[Coop]

I have no doubt that there are new jobs being created, but they're all in the service industry. Why is it so hard for people to understand that a minimum-wage job at McD's or a telemarketing job is not equal to a job building powerplants, designing skyscrapers, or launching space shuttles?

At last count nonsense like this had been shown to be false 643 times.

[snopercod]

Nonsense? Our local paper has ads for the following:

• Cooks
• Waitstaff
• Telemarketers
• Porta-potty cleaners ($7.50/hr.)

Your saying that the economy is great because you read it in the paper doesn't make it so everywhere. Maybe it is in Albuquerque or Amarillo, but not anywhere within 500 miles of where I live.

Having lots of time on my hands, I actually get out and talk to local business owners. Not ONE of them has anything good to say about this economy. Recent price increases are killing them.

[snopercod]

Me: I have no doubt that there are new jobs being created, but they're all in the service industry.

You: At last count nonsense like this had been shown to be false 643 times

Sorry for the late reply, but I just got around to looking up the actual data. THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: APRIL 2004

In April, "Goods Producing" employment increased 42,000, and "Service Providing" employment increased by 246,000 jobs from the previous month.

So sorry, but you might want to re-evaluate your position.

Better yet, it is likely that 390,000 of the 288,000 "jobs" were "phantom jobs", added statistically via the "birth/death" (of businesses, not people) program.

When the BLS does their monthly survey of 400,000 businesses, they add anywhere from zero to 0.7% to account for some businesses dying, and others being born. The average fudge-factor is 0.3%, which in this case turns out to be 390,000 jobs.

You can read more on what they euphemistically call the "benchmark revision" [here].