Tag Archives: 2013

Unemployment impact on American households, February 7, 2013, NY Times reports Rutgers study, Nearly a quarter layed off, Recession all consuming, Real unemployment rate

Unemployment impact on American households, February 7, 2013, NY Times reports Rutgers study, Nearly a quarter layed off, Recession all consuming, Real unemployment rate

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

“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.

“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″

The following is a decent article from the NY Times except for the fact that it fails to accurately reflect the real unemployment rate. That is, the large number of people who have dropped out of the workforce, i.e., the large drop in the Labor Force Participation Rate.

Where I come from, if you are going to report the truth about unemployment and the impact on American households, you do not omit that important fact.

From the NY Times February 7, 2013.

“Profound Weight of Layoffs Is Seen in Work Trends Survey”
“Layoffs have touched nearly every American household in some fashion over the last few years, according to new survey data to be released Thursday by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

While about 8 percent of Americans are unemployed, nearly a quarter of Americans say they were laid off at some point during the recession or afterward, according to the survey. More broadly, nearly eight in 10 say they know someone in their circle of family and friends who has lost a job.

“This to me is why the recession was so all-consuming and is likely to influence the American psyche,” said Cliff Zukin, a public policy and political science professor at Rutgers and co-author of the report. “Almost everyone, four out of five, were directly or one step removed from unemployment and all that goes with it financially, socially, psychologically.”

The survey presented a bleak view of the economic future.

A majority of Americans say they think it will be at least six years before the economy is made whole again, if ever. Three in 10 said the economy would never fully recover from the Great Recession.

“Despite significant improvements in the nation’s labor market, American workers’ concerns about unemployment, the job market, job security and the future of the economy have not changed much since we conducted a similar survey in August 2010,” the report said.

Just a third of Americans surveyed in this poll, conducted from Jan. 9-16, said they thought the economy would be better next year, the same share that said so two years earlier.

Of those laid off in recent years, nearly a quarter said they still had not found a job. Re-employment rates for older workers have been particularly bad, with nearly two-thirds of unemployed people 55 and older saying they actively sought a job for more than a year before finding one or had still not found work.”

Rutgers University study.

Click to access Work_Trends_February_2013.pdf

Here are a few examples of what could have been added to the report:

“The unemployment rate fell by .2 percent only because the labor force participation rate dropped .2 percent to record lows.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/09/07/labor-force-participation-rate-drops-to-record-low-unemployment-still-over-8-percent-2-percent-drop-in-labor-force-lowers-unemployment-rate-white-house-brags/

“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.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/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/

8.0 earthquake Tsunami deaths Solomon Islands, February 6, 2013, Numerous aftershocks up to 6.6, Pacific Ring of Fire

8.0 earthquake Tsunami deaths Solomon Islands, February 6, 2013, Numerous aftershocks up to 6.6, Pacific Ring of Fire

From Reuters February 6, 2013.
“Tsunami kills at least five in Solomons after big Pacific quake”

“A powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake set off a tsunami that killed at least five people in a remote part of the Solomon Islands on Wednesday and triggered evacuations across the South Pacific as island nations issued tsunami alerts.

The quake struck 340 km (211 miles) east of Kira Kira in the Solomons, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said as it issued warnings for the Solomons and other South Pacific nations including Australia and New Zealand. It later canceled the warnings for the outlying regions.

A tsunami measuring 0.9 metres (three feet) hit near the town of Lata on the remote Santa Cruz island, swamping some villages and the town’s main airport as people fled to safety on higher ground.

More than three dozen aftershocks up to magnitude 6.6 rocked the region in the hours after the quake, the U.S. Geological Survey said.”

“The Solomons, perched on the geologically active “Pacific Ring of Fire”, were hit by a devastating tsunami following an 8.1 magnitude quake in 2007. At least 50 people were killed then and dozens left missing and more than 13 villages destroyed.

“It’s an area that is very prone to earthquakes,” said Jonathan Bathgate, seismologist at Geoscience Australia. “We’ve had seven 6-plus magnitude earthquakes in this region since January 31, so it has been very active in the past week.””

Read more:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/us-solomons-quake-idUSBRE91500X20130206

To view the location and the aftershocks:

http://www.world-earthquakes.com/index.php?option=pastday

Obama corruption tie court cases update, February 5, 2013, Blagojevich appeal delayed, FDIC Mutual Bank lawsuit drags on, Obama Rezko ties linger, Die slowly?

Obama corruption tie court cases update, February 5, 2013, Blagojevich appeal delayed, FDIC Mutual Bank lawsuit drags on, Obama Rezko ties linger, Die slowly?

“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

“this guy is more Tony’d up than I am. …. they got the Chicago media to f…ing make me wear Rezko more. To f…ing dilute it from him.”…Rod Blagojevich wiretap November 12, 2008

“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich

 

General Douglas MacArthur stated: “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

Perhaps the same sentiment could be used for court cases that tie Obama to Chicago corruption and Tony Rezko.

There are two active court cases that touch Obama and his dealings with Tony Rezko and other Chicago corruption figures.

The FDIC filed a lawsuit against Mutual Bank (Rezko lot loan bank) and it’s officers on October 25, 2011.

Here is some background information.

From Citizen Wells October 25, 2012.

“Here is what we know about the purchase of a lot by Barack and Michelle Obama from Rita Rezko in 2006:

1. “In June, 2005, Mutual Bank President and CEO Amrish Mahajan and
other Mutual Bank officers approved a loan to Rita Malki Rezko (Rita
Rezko) which was guaranteed by Antonin Rezko so that Rita Rezko could
purchase a 9,090 square foot vacant parcel of real estate at 5050 S.
Greenwood Avenue, Chicago.” (Conner lawsuit)

2. “On or about January 4, 2006, Rita Rezko entered into an
agreement with Senator Barack and Michelle Obama (Obamas) to sell a
ten-foot strip of the 5050 S. Greenwood property to the Obamas.”
(Conner lawsuit)

3. “In late 2005 or early 2006, Conner performed an appraisal review
of the Adams Appraisal (Exhibit C) per the directive of Richard Barth
and James Murphy. Conner prepared a written Appraisal Review report
(ARR) opining that the Adams Appraisal overvalued the Greenwood lot by
a minimum of $ 125,000.00 and that a reasonable and fair valuation for
Mutual Banks’s underwriting purposes should be no greater than $
500,000.00 for the entire 5050 S. Greenwood parcel as originally
purchased by Rita Rezko.” (Conner lawsuit)

4. “On or about October 19, 2006, Mutual Bank received a Grand Jury
Subpoena (GJS) requiring Mutual Bank to produce the Rezko 5050
Greenwood loan file, as well as a Rita Rezko Riverside District
Development LLC checking account and loan file.” (Conner lawsuit)

5. “In October, 2007, Conner had various communications with Mutual
Bank’s Human Resources Department representative, Lana Schlabach. In
an email communication of October 15, 2007, Conner directly referenced
“Resentment over my mentioned discovery of the removal/replacement of
an appraisal review that I conducted. That appraisal review contained
substantial observations and suggestions. The transaction and parties
involved were high profile in the media.I am under the impression that
the FBI has since looked at the file.”” On October 23, 2007, eight days after Conner’s October 15, 2007 email to Schlabach attached as Exhibit J, Mutual Bank terminated Conner’s employment for pretextual reasons.” (Conner lawsuit)

6. “On October 23, 2007, eight days after Conner’s October 15, 2007
email to Schlabach attached as Exhibit J, Mutual Bank terminated
Conner’s employment for pretextual reasons.” (Conner lawsuit)

7. The FDIC has filed a lawsuit against Mutual Bank, Amrish Mahajan, Richard Barth, et al.”

From the FDIC lawsuit against Amrish Mahajan, et al.

“6. The Director Defendants also wasted corporate assets and drained the Bank’s capital by…(c) authorizing $ 495,000 in “bonuses” to pay for the criminal defense costs for the Defendant Amrish Mahajan’s wife who was indicted for Medicaid fraud”

“32. The Director and Officer Defendants failed to establish procedures that would have lessened the risks of the Bank’s improvidant lending practices. The terms of transactions were not accurately documented. Status reports were missing so that records of how an asset was progressing were not available. Terms of loans were changed at closing without board or loan committee approvals or any rcord in the file. Loan guarantees were frequently missing from the files. Appraisers were retained by brokers with an interest in seeing transactions consummated, not by the bank. Appraisals were often received after the loan was funded. Loans were typically non-recourse and dependent on guarantor abilities to repay in the event that the collateral was insufficient. Yet, little or no attention was paid to whether guarantors had sufficient liquidity to protect the Bank’s interest; the officers and the Board did little or no analysis of guarantor or borrower financial strength.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/obama-rezko-lot-transaction-bank-president-mahajan-fdic-lawsuit-motion-hearing-october-25-2012-judge-virginia-m-kendall-rezkos-sold-lot-to-obamas/

The FDIC lawsuit against Amrish Mahajan, former president of Mutual Bank, et al is scheduled for a status hearing in the courtroom of Judge Virginia M. Kendall on February 12, 2013. Mutual Bank loaned Rita Rezko the money for the lot that was purchased by the Obama’s. It is also the bank that fired whistleblower Kenneth J. Conner after he questioned the appraisal of that lot.

Daily Calendar

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 (As of 02/05/13 at 07:50:47 AM)

Honorable Virginia M. Kendall               Courtroom 2319 (VMK)

1:11-cv-07590   Federal Deposit Insurance Corporatio   09:00   Status Hearing

http://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/home/DailyCal/0.htm

Of course the delay in prosecuting Rod Blagojevich and his subsequent appeal process is the “elephant in the room.” Some say he is awaiting a pardon from Obama.

From Citizen Wells December 5, 2012.

“The Blagojevich arrest was delayed until after the 2008 election.

The Blagojevich appeal has been delayed until after the 2012 election by the Obama Justice Department.”

“A perfect Chicago Crime?

From Citizen Wells October 26, 2012.

“The transcripts needed for the Rod Blagojevich appeal, overdue by almost a year, are still not ready and the appeals court judge is faulting Blagojevich attorney Lauren Kaeseberg, despite the fact that the appeals court has responsibility in this matter.”

“Who engineered these delays and who is responsible?

What were Obama and Blagojevich discussing in 2008?

“Just because it’s a conspiracy theory doesn’t mean it is not true.”

“It is obvious to any rational person paying attention that this delay was orchestrated by the Obama controlled US Justice Department to keep Obama corruption ties out of the election cycle news.””

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/blagojevich-appeal-delayed-until-after-2012-election-blagojevich-arrested-after-2008-election-transcripts-completed-appeal-in-federal-court-system-obama-justice-department/

Obama Hillary Clinton revealed, February 3, 2013, Truth in print in NC, Clinton testimony exposed, Obama stupid gun comment, Rhino Times Obama administration truth

Obama Hillary Clinton revealed, February 3, 2013, Truth in print in NC, Clinton testimony exposed, Obama stupid gun comment, Rhino Times Obama administration truth

“But Crowley and Obama had it wrong. the Post’s Glenn Kessler explained:

What did Obama say in the Rose Garden a day after the attack in Libya? ”No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this nation,” he said.
But he did not say “terrorism”—and it took the administration days to concede that that it an “act of terrorism” that appears unrelated to initial reports of anger at a video that defamed the prophet Muhammad.”…Washington Post Oct. 17, 2012

“The question that I had in my mind, was why did we not do something to protect our forces?”…Charles Woods, father of slain Navy Seal

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

 

 

Yesterday it was reported here that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway had just bought the Greensboro News Record. The impact of that transaction may have already resulted in biased wording. This will be watched closely and counteracted to the extent possible.

This makes the role of the Rhinoceros Times, also based in Greensboro, NC, even more important. It too is in print and on the internet.

From the Rhino Times January 31, 2013.

The senators who finally got Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to testify had a lot of fun speechifying instead of asking questions. Sen. Rand Paul made his point that Hillary Clinton should have been fired, but why didn’t any senator ask her the question that should have been at the top of the list — why didn’t she know what happened in Benghazi, if not while it was going on, shortly after?

The ambassador and three other State Department employees were killed, but most of the State Department employees who were there were still alive on Sept. 12 and are alive today. Does Hillary Clinton not know how to use a telephone? Why didn’t she simply call one of the survivors and ask what happened.

If she had she would have known that it was not a spontaneous attack caused by a video or by people out walking around who decided they wanted to kill Americans. Hillary Clinton may not know that few people bring mortars and heavy machine guns to spontaneous rallies or take them on walks, even in the Middle East, but if she had simply talked to some of the survivors she would have known that it was not a spontaneous demonstration.

Rand was right that Hillary Clinton should have been fired for dereliction of duty for not reading the emails from her ambassador in Libya, but what was worse is that, according to what Clinton said, she took no action to find out what did happen at the US compound in Benghazi and at the CIA compund where the ex-Navy Seals were killed.

For what possible reason did it take weeks for the US government to find out what happened? Why wasn’t the compound sealed off? Why did it take weeks for the State Department to send the FBI to the scene to investigate?”

, , ,
“A statement thet rivals Hillary Clintons in outrageousness is Obama’s statement about gun control legislation: “If it saves only one life, it is worth it.” That is so stupid it is hard to believe that Obama’s speech writers allowed him to utter that phrase.

Lowering the national speed limit to 45 mph would save thousands of lives. Putting a trauma center in every little town in this country and in every neighborhood in cities would likewise save thousands of lives. One of the major causes of death in homes is falls, particularly in the bathroom. Ladders and bathtubs have no constitutional protection. So if Obama outlawed ladders and bathtubs thousands of lives could be saved.”

I would provide a link to this article, but I could find none.

Federal budget deficit explained in common sense terms in NC, John Hammer Rhino Times, January 24, 2013, Obama and congress increased spending 40 percent

Federal budget deficit explained in common sense terms in NC, John Hammer Rhino Times, January 24, 2013, Obama and congress increased spending 40 percent

“only 2 percent of the 3.5 million jobs gained since the recession ended in June 2009 are midpay. Nearly 70 percent are low-paying jobs”…AP, Kitsap Sun January 22, 2013

“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″

 

Common sense in print in NC.

From John Hammer of the Rhino Times January 24, 2013.

“If you listen to Democrats, and even some Republicans, for the federal government to balance its budget would require draconian cuts that would decimate the Defense Department and put major social welfare programs in bankruptcy. But the truth is that the federal government will take in $2.9 trillion in revenue this fiscal year. If the federal government would simply reduce spending to what it was a mere five years ago it would have a surplus instead of a trillion dollar deficit.

In 2007 the federal government spent $2.7 trillion. That was during the presidency of George Walker Bush and the budget deficit was about $200 billion, because the revenue that year was $2.56 trillion.

What Congress and President Obama have managed to do since then is increase spending astronomically. The projected spending for 2013 is $3.8 trillion. So even though revenue has increased to $2.9 trillion the deficit is still right around a trillion dollars.

It is an unbelievable increase in spending. The problem is not, as Obama continues to say, that the rich aren’t paying their fair share. The problem is that Obama and Congress have increased spending by 40 percent in the past five years. This is during a period of almost no inflation.

Since 2007 the federal government has increased its spending by $1.1 trillion. It is an incredible amount of money and it would be nice to blame it all on Obama, but Obama is a co-conspirator. Spending bills have to originate in the House, which the Republicans have controlled since 2011. Obama in his first term had pretty much free rein in Congress. The Democrats controlled the House and for almost a year had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Spending skyrocketed and in Obama’s first year in office, 2009, the budget deficit increased to $1.4 trillion.

What could only be done in Washington – where reality left the building decades ago – is that the budget deficit has remained over $1 trillion. The reason for the budget deficit in 2009 was the $1 trillion stimulus plan that Congress passed and Obama signed as soon as possible. That was supposed to spike up the spending, but then it was supposed to come back down.

It never has.

But the country ran pretty well in 2007. We were fighting the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, Social Security was being paid, as were Medicare and Medicaid. The federal government was throwing money at local governments, as it does, but evidently to go back to those years would be a tremendous hardship. It’s hard to believe.”

Read more:

http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/Articles-Columns-c-2013-01-23-214571.112113-under-the-hammer.html

AP job facts January 23, 2013, Recession tech kill middle class jobs, 70 percent of jobs added low paying, Government policies biggest job killer

AP job facts January 23, 2013, Recession tech kill middle class jobs, 70 percent of jobs added low paying, Government policies biggest job killer

“only 2 percent of the 3.5 million jobs gained since the recession ended in June 2009 are midpay. Nearly 70 percent are low-paying jobs”…AP, Kitsap Sun January 22, 2013

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

“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″

With the controversy about the AP producing biased reports about jobs added and unemployment, I did a search this morning:

January 23, 2013 AP jobs

I found the article below. There is truth in the article. There has been a trend for technology to replace jobs. Technology has also helped companies to function after massive layoffs. However, Technology did not cause the “Great Recession.”

From the Kitsap Sun January 22, 2013.

“Five years after the start of the Great Recession, the toll is terrifyingly clear: Millions of middle-class jobs have been lost in developed countries the world over.

And the situation is even worse than it appears.

Most of the jobs will never return, and millions more are likely to vanish as well, say experts who study the labor market. What’s more, these jobs aren’t just being lost to China and other developing countries, and they aren’t just factory work. Increasingly, jobs are disappearing in the service sector, home to two-thirds of all workers.

They’re being obliterated by technology.”

“The numbers startle even labor economists. In the United States, half of the 7.5 million jobs lost during the Great Recession paid middle-class wages, ranging from $38,000 to $68,000. But only 2 percent of the 3.5 million jobs gained since the recession ended in June 2009 are midpay. Nearly 70 percent are low-paying jobs; 29 percent pay well.”

“Over the past 50 years, technology has drastically reduced the number of jobs in manufacturing. Robots and other machines controlled by computer programs work faster and make fewer mistakes than humans. Now, that same efficiency is being unleashed in the service economy, which employs more than two-thirds of the workforce in developed countries. Technology is eliminating jobs in office buildings, retail establishments and other businesses consumers deal with every day.”

“Thanks to technology, companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index reported one-third more profit the past year than they earned the year before the Great Recession. They’ve also expanded their businesses, but total employment, at 21.1 million, has declined by a half-million.”

“In the U.S., the economic recovery that started in June 2009 has been called the third straight “jobless recovery.”

But that’s a misnomer. The jobs came back after the first two.

Most recessions since World War II were followed by a surge in new jobs as consumers started spending again and companies hired to meet the new demand. In the months after recessions ended in 1991 and 2001, there was no familiar snap-back, but all the jobs had returned in less than three years.

But 42 months after the Great Recession ended, the U.S. has gained only 3.5 million, or 47 percent, of the 7.5 million jobs that were lost. The 17 countries that use the euro had 3.5 million fewer jobs last June than in December 2007.

This has truly been a jobless recovery, and the lack of midpay jobs is almost entirely to blame.”
Read more:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/jan/22/ap-impact-recession-tech-kill-middle-class-02/#ixzz2InmaRPFt

While technology may account for some job losses, a big part of the answer lies in Washington, DC.

Diogenes

Looking for honest reporting.

Martin Luther King, Jr birthday, January 21, 2013, King quotes are relevant today yet rarely quoted, Obama et al should embrace, Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek

Martin Luther King, Jr birthday, January 21, 2013, King quotes are relevant today yet rarely quoted, Obama et al should embrace, Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek

“Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest.”… Mahatma Gandhi

Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Isn’t it odd, with all of the great quotes from him, that we rarely hear many of them referenced.

 
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”

“I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.”

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.”

“A lie cannot live.”

More quotes at:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html

Unemployment Insurance claims report January 17, 2013, Total claiming benefits in all programs increased 465547, Top 3 increases NY GA NC over 66K

Unemployment Insurance claims report January 17, 2013, Total claiming benefits in all programs increased 465547, Top 3 increases NY GA NC over 66K

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

“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

“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”

 

Talk about creative accounting and seasonal adjustments.

The alleged decrease of  37,000 initial claims from the prior week makes zero reality sense.

From the US Labor Dept. January 17, 2013.

“UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA”

“SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending January 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 335,000, a decrease of 37,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 372,000. The 4-week moving average was 359,250, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 366,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent for the week ending January 5, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemploymentduring the week ending January 5 was 3,214,000, an increase of 87,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,127,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,195,750, a decrease of 6,000 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,201,750.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 555,708 in the week ending January 12, an increase of 2,360 from the previous week. There were 525,422 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent during the week ending January 5, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week’s unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,850,441, an increase of 170,067 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 3.2 percent and the volume was 4,109,127.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending December 29 was 5,821,966, an increase of 465,547 from the previous week. There were 7,826,846 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2011.”

STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000


State Change State Supplied Comment
NY +37,189 Layoffs in the transporation, construction, and educational service industries.
GA +15,354 Layoffs in the manufacturing, administrative and support service, construction, and healthcare industries.
NC +13,606 Layoffs in the textile, business service, construction, electronic, furniture and fixtures, rubber and plastic products, lumber and wood products, transportation equipment, food services, metal, mining, service, healthcare service, engineering, accounting, research, amusement and recreation, general merchandise stores, and apparel and accessory industries.
CA +8,691 Layoffs in the service industry as well as agriculture, forestry, and fishing.
TX +8,669 Layoffs in the transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing industries.
SC +8,020 Layoffs in the textile and manufacturing industries.
AL +7,037 Increase is a result of processing claims from prior week when offices were closed due to the holiday. Majority of increase were in the transportation, textile, manufacturing, and construction industries.
TN +4,397 Layoffs in the administrative and support service, textile, contractors, electrical equipment, and construction industries.
VA +3,289 Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
FL +2,501 Layoffs in the construction, agriculture, trade, retail and service industries.
CT +2,125 No comment.
MO +1,739 Layoffs in the construction, administrative service, and retail industries.
ME +1,594 Layoffs in the construction, manufacturing, and accommodation and food service industires.
CO +1,378 No comment.
AZ +1,262 No comment.

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm#.UPhMYif7LhI

The top 3 increases in NY, GA and NC total over 66,000.

Judge Roy Moore sworn in,January 11, 2013, Ten Commandment judge returns, God and scripture references, No convincing evidence that Obama is a natural born citizen

Judge Roy Moore sworn in,January 11, 2013, Ten Commandment judge returns, God and scripture references, No convincing evidence that Obama is a natural born citizen

“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense,  to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells

“Lakin “not only has a right to follow his personal convictions under the Constitution, he has a duty,” Moore said. “And if the authority running the efforts of the war is not a citizen in violation of the Constitution, the order is unlawful.”

Moore said he’s seen no convincing evidence that Obama is a “natural born citizen” and a lot of evidence that suggests he is not.

“This is the strangest thing indeed. The president has never produced [evidence] in the face of substantial evidence he was not born in our country. People are accepting it blindly based on their feelings, not on the law,” he said.

“They can’t fool all of the people all of the time, and that’s what they’re trying to do,” he said.”…Judge Roy Moore interview by WND

“Why does a judge swear to discharge his duties agreeably to the
constitution of the United States, if that constitution forms no
rule for his government? if it is closed upon him, and cannot be
inspected by him?”… Marbury versus Madison

From AL.com January 11, 2013.

“Ten Commandment judge returns: Roy Moore sworn in as Alabama’s chief justice”

“In a ceremony heavy on references to God and scripture, Roy Moore took the oath of office today as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

Moore was joined by many relatives and a number of classmates from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, where he graduated in 1969.

An overflow crowd attended the investiture ceremony at the state judicial building to see Moore return to the office roughly nine years after he was removed for his refusal to follow a federal judge’s order to remove a Ten Commandments monument that Moore had placed in the state judicial building. Moore has said that order was wrong.

He did not mention the controversy during today’s speech. He did quote George Washington from an inaugural address on the subject of acknowledging God.

“It was right then to acknowledge God. And it will continue to be so,” Moore said.
He also said the foundation of the judicial system was laid in Deuteronomy 1:16-17.
“We’ve got to remember that most of what we do in court comes from some scripture or is backed by scripture,” Moore said.
More than 100 people watched the ceremony from an overflow area on closed-circuit television.

Tommy Bryan, a member of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals since 2005, was sworn in as an associate Supreme Court justice.

Bryan was elected to fill the seat vacated by Justice Thomas Woodall, who retired.

Moore was sworn in Circuit Judge John Bentley from the state’s 25th Judicial Circuit, which includes Marion and Winston counties. Bentley attended West Point with Moore. Bentley introduced a number of other West Point graduates who came to Montgomery for Moore’s swearing in.

Justice Michael Bolin swore in Bryan, whom he called one of his best friends.
C.O. Grinstead, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Oxford, drove to Montgomery to see Moore sworn in. He said Moore was a long-time friend.

“I’m thankful he ran and that is not a derogatory statement against the previous chief justice,” Grinstead said. “I just think the name Roy Moore is a statement in itself against crime and something for great morality.””
http://blog.al.com/montgomery/2013/01/ten_commandment_judge_returns.html

From WND September 20, 2010.

“Battle-scarred judge says Lakin decision ignores Constitution”

” The military judge who curiously noted without explanation that uncovering evidence about President Obama’s birth records could prove “embarrassing” and denied an officer the right to obtain potentially exculpatory evidence in a court-martial simply has forgotten the Constitution, the supreme rule of the United States.

So says Judge Roy Moore, who battled the politically correct climate as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court a decade ago and ultimately was removed from office by a state panel that refused to review the constitutionality of a federal court order.

His comments came today in an interview with WND about Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, who yesterday was denied permission by Army Col. Denise R. Lind to obtain evidence that could document Obama is not eligible to occupy the Oval Office.

Lakin refused to follow his latest deployment orders to go to Afghanistan, because he was unable through Army channels to document Obama’s eligibility, and the president himself has declined opportunities to do so.

Judge Moore, who now operates through the Foundation for Moral Law, has personal experience with challenging the powers that be to follow the Constitution. His dispute centered on a Ten Commandments display he put in a state building to recognize the God who inspired the Founders of America.

A federal judge opined that the monument shouldn’t be there and ordered its removal. Moore refused and ultimately was removed from office by a state commission that he says “blindly” followed the order without evaluating its legitimacy.

See the movie Obama does not want you to see: Own the DVD that probes this unprecedented presidential-eligibility mystery!

With her decision, Lind mirrored a number of federal judges who have ruled on civil lawsuits over Obama’s eligibility. They have without exception denied the plaintiffs’ access to any requested documentation regarding the president’s eligibility.

Lind ruled that it was “not relevant” for the military to be considering such claims, that the laws allegedly violated by Lakin were legitimate on their face and that the chain of command led up to the Pentagon, and that should have been sufficient for Lakin.

Moore said the ruling is a symptom of a judiciary across the nation that now believes in following “blindly.”

“The highest law in this country is not the order of the Supreme Court of the U.S., not the order of the commander in chief, or any subordinate officer,” he said.

Instead, it is the Constitution, which in this particular case demands that the president be a “natural born citizen,” a requirement not imposed on other officers.

There have been dozens of lawsuits and challenges over the fact that Obama’s eligibility never has been documented. The “Certification of Live Birth” his campaign posted online is a document that Hawaii has made available to those not born in the state.

“Lt. Col. Lakin has every right to question the lawfulness of the orders of the commander in chief. He’s not only the commander in chief, he dictates the whole war effort, as shown by the recent firing of [Gen. Stanley McChrystal],” Moore said.

It doesn’t matter, he said, that orders come from a colonel, or a general or even the Pentagon.

“The same thing applies in the military as in the judicial system,” he explained. “The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, it’s not the order of a higher officer, not the order of a judge.”

Lind found that since Congress allocates money for the war effort and the Pentagon was created, an order tracing back to the military hierarchy should have been sufficient for Lakin.

“That’s wrong,” Moore said. “They’re not the commander in chief.

“No order in the military can be issued without the authority that backs the order. The president didn’t give the order, but he is the authority that backs the order,” he said.

With the current protocol to simply follow orders, Moore warned, the U.S. will develop more incidents like that involving Lt. William Calley in Vietnam. The atrocities of My Lai were carried out under the guise of “following orders,” Moore noted.

Lakin “not only has a right to follow his personal convictions under the Constitution, he has a duty,” Moore said. “And if the authority running the efforts of the war is not a citizen in violation of the Constitution, the order is unlawful.”

Moore said he’s seen no convincing evidence that Obama is a “natural born citizen” and a lot of evidence that suggests he is not.

“This is the strangest thing indeed. The president has never produced [evidence] in the face of substantial evidence he was not born in our country. People are accepting it blindly based on their feelings, not on the law,” he said.

“They can’t fool all of the people all of the time, and that’s what they’re trying to do,” he said.”

Read more:

http://www.wnd.com/2010/09/199001/#lbsZ5CFlGZtGHvzd.99

Unemployment insurance initial claims up 4000, January 10, 2013, 4 week moving average increased 6750, 18 states increase more than 1000, American Express cutting 5400 jobs

Unemployment insurance initial claims up 4000, January 10, 2013, 4 week moving average increased 6750, 18 states increase more than 1000, American Express cutting 5400 jobs

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

“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″

 

From the US Labor Department January 10, 2013.

“UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT”

“In the week ending January 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 371,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 367,000. The 4-week moving average was 365,750, an increase of 6,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 359,000.”

STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000


State Change State Supplied Comment
MI +15,107 Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
PA +12,483 Layoffs in the transportation, construction, food and beverage manufacturing, and metals industries.
WI +6,748 No comment.
NJ +3,436 Layoffs in the educational service industry.
MO +3,057 Layoffs in the transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing industries.
IA +2,804 Increase is a result of processing claims from prior week when offices were closed due to the holiday.
NC +2,300 Layoffs in the machinery, lumber and wood products, transportation and warehousing, automotive repair, service and parking, rubber and plastic products, petroleum, and textile industries.
OR +2,185 Increase is a result of processing claims from prior week when offices were closed due to the holiday.
MD +2,182 No comment.
CA +2,012 Increase is a result of processing claims from prior week when offices were closed due to the holiday.
AL +1,913 Layoffs in the administrative and support service, healthcare and social assistance, construction, and textile industries.
TN +1,589 Layoffs in the administrative and support service, electronics, and construction industries.
KS +1,387 No comment.
CT +1,276 No comment.
OH +1,240 No comment.
ID +1,219 No comment.
VT +1,103 Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
MA +1,051 Layoffs in the transportation and warehousing industry.

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm#.UO9P4m_7LhI

From CNN Money January 10, 2013.

“American Express to cut 5,400 jobs”

“American Express announced Thursday that it was cutting 5,400 jobs, becoming the latest large financial firm to reduce its headcount.
The company said the largest reductions would come from its travel businesses, which “operate in an industry that is being fundamentally reinvented as a result of the digital revolution.”

“One outcome of this ongoing shift to online is that we can serve a growing customer base with lower staffing levels,” AmEx CEO Kenneth Chenault said in a call with analysts. “Staying ahead of these trends has led us to redesign the model within global business travel and to continue the evolution within cardmember servicing and collections.”

While the cuts will be partially offset by the addition of new positions, American Express said it expects to see its current work force of 63,500 reduced by between 4% and 6% by the end of the year.

“Against the backdrop of an uneven economic recovery, these restructuring initiatives are designed to make American Express more nimble, more efficient and more effective in using our resources to drive growth,” Chenault said in a statement.

The company said the cuts “will be spread proportionally between the U.S. and international markets and will primarily involve positions that do not directly generate revenue.”

Shares fell about 0.7% in after-hours trading.

The news came as American Express (AXP, Fortune 500) pre-announced of its fourth-quarter results. Excluding severance costs associated with the job cuts and other special expenses, net income came in at $1.2 billion, or $1.09 a share, exceeding the prediction of $1.06 a share from analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. Sales were $8.1 billion, in line with expectations.

Elsewhere in the industry, Morgan Stanley (AACXX) plans to eliminate 1,600 jobs in the coming weeks, a source told CNNMoney this week. Last month, Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) announced plans to cut 11,000 jobs.”

http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/10/investing/american-express-jobs/