all benefits. 61% of SNAP households have gross income at or below 75% of the poverty guideline or $14,648 for a family of 3 in 2013).

To wit: in June, the number of households receiving foodstamps rose to 23.117 million, an increase of 45.9k in one month, and also a new record high. As for the average monthly benefit per household: $274.55, just off record lows.”

Food StampSept2013

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-08/households-foodstamps-rise-new-record-high-more-americans-live-poverty-population-sp

Another hard hitting article from the Greensboro News Record September 7, 2013.
“Just how sturdy is the U.S. job market?

That’s the key question the Federal Reserve will face when it decides later this month whether to reduce its economic stimulus.
The answer depends on where you look.

The economy has added jobs for 35 straight months. Unemployment has reached a 4 1/2-year low of 7.3 percent. Layoffs are dwindling.
Yet other barometers of the job market point to chronic weakness:

The pace of hiring remains tepid. Job growth is concentrated in lower-paying industries. The economy is 1.9 million jobs shy of its pre-recession level – and that’s not counting the additional jobs needed to meet population growth. Nearly 4.3 million people have been unemployed at least six months.

What’s more, employers have little incentive to raise pay. Many unhappy employees have nowhere else to go.

Still, when it meets Sept. 17-18, the Fed is expected to reduce its $85 billion a month in bond purchases by perhaps $10 billion. Its purchases have helped keep home-loan and other borrowing rates low to try to encourage consumers and businesses to borrow and spend more.

Here’s a look at the job market’s vital signs as the Fed’s decision nears:

UNEMPLOYMENT

The unemployment rate slid in August to 7.3 percent, its lowest level since December 2008. Unemployment had peaked in October 2009 at 10 percent and has since fallen more or less steadily. Since then, the number of people who say they have jobs has risen by 5.7 million. And the number of those who say they’re unemployed has dropped by nearly 4.1 million.

That’s the good news behind the tumbling unemployment rate.

But the rate has been falling, in part, for a bad reason: People are dropping out of the labor force. Once people without a job stop looking for one, the government no longer counts them as unemployed.

Some are retiring. Some are young adults who have chosen to go to college rather than brave a tough job market. Some have gone on disability. And some have given up the job search, discouraged by repeated rejections.

The percentage of people either working or looking for work – the so-called labor force participation rate – fell last month to a 35-year low: 63.2 percent. If the participation rate were at the pre-recession level of 66 percent, up to 6.8 million more people could be counted as unemployed. And the unemployment rate could be as high as 11.2 percent.

The 4 million-plus Americans who have been unemployed for six months or more are down from a peak of 6.7 million in April 2010. Yet before 2009, the United States had never seen long-term unemployment surpass 2.9 million, even during the deep recessions of the mid-1970s and early 1980s.”

Read more:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JOB_MARKET_VITAL_SIGNS?SITE=NCGRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

The above problems are motivation enough for Obama to divert our attention using a Syrian manufactured crisis.

Of course we know that Obama has many more reasons.

Jobs unemployment part time workers recap September 7, 2013, Media reports labor force participation rate, Obama falling from grace?, More people quit work searches

Jobs unemployment part time workers recap September 7, 2013, Media reports labor force participation rate, Obama falling from grace?, More people quit work searches

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

“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″

 

 

If you have been following Citizen Wells you are aware of the real and scary employment situation in this country.

Record droves of people dropping out of the labor force and part time jobs.

Much to my amazement, early yesterday morning I read the following.

From Market Watch September 6, 2013.

“Unemployment rate falls to 7.3% as more people quit work searches”

“The U.S. added a modest 169,000 new jobs in August, the number of positions created in July was slashed and more workers dropped out of a labor force in a sign that hiring conditions worsened toward the end of the summer.

The unemployment rate, meanwhile, ticked down to 7.3% from 7.4%, but that was because fewer people were searching for work, according to new figures released by the Labor Department Friday.”

“The increase in jobs last month only fell a touch short of Wall Street’s forecast calling for a 173,000 increase. What gave the report a darker tone was the downward revisions in the prior two months and a sharp decline in the number of people looking for a job.

Employment gains for July and June were lowered by a combined 74,000, with the biggest revision taking place in July, the Labor Department said. The number of new jobs created in July was slashed to 104,000 from 162,000 — the smallest gain since June 2012.

And June’s job gains were trimmed to 172,000 from 188,000.

What’s more, the labor force participation rate fell to 63.2%, the lowest level since the summer of 1978. The participation rate measures how many healthy, working-age people 16 and older are looking for jobs.”

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-economy-adds-169000-jobs-in-august-2013-09-06?dist=beforebell

Rush Limbaugh noticed and reported this change in reporting tone from the media.

Rush Limbaugh transcript September 6, 2013.

“RUSH: You know, folks, even the Drive-By Media is starting to turn on Obama on the economy. The economic news, the unemployment news, it went down 7.3 from seven-point whatever it was, but the media knows that that’s not because jobs are being created.
A couple of them — I’ve got it here in the Stack — are telling the truth about it.

Reuters: “US Job Growth Misses Expectations, Offers Cautionary Note for Fed.” Now, what they’re doing, the Federal Reserve, if you’ve noticed, the stock market is — let me check. Even as we speak here, let me check the stock market. Well, it’s up right now, but not much. It was down a lot yesterday, trickling down, because the Federal Reserve is talking about no more quantitative easing, which is no more stimulus. And the people in the markets know that the only reason the stock market’s been going through the roof is because the Fed has been buying stock, not people. Short version of the truth. That’s the simplified version here. And if the Fed starts talking about no more of that, panic sets in.”

“If the same number of jobs that existed in 2009 existed today, the unemployment rate would be 10.8%. It’s not 10.8%; it’s 7.3 because those jobs are gone. They don’t exist. They’re not even available to be filled. It’s called the labor force participation rate. You add that people, when they stop looking, they are no longer counted as unemployed. Go figure. They have looked and looked and looked. They’ve been on unemployment 99 weeks or more. They finally have given up. They’re no longer counted.

The unemployment rate that’s reported only includes people actively trying to find a job. Those who have given up, which numbers in the millions now, don’t get counted, so the rate goes down. And so the media is afraid that the people at the Fed will not know what I just told you and that they’ll see the unemployment rate going down and believe they have fixed it and stop priming the pump, stop spending, printing money. Obama and the Democrats and their minions are scared to death of this. And the Democrats know — we’re talking a serious amount of money — the Democrats know that if the Fed stops printing, it’s actual digital transfers, folks, they’re not actually printing hard currency for all of this. They’re just digitizing, just adding money to a computer spreadsheet, essentially.”

Read more:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2013/09/06/drive_bys_turn_on_obama_economy

Do not be fooled by Obama protectors in the media. The part time jobs component is also affecting households and the economy.

From Guggenheim September 5, 2013.

“The Growth Mirage”

“Despite disappointing economic data, there continues to be widespread expectations of a period of stronger economic growth just ahead. This growth mirage draws thirsty investors and increases the likelihood that interest rates will continue rising over the near-term.”

“Part-Time Jobs Driving Employment Growth

Growth in part-time jobs has been the main contributor in overall employment increases since the start of 2013. Over the past seven months, the average monthly growth in full-time jobs has been 32,000, while the average number of new part-time jobs was 104,000. After falling from the recession peak of 20 percent, the share of total jobs which are part-time has recently rebounded to 19.6 percent. The increase in part-time jobs may be partially attributable to the upcoming change in healthcare laws, requiring employers to provide health insurance to full-time employees but not for part-time workers. If the trend continues, the increasing share of part-time workers may add downward pressure to aggregate labor earnings and reduce consumption growth.”

PartTimeJobs

Read more:

http://guggenheimpartners.com/perspectives/macroview/the-growth-mirage

From the US Labor Dept. BLS.

From January of 2009 when Obama took control of the White House to August 2013.

________________________Jan 2009        Aug 2013

Labor Force Participation Rate               65.7                  63.2

Could only find part time work    1,676,000       2,719,000

The labor force participation rate plummeted 2.5 percent under Obama.

1,043,000 more people can only find part time work under Obama.

Obama Syria attack diverts attention from economy Obamacare Obama problems, Rush Limbaugh quotes Yossef Bodansky, What if Bashar didn’t do it?

Obama Syria attack diverts attention from economy Obamacare Obama problems, Rush Limbaugh quotes Yossef Bodansky, What If Bashar Didn’t Do It?

“I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States. This is not a political issue. It is a matter of his judgement, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty, and trust–all absolute tenets of command.”…REAR ADMIRAL ROY F. HOFFMAN, USN (RETIRED)

“Testimony from victims strongly suggests it was the rebels, not the Syrian government, that used Sarin nerve gas during a recent incident in the revolution-wracked nation, a senior U.N. diplomat said Monday.

Carla del Ponte, a member of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told Swiss TV there were “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof,” that rebels seeking to oust Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad had used the nerve agent.

But she said her panel had not yet seen any evidence of Syrian government forces using chemical weapons, according to the BBC, but she added that more investigation was needed.”…Washington Times, May 6, 2013

 
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”…Abraham Lincoln

I do not trust Obama.

Why should I?

Obama has plenty of reasons to divert attention away from his issues and administration.

Not the least of which is the economy and impact of Obamacare.

You can only fudge the numbers so long.

This alone is reason enough for Obama to push for a Syria attack.

But remember, Obama stated that he would stand with the Muslims.

“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

I listened to Rush Limbaugh yesterday.

From the Rush Limbaugh transcripts September 3, 2013.

“Bodansky: What If Bashar Didn’t Do It?”

“RUSH: All right. So here’s the deal.  Last week, Obama reverses himself and says that he’s not gonna go into Syria.  Remember, they’re using nerve gas.  John Kerry goes out there, 1,500 people, 2,400 people, a lot of kids, nerve gas, sarin gas, got the proof.  Look, I’m gonna get into all the hypocrisy.  Yes, Kerry dining with Bashar back in 2009 and talking about what a great guy Bashar was. The bottom line is this administration is as incompetent as Jimmy Carter.  There’s only one difference.  If there were anybody else running this administration right now, this would be reported as incompetent and as buffoonish and as frightening at Jimmy Carter’s.

This is Jimmy Carter’s second term here.  This is absolutely frightening what’s happening here.  Obama with this inadvertent, trying to make himself look like a tough guy, red line comment this past summer.  Well, the Syrians crossed the red line, so Obama’s obligated.  And late in the week last week, he said, “You know what?  I’m gonna go get congressional authority,” after maintaining he didn’t need it, maintaining he didn’t want it, maintaining he’s gonna be a tough guy, gonna act alone. He’s gonna save the people of Syria. He’s gonna make sure this Bashar guy gets what’s coming to him.

Then all of a sudden he switches gears we’re told after a walk Friday night on the White House grounds.  Yes.  He decided he’s gonna use congressional authority. He’s gonna go to Congress.  Now, when this announcement was made — ’cause this had been discussed.  I mean, the idea of congressional authority for use-of-force authorization had been discussed.  There had been test votes taken by virtue of interview.  At the time, there was no way Congress was gonna authorize it.  Didn’t stand a prayer, which Obama knew, which the point was to blame Republicans.  It was the Limbaugh Theorem in play.  Obama forget about it essentially.  The plan was change direction, reverse field, announce that he’s gonna go to Congress to get a use-of-force authorization, and then when the Republicans don’t give it to him, blame them for dead Syrians. ”

“You have here, ostensibly, Bashar al-Assad nerve gassing his own people.  Sarin gas.  Lurch told us. John Kerry.  He told us this Friday.  Obama’s got the red line drawn out there.  They crossed the red line.  Obama’s manhood is on the line.  Oh, my God, he’s a gotta huff and puff! He’s been huffing and puffing.  All of a sudden, “You know what?  To hell with it!  I’m gonna wait awhile.  I’m gonna wait on Congress.”

Wait a minute. People are dying, I thought.  He’s nerve gassing people!  He’s nerve gassing his own people, chemical weapons, weapons of mass destruction, and we’re gonna wait for Congress to get back?  We gotta wait a few days, rather than strike now? ‘Cause all we’re gonna do is we’re gonna have a, what, three-minute to five-hour strike, whatever it takes to show that…”

“What if Bashar didn’t do it?

Sit tight, ’cause I’ve got a story by a man whose credibility is intact and beyond repute.  His name is Yossef Bodansky. He “is an Israeli-American political scientist who served as Director of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare of the US House of Representatives from 1988 to 2004. He is also Director of Research of the International Strategic Studies Association and has been a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).”

“”There is a growing volume of new evidence from numerous sources in the Middle East — mostly affiliated with the Syrian opposition and its sponsors and supporters — which makes a very strong case, based on solid circumstantial evidence, that the August 21, 2013, chemical strike in the Damascus suburbs was indeed a pre-meditated provocation by the Syrian opposition. The extent of US foreknowledge of this provocation needs further investigation because available data puts the ‘horror’ of the Barack Obama White House in a different and disturbing light.”

This guy is not a kook, folks.  He’s not a nut.  He’s not an Internet Looney Toon, the guy writing this, Yossef Bodansky.  In fact, in reading further about this guy, Yossef Bodansky argued that the deception playing out right now in Syria is a deception similar to one used in Sarajevo in 1995 to provoke air strikes against the Serbs for the benefit of the Bosnian Muslims. ”

You must read more:!!!

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2013/09/03/bodansky_what_if_bashar_didn_t_do_it

We didn’t attack Saddam Hussein when the following occurred.

“As early as April 1987, the Iraqis used chemical weapons to remove Kurds from their villages in northern Iraq during the Anfal campaign. It is estimated that chemical weapons were used on approximately 40 Kurdish villages, with the largest of these attacks occurring on March 16, 1988 against the Kurdish town of Halabja.

Beginning in the morning on March 16, 1988 and continuing all night, the Iraqis rained down volley after volley of bombs filled with a deadly mixture of mustard gas and nerve agents on Halabja. Immediate effects of the chemicals included blindness, vomiting, blisters, convulsions, and asphyxiation. Approximately 5,000 women, men, and children died within days of the attacks. Long-term effects included permanent blindness, cancer, and birth defects. An estimated 10,000 lived, but live daily with the disfigurement and sicknesses from the chemical weapons.

Saddam Hussein’s cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid was directly in charge of the chemical attacks against the Kurds, earning him the epithet, “Chemical Ali.””

http://history1900s.about.com/od/saddamhussein/a/husseincrimes.htm

You have been informed at Citizen Wells about the real unemployment situation and economy.

Here is another example.

From Zero Hedge September 3, 2013.

“Unemployment At One Year High, Gallup Finds”

“Since lately it seems that the BLS’ sole mandate is to smooth and otherwise seasonally adjust noisy, incomplete employment data, even as the one part of employment that should not be rising – part-time jobs – continues to creep ever higher both seasonally adjusted and otherwise, it has become virtually impossible to get an accurate, unadjusted perspective of how the US labor force is truly doing. And with this Friday’s non-farm payroll report “the most important ever”, as every other month of course, this time because it will seal the fate of the taper (or won’t) depending if the data is bad enough, everyone is eager to get a sense of what is going on behind the scenes and how to position for Friday.”

“Which means that while the Gallup data is largely useless from a policy, or trading perspective, it is very useful in one key fashion: it shows that the US economy continues to deteriorate, and that increasingly more people have no jobs when stripping out the BLS’ favorite labor force participation adjustment gimmick.”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-03/unemployment-one-year-high-gallup-finds

If you still don’t believe that Obama has motivation to divert attention away from the economy, Obamacare and his other issues, you had better wake up and start making plans to survive the real crisis that could develop.

Greensboro Guilford County NC working poor, Labor Day carries a different meaning, Unemployment lingering at 9 percent or higher, Part time jobs and no health care

Greensboro Guilford County NC working poor, Labor Day carries a different meaning, Unemployment lingering at 9 percent or higher, Part time jobs and no health care

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

“However … health insurance rates and benefit coverage plan costs have continued to increase. As a result of those increases, county employees have experienced a pay decrease that has grown larger each year.”…Guilford County Interim Manager Sharisse Fuller

“If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.”…Barack Obama

 

 

A good article from the front top page of the Greensboro News Record September 2, 2013.

“For the working poor, Labor Day carries a different meaning”

“After years of area unemployment lingering at 9 percent or higher, Labor Day is a time of appreciation for those who have held on to a job.

But for many of Greensboro’s employed, a job hasn’t been enough to lift them to economic stability.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture keeps data on “food insecurity” — essentially, when a family has faced significant periods where it didn’t have enough to eat.

According to a report by Feeding America based on the agriculture department’s data in addition to that of the U.S. Census Bureau, 33 percent of the 95,480 people in Guilford County who are food insecure have incomes too high to qualify for federal nutrition programs commonly known as food stamps.

Yes, it’s true. You can be food insecure, but ineligible for food stamps.”

“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.””

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_6078cd82-11cc-11e3-9e01-0019bb30f31a.html

 

Syria distracts, Another Obama diversion, What’s happening while no one is looking, Gun control, Debt ceiling, Real unemployment, AL VT eligibility cases, Blagojevich appeal, FDIC v Mahajan

Syria distracts, Another Obama diversion, What’s happening while no one is looking, Gun control, Debt ceiling, Real unemployment, AL VT eligibility cases, Blagojevich appeal, FDIC v Mahajan

“we do know that Islamic extremists with ties to Al-Qa’ida participated in the attack.”…CIA Benghazi talking points memo
“400 US surface-to-air missiles were ‘STOLEN’ from Libya during the Benghazi attack and are ‘now in the hands of Al Qaeda’, claims whistleblower”…The Mail Online August 13, 2013

“Because I tend to rely on evidence and not on hearsay, I believe we should focus our attention on Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey, not on Giannoulias and the Broadway Bank, if we are to assign names to the financial institution about which Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times has heard “rumblings.” Although Mahajan is not known to readers of No Quarter and to the national media, I imagine they will desire more information on the unscrupulous banker once they read the information I unpack below the fold. And yes, Obama is involved, deeply involved.”…Truthteller, NoQuarterUSA October 12, 2008

 

 

Never let a good crisis go to waste.

If you don’t have one. Create one.

From Zero Hedge August 29, 2013.

“As Syria Distracts, Here’s What’s Happening While No One Is Looking”

“Gun control

Today, the Obama administration announced fresh measures to restrict the availability of firearms in the Land of the Free.

This time around, they want to ban the re-importation of firearms that have been exported from the US to allied nations. They also want to raise the bar on federal background checks.

But rather than go through Congress, the Obama administration is simply going to create a new ‘rule’.

‘Rules’ are a type of regulation created directly by agencies within the Executive Branch. They’re not laws, but they carry the same weight and effect as laws, complete with criminal and civil penalties.

Oftentimes, hundreds of new rules are proposed every single day in the Land of the Free. It’s the easiest way for the President to circumvent the Constitution and simply decree whatever he wants.

Debt ceiling

The US government is once again danger close to defaulting.

Bear in mind, at the start of the ‘credit crisis’ six years ago, US federal debt was just $8.9 trillion. Today, US federal debt stands at $16.738 trillion– 88% higher.

Curiously, the statutory debt limit is $16.699 trillion… so the US government already breached its limit 39 billion dollars ago.

For the last few months, the Treasury Department has been resorting to ‘extraordinary measures’ in order to avoid default (i.e. things that you and I would go to jail for).

But Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is about out of bullets. So the US could be in danger of defaulting at any moment, especially if an unexpected fiscal ‘surprise’ should arise… like, uh, war.

That’s the funny thing about war– they tend to be expensive. And starting another war might very well be the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-29/syria-distracts-here%E2%80%99s-whats-happening-while-no-one-looking

I applaud Zero Hedge for pointing out another Obama camp diversion.

However, they left out a few things that Obama might wanted attention diverted away from.

  • The real employment situation. Huge drop in labor force participation, increase in part time employees, etc.
  • AL and VT supreme court Obama eligibility cases.
  • Blagojevich appeal.
  • FDIC v Mahajan lawsuit.
  • Obamacare impact on jobs and health care costs.
  • Add your own Obama problem. Time prohibits listing them all.

Obama Obamacare part time job economy lowers household income, Sentier Research household income index June 2013 92.8, Dropped from over 98 when Obama took office

Obama Obamacare part time job economy lowers household income, Sentier Research household income index June 2013 92.8, Dropped from over 98 when Obama took office

“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

“Middle-class people who have never been out of work find themselves chronically unemployed and slipping into poverty.”…Greensboro News Record August 25, 2013

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

The truth about jobs, unemployment and the economy has been reported here.

You were warned not to believe the stated unemployment rate and the alleged improvement in the jobs situation and the economy.

You have been given the facts about the huge numbers of workers who have dropped out of the labor force since Obama took control of the White House in January of 2009.

The US Labor Force Participation Rate dropped 2.3 percent since Obama took control.

The NC Labor Force Participation Rate dropped 1.4 percent from January to July of 2013.

The huge increase in part time workers and jobs under Obama, in many cases directly attributable to the impact of Obamacare, is an underreported but very important story.

Remember, part time workers are counted as employed and improve the unemployment rate.

However, numbers do not lie.

Sooner or later the truth emerges and here is a good example.

From Sentier Research.

“The Household Income Index for June was 92.8”

“Our household income index permits monthly tracking of median annual household income before taxes. The index has been computed monthly beginning in January 2000. The base index value for January 2000 is 100.0. Each month the latest estimate of median household income is adjusted to reflect changes in prices since January 2000 and then seasonally adjusted to account for seasonal variations in the way households report their income in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS). The median annual household income for each month is divided by the January 2000 median to compute the index.

Data have been compiled from each monthly CPS survey taken since January 2000 (as of June 2013, 162 surveys in total). Each of these surveys collected data for a nationally representative sample of more than 50,000 interviewed households and their members (approximately 130,000 per month). The survey collects the detailed information needed to determine the employment characteristics of all civilians age 16 years old and over and to compute the official unemployment rate. It also collects key demographic and social characteristics for all household members, including children.

Estimates of household income from the survey are based on a single question that asks respondents to report the total income received by the household during the 12-month period prior to the survey month. The definition of income used in the survey includes the following:

  • Wages and salary
  • Nonfarm self-employment income
  • Farm self-employment income
  • Social Security and Supplemental Security Income
  • Interest, dividends, net rental income, and royalties
  • Cash public assistance (federal and state)
  • Unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation
  • Retirement income from pensions, annuities, other retirement plans
  • Veterans’ pensions and compensation
  • Child support and alimony
  • Other cash income excluding capital gains or lump sum, one-time amounts”

Read more:

http://www.sentierresearch.com/HouseholdIncomeIndex.html

The Household Income Index was over 98 when Obama took office.

HouseholdIncomeIndex_UnemploymentRate_06_2013

The cost of Obamacare and Obama policies is taking its toll.

Greensboro News Record August 25, 2013, Employment very bad, Middle class people who have never been out of work find themselves chronically unemployed and slipping into poverty

Greensboro News Record August 25, 2013, Employment very bad, Middle class people who have never been out of work find themselves chronically unemployed and slipping into poverty

“North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell for the fourth consecutive month in May to 8.8 percent, but the slight drop was largely due to a shrinking labor force rather than the creation of new jobs, economists said.”…Raleigh News Observer June 21, 2013
“Middle-class people who have never been out of work find themselves chronically unemployed and slipping into poverty.”…Greensboro News Record August 25, 2013

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

 

Good news.

The Greensboro News Record, which has recently been reticent to report the dismal jobs situation in the Triad and NC, has produced a realistic report and placed it on the front page.

From the Greensboro News Record August 25, 2013.

“Recession may be over in the Triad, but not for those who need jobs”

“Unemployment in this region, however you measure it, is very bad.

Middle-class people who have never been out of work find themselves chronically unemployed and slipping into poverty. In the recession’s wake, 20 percent of Greensboro residents are poor, according to 2011 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

In the Greensboro-High Point metro area, which covers Guilford, Rockingham and Randolph counties, the June unemployment rate was 9.7 percent. The seasonally adjusted rate was 9.3 percent. That’s a slight improvement from a year ago, amounting to a net increase of 4,500 jobs compared with June 2012.

But pull back that lens and look at the state-designated Piedmont Triad Partnership region: an area that encompasses Guilford, Forsyth and 10 surrounding counties.

Since Jan. 1, 2008, the number of unemployed people in the region has grown from 45,000 to 78,000.”

“At 8.9 percent, North Carolina’s unemployment rate is 0.7 percentage points lower than a year ago. But the national rate is 7.4 percent.

Several employment segments are a drag on the Triad economy, according to a monthly analysis of the region’s economy produced by UNCG and called the Dixon Hughes Goodman Triad Business Index. The index defines the Triad as Guilford, Forsyth and four adjoining counties.

Manufacturing employment, the region’s staple industry, dropped by 1.7 percent in June compared with June 2012.

The number of education and health care jobs dropped by 3.3 percent, and that’s a segment that had been considered stable.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_0b20f308-0cf1-11e3-94de-0019bb30f31a.html

This is a good report.

However, why not add what was reported here a few days ago.

Now for the real news.

The Labor Force Participation Rate plummeted 1.4 percent From January to July 2013.

This is huge news.

Ask your local TV News or Newspaper why they are not reporting this.

Check it for yourself here:

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

 

New home sales drop 13.4 percent, Lowest since October 2012, Rising mortgage rates and slow employment growth, June sales revised downward, Obamacare part time job economy

New home sales drop 13.4 percent, Lowest since October 2012, Rising mortgage rates and slow employment growth, June sales revised downward, Obamacare part time job economy

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

“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″

The article doesn’t mention the impact of Obamacare on the job market. It mentions slow employment growth.

But we are in a Obamacare part time job economy and still have high unemployment rates.

From Market Watch August 23, 2013.

“New-home sales slump to lowest rate since October”

“Sales of new homes slumped in July with each region seeing sizeable drops, raising questions about the recovery in the housing market.

New housing construction is seen in Poolesville, Maryland.
New-home sales fell 13.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 394,000 in July, the lowest rate since October, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported Friday.

Rising mortgage rates may be behind July’s drop, though the monthly data are quite volatile and economists had expected some pull back after sales gains in recent months. Longer-term trends point to continuing growth: new-home sales in July were up 6.8% from the year-earlier period.

“This was an unambiguously weak report, and it reflects in part some of the negative impact of higher mortgage rates,” said Millan Mulraine, director of U.S. research and strategy at TD Securities.

Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a July sales rate of 485,000, compared with an original June estimate that pegged the rate at 497,000. On Friday the government revised June’s rate to 455,000.”

“However, there’s concern about the bite that rising rates will take out of demand. Since early May, the average rate for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has increased more than one percentage point. As the Federal Reserve starts winding down its massive bond-buying program, a tapering that could start this year, rates will continue to rise, forcing would-be buyers to scale back purchase plans.

Rising rates aren’t the only headwinds facing consumers and builders. Slow employment growth is also hampering sales as buyers are wary of forming new households. Also, relatively low inventories are heating up competition and prices, making it tough for first-time owners to participate in the market.”

Read more:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-home-sales-hit-lowest-rate-since-october-2013-08-23