These are staggering, 2008-esque numbers with grave consequences for the nation, the economy and late-crisis capitalism. So naturally the powers that be are handicapping the midterms:
“Until and unless the public becomes more enthused about their economic future and accepts the economy is getting better, that’s a big problem for the White House,” said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. “Laying these numbers on top of Obamacare and the six-year itch, gosh, that is a deep hole to crawl out of for the president and Democratic candidates”
Well, yeah. Certainly, it’s Obama’s depression now. Five years in office and he still hasn’t done jack shit to address long-term unemployment or underemployment. Anyone who votes Dem is a fool – if you’re a 99%er, Obama fucks you, if you’re a 1%er, your investments are not looking good.
But why vote Republican? Out of spite, I guess. Because they aren’t/wouldn’t do anything either. We know that. The GOP’s idea of stimulus is a $300 pre-bare check.
This shit can only be settled in the streets. And it will be.
Ironically, we will have Obama and the Democrats to thank when that happens.
16 Comments.
What utter nonsense.
This will not be settled in the streets. There will be no revolution anytime soon (and Thank God for that, because the consequences would be so horrific that even you would long for when the Democrats had power).
Perhaps in a thousand years there will be a revolution to topple the fascist theocracy that America turned into. But history will show that Obama and the Democrats weren’t to thank for the formation of the thousand year fascist theocracy- “progressives” were.
You just keep spouting your nonsense about revolution and lying about Obama (I’d debunk your lie, but really, what’s the point- you’d just ignore the actual truth and keep repeating the lie anyway) if it makes you feel better about the damage you’re causing by not doing the real work necessary to effect positive change.
Me, I’ll keep actually changing the world for the better- one tiny little bit at a time.
Unemployment drops to 6.7% in miracle recovery.
Maybe this has something to do with it?
The 1.3 million people who have lost extended unemployment benefits are no longer counted as unemployed.
Remember, this could be worse and may yet be. The government would just as soon put a million people into a war, so as to “lay them off” of life, to “downsize” the population. The 1% hates you for messing up their numbers and will kill you when it figures out how to get the job done without taking the blame itself by creating a new enemy, so it can lovingly call their dead victims heroes.
As far as I know, the government manipulates all economic statistics.
“The 1.3 million people who have lost extended unemployment benefits are no longer counted as unemployed.”
That’s not (quite) how it works. To be unemployed, one must meet two conditions: a) no work at all, not even $10 for shovelling neighbours’ walks the day after the big blizzard; and b) proof that you’ve been applying to places accepting applications.
Anyone who collects unemployment has to declare all income from working AND must show proof of job applications. After all benefits are cut off, many who know it’s a complete waste of time to apply will stop applying, and then are no longer unemployed. It’s not because their unemployment was cut off that they are not unemployed, but the fact that many stop applying when it’s both useless and no longer mandatory.
No that’s not how unemployment *works* – but that’s how the unemployed are *counted*
The point Ted’s making is that there are more unemployed people out there than the official numbers reflect.
Okay, Whimsical, I’ll bite: “What lie, specifically, is it that you won’t debunk because Ted will ignore you?”
only journalists and commentators want revolutions (i.e. things settled in the streets), because it seems romantic and they want to write about it and be seen writing about it. The rest of us understand that revolutions are always horrific.
Not looking for romance. Looking for results.
Right now, the burden of proof is on reformists cuz they haven’t accomplished dick in decades.
Ted, every revolution in history is followed by chaos and horrific reprisals, until some strongman takes control and establishes order from that chaos. It then takes decades for any kind of democratic influences to emerge. This doesn’t constitute ‘results’….and don’t bring up the American Revolution, because that was simply an oligarchy of local notables grabbing power.
What are you wanting then, Aggie? What do people do with a wholly corrupt system other than destroy it and start fresh?
I don’t vote for democrats, I vote against republicans. If the dems are the only tools I have to defeat the bastards, then that’s how I’ll vote.
Yes, that’s voting for the lesser of evils. I didn’t say I *liked* it. For the record, though, I didn’t vote for Obama the second time around. I hate throwing my vote away on a Green, but it’s better than supporting a war criminal.
I’m not promoting revolution in the streets, either. Rather, I’m predicting it. I sincerely doubt that this country is going to last another century.
Dems are the same bastards. They have no differences policy-wise, but I wouldn’t expect the likes of you to have the capacity to recognize this. Mr. Rall is spot on that any vote is a vote for a corrupt system. 2008 was the last time I will ever vote.
“2008 was the last time I will ever vote.”
Thank you.
US elections are a farce so I can’t take them seriously at all. But so is life in the Unitary State of America.
The situation we’re in is tragic but voting for corporate state puppets has proven to be a totally ineffective way of dealing with this tragedy.
So I pledge to vote for candidates who have no chance of winning while being totally dismissive of the infinitesimal prospect of anything worthwhile ever coming from it.
The Pledged Loser vote, times a few million, laughing in the face of this dark dismal joke of destruction by election , MAY worry the fraudulent few more than the fearful many.
MAY, but likely won’t, because everything’s gone too far for an easy fix brought by farcical elections.
Bad times are coming whether the R’s or D’s or any other party wins. Individual humans have not demonstrated the intelligence to overcome our mass ignorance. We’re doomed.
So:
“If that’s all there is, my friend, then let’s keep dancing.
Let’s break out the booze and have a ball
If that’s all there is.”
So laugh it up in the face of the coming death and destruction. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. We’re all losers in this game, so let’s all vote for candidates we can understand and identify with: candidates that are losers just like us, candidates guaranteed to lose.
Vote for the losing candidate you can live with (or die with); just not one that’s a psychopathic murderer.
This has been a partisan message from the Pledged Loser Voting Coalition.
The labor force participation rate is 62.8%. Back in 2003, it was around 66%. If you do the math, there are, numerically, more people working now (at 62.8%) than back then (66%) because the population has expanded.
However … that sunshiny detail ceases to be the case when you factor in all the 65-year-olds (and above) who are NOT retiring. Some people actually enjoy their jobs, or are terrified of losing their insurance or income stream. Also, the majority of 65+ers are not financially able to retire. That will continue to increase, by the way due to salary stagnation.
Discussions about the economy and employment rates are impossible for a couple of reasons. One of them? Look at Ted’s headline: US Economy Lost Net 273,000 Jobs in December.
What is the comparison point? From October? From the apex of employment? And what does the number mean? Jobs aren’t fungible. Were these 273,000 engineers or 273,000 fry cooks? Were they seasonal workers?
Discussion about employment is consistently dumbed down by almost all the media. We get one number and everyone agrees to agree that that is all the public needs (or could handle).
Unemployment should be broken down exhaustively. Job reports should be discussed for key demographics: age, race, gender, education. Calculations should be available to show whether salaries in various fields are keeping abreast with inflation.
Too true. The media always prefers an obfuscating sound-bite taken on faith. Even the federal budget deficit is a false figure. It also reminds me of the way people think the DOW average means something by itself.