The Truth about the Unemployment rate.

On NPR this morning there was a report(I forget from whom but credible) that said if the Stimulus package had not been passed then unemployment would have doubled in size and we would be in a depression deeper than the 1930's.
Originally Posted by catnipdipper

Hmmm...Methinks the unrememberable, yet credible, economist is interested in protecting the president's reputation. That's his opinion...but its only his opinion.

They are moving the bar on you...I would be offended. I remember being told that we absolutely had to pass the stimulus, or unemployment would go as high as 8%! Well, now that its hovering near 10%, we are told that it would have gone to double, or 20%, without the stimulus package? If that were the case, why wouldn't the administration use the 20% number as the selling point, instead of a paltry 8%?

I don't think anybody on this board is going to change their stance on the stimulus, so I won't go down that road....but some of the numbers these 'experts' come up with stretch the limits of absurdity.

"Economic Depression cannot be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncements. Economic wounds must be healed by the action of cells of the economic body......the producers and consumers themselves."


Herbert Hoover.

I frankly will take the recent actions over words like these any day.

"I frankly will take the recent actions over words like these any day. "

What recent actions nipper, thats my point, what has been done 2 years into this. Its like they pass the stimulas and they wiped there heads and said okay now thats fixed and moved on and have never looked back.

Ok the expert on the NPR show was; Mark Zandi, Chief economist, Moody's Analytics.

DD I sometimes lose perspective. Everyone wants short term results and some things do take time.

Actions are; Stimulus package, Tarp(credit to Bush), Health Care Reform, Financial Overhaul, Extension of Unemployment Benefits, On track to get out of IRAQ, saved the auto companies, tough crackdown on Medicare fraud and if people wake up will make Corporations expose their political donations(see Target in Minnesota).

Time in the short run is always your enemy as the needs are immediate. Time in the long run is your friend as things pass and improve.

Has a $30B small business loan program and lots of Tax Credit deals out there that I hope will work.

"Economic Depression cannot be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncements. Economic wounds must be healed by the action of cells of the economic body......the producers and consumers themselves."


Herbert Hoover.

I frankly will take the recent actions over words like these any day. Originally Posted by catnipdipper

That must be because you believe that government creates jobs and not the private sector. The simple fact is that the government either creates a hostile or friendly environment for business, it does not create jobs....unless you think that a government job is a job that produces wealth.

And to clarify that even further, that means that there can be no government job without first taking money from the private sector first through taxes to pay for that job.

REad the Star at lunch and the article from NPR is on the Front Page bottom.

Just saw where the GOP blocked the $30Billion small business package?

"Actions are; Stimulus package, Tarp(credit to Bush), Health Care Reform, Financial Overhaul, Extension of Unemployment Benefits, On track to get out of IRAQ, saved the auto companies, tough crackdown on Medicare fraud and if people wake up will make Corporations expose their political donations(see Target in Minnesota). "

Okay which of these has created jobs, I will ask the question again, what has he done that has created or facilitated the creation of jobs. I dont care about the utopian "change" that he is working on that you on the left beat off too, this topic is about jobs and unemployment, not on the promotion of the "change".

Jobs- perhaps the actions of government prevented the loss of more jobs? That is what it is doing.

Playing defense until the private sector gets some easier credit to foster growth. I agree that the private sector is the best place for jobs and I think they believe so too.

The economy was "this sucker is going down(GWB)". We went through triage and are now in rehab healing a bit.

Did the private sector cause these problems or was it lack of government oversight and regulation that caused our problems and the unemployment levels. Now business is timid to invest their savings while mine are gone by trusting them.

I want jobs too and I think they were trying with the $30B small business package and I don't know what was in there that is delaying it by GOP. Same as unemployment benefits.....political no for NOV?

DD you are grumpy and in need of sensual service!

Here is something interesting that I noticed online today -

http://cohort11.americanobserver.net...ediafinal.html

Still cant answer the question can you.

"Playing defense until the private sector gets some easier credit to foster growth. I agree that the private sector is the best place for jobs and I think they believe so too."

Yes and couldn't the government facilitate some improvement in the credit area since they own most of the largest credit lenders. I dont want the government to develope jobs I want it and Obama to work to help the private sector do that.

"The economy was "this sucker is going down(GWB)". We went through triage and are now in rehab healing a bit."

Isnt it time to take the patient off the heart lung machine and get it out of the hospital.

"Did the private sector cause these problems or was it lack of government oversight and regulation that caused our problems and the unemployment levels. Now business is timid to invest their savings while mine are gone by trusting them."

You guys on the left got to have someone to blame for everything, it happened, its in the past, so what do we do just sit around and blame them or do we get the economy back on track. Lets be honest, the left doesnt want thing to improve yet, it wants to blame the Rep and try to get votes out of it. I am sure when we get close to the presidential election, things will improve and then we will get to hear what a great job he did. In the mean time avg Americans get fucked in the ass.

"I want jobs too and I think they were trying with the $30B small business package and I don't know what was in there that is delaying it by GOP. Same as unemployment benefits.....political no for NOV?"

If it was full of all the bullshit red tape like the one in missouri it's a total waste of time, besides, I am sure its tied to promotion of grean jobs. I am not sure because I haven't read it.

PAY GO -

Does anybody remember the pay go agreement the congress stated back in the spring? Bascially it stated that no new spending can happen unless you cut the same amount in spending. that is what the reps are fussing about, the dems don't seem to remember that agreement.

As far as spending in the future - if the spending was targeted in the right places it would help. But I don't think either party has a clue how to create jobs or spend funds in the places that create jobs. As far as "green jobs" those are years into the future and i am all for R&D but we need the jobs now not later. And really if the new green jobs require manufacturing don't you think that china will still beat us in a price fight. I mean according to the KC Star last week the glass panels for the new performing arts center came from china. That is amazing that a company can make the custom panels crate them and ship them halfway across the world cheaper than we can make them in the US.

PAY GO - I mean according to the KC Star last week the glass panels for the new performing arts center came from china. That is amazing that a company can make the custom panels crate them and ship them halfway across the world cheaper than we can make them in the US. Originally Posted by 1963Cobra

Not hard to comprehend once you realize that Chinese labor works for about $100 a week on average.

Dirty Dog boy you are a major league grump bucket!

I am not a leftie either in my opinion. I have worked in corporate environments and have been an entreprenuer for over 30 years.

If we are going to just put people on a payroll then likely the majority of that is government sourced i.e. Census. If we are going to create jobs then it is the private sector and that is going to come from new jobs and new services.

The Government is going to have to provide the stimulus for these jobs in the form of easy credit(oops) and Tax Credits for investment.

Ok did he create any jobs......today I heard that by "saving the auto companies" he ended up creating 55,000 new jobs and saving over 1 million existing jobs.

Obama is not working from is own agenda. Anymore than GWB did because of 9/11.

DD I would love for you to have an incredible day filled with sex, love, and lots of money.

Ciao

"If we are going to create jobs then it is the private sector and that is going to come from new jobs and new services."

Exactly, and there are things the government could do to help stimulate this, why hasn't he.

"'The Government is going to have to provide the stimulus for these jobs in the form of easy credit(oops) and Tax Credits for investment."

My point exactly, why hasnt this been done, why hasnt the president asked for this.

"Ok did he create any jobs......today I heard that by "saving the auto companies" he ended up creating 55,000 new jobs and saving over 1 million existing jobs."

Well with 14 million out of work this hardly seems like a large number.

"Obama is not working from is own agenda. Anymore than GWB did because of 9/11. "

No he is working off the Democrat agenda, we will never know what Bush's was because it changed on Sept 11th. But then again this conversation is not about Bush, he is no longer part of the problem. Big problem with the left, whenever they cant support a position they throw the "Bush caused it" argument out there. Here in the real world we have to deal with the here and now.


"DD I would love for you to have an incredible day filled with sex, love, and lots of money."

I would but today I have to lay off 5 people in Chicago, and 4 more in Dallas. So please dont imply with your statement about lots of money that my motivation is greed.

The bottom line is instead of putting all of his Enegry into pet projects he should have been putting his attention into the number one problem in this country and that unemployment. I think he truly felt is all he had to do is pass the stimulas and all would be okay, maybe if he had ever actually ran something in his working life other than a protest rally he would know what to do.

Big problem with the left, whenever they cant support a position they throw the "Bush caused it" argument out there. Here in the real world we have to deal with the here and now. Originally Posted by dirty dog

Just playing devil's advocate here but the right is not immune to this either, some still blame Clinton or even Carter for what's going on or for something that has happened way after they were out of office. (But I'm not saying you are doing this, don't take it that way.)