Jobless claims rise while unit labor costs dip

(Reuters) - New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week while unit labor costs fell in the third quarter, underlining the persistent weakness in the jobs market.

Although other data on Thursday showed nonfarm productivity rebounded at a much stronger-than-expected 1.9 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the general tone remained consistent with a sluggish economy.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 457,000, the Labor Department said, reversing the prior week's decline.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 443,000 from the previously reported 434,000. The government revised the prior week's figure up to 437,000.

Haven't you heard, the economy is great! Obama said so very eloquently in a speech. Do pretty speeches and words alone “make reality?”

Is that why Iran has come around? Is the problem with Iran fixed because of his “reaching out” and other nice speeches intended for the American audience and laughed at by the Mullah's?

Is that why the Gulf oil spill was fixed so quickly? Will talking tough fix it quicker? Will blaming others help? But the speeches were so nice, weren't they?

Does it make the economy come on track? Is saying it's getting better make it so?

Does a nice speech fix the problems we have on our Southern Border?

If he says I get to keep my doctor and won't pay more...... does that make it true or happen?

If I told a stage V cancer patient “your fine, things are getting better,” will the cancer go away just because I said so? What would people think of a doctor telling everyone nice things while they die?

Obama lives in the flowery world of words, not the concrete arena of actions and consequences. He never had a real job in his life that dealt with physical and tangible outcomes. His one major community project in Chicago for a park is today a dump....... but I'm sure the speeches were awesome! He is himself a product of entitlements and government programs for him and his mother. He has no experience in the military, law enforcement, as an executive, in foreign affairs, business, economics, on a staff, or in intelligence and now he's the nations chief executive entrusted to enforce the laws as head of the ATF, DEA, FBI, ICE, Marshals, Secret Service; runs our intelligence with the CIA, NSA, DIA, NGA, FBI; he runs our defense as head of the DoD...... he holds the office of the “Commander in Chief” but has he really gotten his arms around what that actually means? He's provincial with zero real national or international experience or ever even being in a position of strategic thinking as in a large corporation, as a general etc. Yet now he's in a job that is all about the big broad brush strokes, operating at echelons above reality, that is when he's not having Beer Summits and tipping his hand as the provincial race baiter he is. His realm of “expertise” is nice speeches, that's what his law degree and education and experience armed him with. Problems are met with pragmatic solutions, but rather nice speeches. He's skillful at politically maneuvering and a talented orator, to bad there is no function to his form.

If it were not for a the bureaucracy that keeps things moving along even in the absences of leadership, we as a nation would be even worse off. As crazy as it sounds, the Obama experience demonstrates the importance of the professional, consistent, highly experienced/trained bureaucrat (i.e. Gates, Jones, Muller etc) that offsets the whimsical, ideological, inexperienced politician that comes and goes. Essentially, what I'm saying is that we're a car on cruise control, a ship whose captain is in the lounge chatting it up, dancing, being very popular while the rest of the crew is running the ship. The only thing the captain gets involved in is when a something cool happens and all the attention is focused on the helm, then he's in there, talking about gays in the military, but otherwise............. He is in my opinion not even really interested in doing what his actual job is. It was simply the highest office of the land. he wanted to be #1, not really be a “Commander in Chief.” He's got all the looks, poise and vernacular down, but in reality he's a little boy unfit to hold the job he does. He's given a pass in academia and the MSM as well as many single issue groups who champion him for their narrow minded views, but the quality of his decisions are poor, late, and he's embarrassed himself and our nation repeatedly.

We don't have a President right now.

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