Obama: You Do Not Count
About: u.s. bureau of labor statistics
The Government's own statistics are so nuanced that it is hard to get a straight answer to the following questions:
- How many people are in the total labor force? (count)
- What was the reduction in labor force for 2011? (count)
- What is the total underemployment count as well as the rate? (U6) for the year ; i.e. how many gave up looking or can't find a job besides those that apply for unemployment benefits?
- What's the snapshot for the US at this moment or at the end of the last month for those employed, those getting unemployment & those without jobs that are not getting unemployment?
- What's the reduction/expansion in the labor force since Obama took office?
I googled around & couldn't find straight answers to any of these, but the net of my understanding is that the labor force is around 156,000,000 people. Using a 2% rate for reduction in work force or the number of unemployed beyond those who are getting unemployment yields around 3,000,000 people or 1% of the population - the other 1% that Obama does ignore ... you don't count. He's focused on the 1% he deems rich.
How about some bumper stickers or protesters in front of the White House that say:
WE ARE THE OTHER 1% YOU DON'T EVEN COUNT !
Comments
... a better truth ...
"Job growth surges, jobless rate near 3-year low"
<= but some people see instead =>
"Record 1.2 Million People Fall Out Of Labor Force In One Month, Labor Force Participation Rate Tumbles To Fresh 30 Year Low"
Anybody who says these fluctuations imply anything whatsoever about the performance of politicians has become fundamentally confused.
But right now there are some "bright spots" in the economy, and you are bound to run into family and friends that will repeat to you the nonsense that they are hearing on the television about how the economy is recovering.
When they try to convince you that the economy is getting better, ask them these questions....
If the economy is getting better, then why did new home sales in the United States hit a brand new all-time record low during 2011?
If the economy is getting better, then why are there 6 million less jobs in America today than there were before the recession started?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the average duration of unemployment in this country close to an all-time record high?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of homeless female veterans more than doubled?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans on food stamps increased by 3 million since this time last year and by more than 14 million since Barack Obama entered the White House?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of children living in poverty in America risen for four years in a row?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the percentage of Americans living in "extreme poverty" at an all-time high?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the Federal Housing Administration on the verge of a financial collapse?
If the economy is getting better, then why do only 23 percent of American companies plan to hire more employees in 2012?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of self-employed Americans fallen by more than 2 million since 2006?
If the economy is getting better, then why did an all-time record low percentage of U.S. teens have a job last summer?
If the economy is getting better, then why does median household income keep declining? Overall, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% since December 2007 once you account for inflation.
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased by 10 million since 2006?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the average age of a vehicle in America now sitting at an all-time high?
If the economy is getting better, then why are 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida currently sitting vacant?
If the economy is getting better, then why are 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 living with their parents?
If the economy is getting better, then why does the number of "long-term unemployed workers" stay so high? When Barack Obama first took office, the number of "long-term unemployed workers" in the United States was approximately 2.6 million. Today, that number is sitting at 5.6 million.
Why a sudden drop of ~2.5 million in a month ... ?
Why a sudden drop of ~2.5 million in a month ... ?
Probably this table: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm - compare the data & then the adjusted data.
Unfortunately the administration seems to be taking credit for it ...
"It is critical that we continue the economic policies that are helping us to dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the recession that began at the end of 2007."
Me, i would neither hold them accountable for the recession that started in the previous administration, nor would i give them credit for digging us out of it.
: ... The number of jobs in December, 132,952,000. The number of jobs in January, 130,400... so there are actually two and half million fewer people working in January than there were in December. But those are raw numbers. That's before the seasonal adjustment take us place. Table B-1 is where this is from, from the BLS numbers. Now, I don't pretend to understand the seasonal adjustment. I'm not taking issue with it. It seems like the statistical formula that's used, given what they're trying to accomplish, makes sense. All I know is that the raw number is down two and a half million jobs. I'm not making it up and it's not in a Drive-By story and it's not some Looney Toon blog. It's the government. The Bureau of Labor Statistics.
... Why a sudden drop of ~2.5 million in a month just to get that wonderful 8.3% ?
