Bush Spins Job Numbers

Published on December 4, 2005 By COL Gene In Politics

President Bush is patting himself on the back about job creation. Let’s take a look at the truth:

Population growth required 125,000 new jobs EVERY month just to stay even.

During the past three months we have NOT added the 375,000 new jobs.

Since Jan 2001, we have had 1.5 Million MORE people looking for work then jobs created.

Many of the new jobs do not pay a living wage and do not have benefits.

Average weekly wage after inflation is DOWN.

Consumers are increasing their spending by charging it on their plastic. The higher interest rates coupled with the higher credit cards balances are a real problem for the months ahead.

Yes we created more jobs but we are still 1.5 Million short since 2001. Individuals are NOT seeing an increase in the money they have to spend without charging it. For the majority of Americans, the Bush claim of a great economy falls on deaf ears.

Comments (Page 3)

Jimmy

on Dec 05, 2005

homepage.mac.com/darkscooby9/iMovieTheater2.html

drmiler

on Dec 05, 2005

The Bush Admin is NOT going after the employers that break the law.

Hey clueless one it's not up to GW to go after them.....It's up to the IRS and the labor board! And like I said, "if" you bothered to read that unless they are being paid "under the table in cash", the employer has NO recourse but to extract taxes from their pay checks! Can you comprehend that? NO RECOURSE.

DJBandit

on Dec 05, 2005

If you believe not protecting our borders is a Small bullet, you have a strange outlook. If you believe a $10 Trillion national debt is a small bullet then what would you call a large bullet. If you believe the non solution that Bush put up for Social Sceurity is a small bullet again what is a large bullet. If you think the mess in Iraq is a small bullet I guess you must comparing it to WWII.

Col, you are taking me too literal. It was not my intention to say that your ideas are small (although sometimes I can't say the same about you brain), it's just that most of the times other people here have bigger bullets than you, if you catch my drift. None of your arguments on this article are small complaints but some people can fight better than you and use stronger arguments.

drmiler

on Dec 05, 2005

I personally think that we need to control illegal immigration somehow, but those who are already here and hurting our economy, might as well put them to good use.

Personally I think that those that are here illegally should be sent the hell home. Illegal means they are "breaking" the law! What you're saying is that we should reward them for breaking it. So the next people who rob a 7-11 should get off?

DJBandit

on Dec 05, 2005

You know, at least Col gene seems to be working harder to prove his points and I commend him for it.

BTW, your welcome.

DJBandit

on Dec 05, 2005

Maybe your right. I feel bad though. It's not like they all broke the law for the fun of it. But I guess better them than me. I can't help it DRmiler, I have a big heart and I just like to help the less fortunate.

COL Gene

on Dec 05, 2005

drmiler

WRONG., The President has the responsibility to enforce Federal laws via the attorney general and FBI.

stutefish

on Dec 05, 2005

So... then why has unemployment as a percentage of population remained so low?

COL Gene

on Dec 05, 2005

Unemployment was 3.9% in 2001. The issue is just not the numbers but what the jobs pay and what benefits they have. many of the new jobs pay far less and have less benefits.

Dan Kaschel

on Dec 05, 2005

Unemployment was 3.9% in 2001. The issue is just not the numbers but what the jobs pay and what benefits they have. many of the new jobs pay far less and have less benefits

Which makes sense, seeing as now Americans are competing with people overseas who are willing to work at a fraction of the cost. We're being outcompeted, you see. Morons go sue-crazy and sue people for stupid reasons... but win anyway. Insurance costs go up. Malpractice suits have made it hard for doctors to make money in private offices anymore, even charging the exhorbitant fees that we all hate.

The problem is that America has stopped producing. We've stopped innovating. We're not making enough things that other people want. In fact, I'd say we're living off an inheritance, and now we're getting ticked off now that the money is running out.

I say we deserve it. Let's start innovating again, shall we? Economy is just a tool, and we can use it for our own benefit.

Dan

drmiler

on Dec 05, 2005

WRONG., The President has the responsibility to enforce Federal laws via the attorney general and FBI.

Nope, once AGAIN, YOUR WRONG! GW is part of the "executive" branch of our government NOT the judicial branch. And as such DOES NOT and CAN NOT enforce ANY laws.

stutefish

on Dec 05, 2005

Unemployment rates below about 5% are unsustainable and generally have a negative effect on the economy. Most non-armchair economists describe ~5% unemployment as an almost ideal number, economically.

drmiler

on Dec 05, 2005

Unemployment was 3.9% in 2001. The issue is just not the numbers but what the jobs pay and what benefits they have. many of the new jobs pay far less and have less benefits

Again wrong answer. At best, unemployment was at 4.2% to 4.4% in 2001. Then came 9/11 and it's aftermath. GW has done a hell of a job bringing it back down. It was at 5.7% in Dec 2001 It highest since then has been 6.3% in June 2003.

stutefish

on Dec 05, 2005

In fact, according to this Wikipedia entry, "Staiger, Stock, and Watson found that the range of possible values of the NAIRU (from 4.3 to 7.3% unemployment) was too large to be useful to macroeconomic policy-makers."

Which strongly suggests that you are making a mistake by harping on the unemployment numbers so much (especially since 5% unemployment falls within the ideal range referenced multiple times in the Wiki).

Also, from the same paragraph: "Robert Eisner suggested that for 1956-95 there was a zone from about 5% to about 10% unemployment between the low-unemployment realm of accelerating inflation and the high-unemployment realm of disinflation. In between, he found that inflation falls with falling unemployment."

Note that when unemployment drops below the ideal range, it increases the rate of inflation.

COL Gene

on Dec 05, 2005

It was 3.9% and Bush had done a hell of a job for his rich friends. CNN just had a poll that said only 29% of Americans feel the economy is good! That is just about the % of conservatives in the country

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