Posted on 02/19/2012 8:18:01 AM PST by Right Wing Assault
Now that the unemployment rate seems to be on a steady decline, Republicans have begun rummaging around for less flattering economic indicators they can use to attack President Obama's jobs record during this election year. To mark today's three-year anniversary of the stimulus, the uber-conservative Republican Study Committee blasted out a graph (above) mapping the decline of America's workforce participation rate, which measures the overall percentage of working-age adults who have a job or are searching for one.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Also linked in the article is the original RSC press release.
http://rsc.jordan.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=280695
Yes, how DARE the Wascully Wepubwicans dare use a real stat to prove that Obama’s stats are BS. How DARE THEY!!!
If you are a fan of Abbott and Costello you will enjoy this Routine!
COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.
ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible Times. It’s 9%.
COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?
ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.
COSTELLO: You just said 9%.
ABBOTT: 9% Unemployed.
COSTELLO: Right 9% out of work.
ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.
COSTELLO: Okay, so it’s 16% unemployed.
ABBOTT: No, that’s 9%...
COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 9% or 16%?
ABBOTT: 9% are unemployed. 16% are out of work.
COSTELLO: IF you are out of work you are unemployed.
ABBOTT: No, you can’t count the “Out of Work” as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.
COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!
ABBOTT: No, you miss my point.
COSTELLO: What point?
ABBOTT: Someone who doesn’t look for work, can’t be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn’t be fair.
COSTELLO: To who?
ABBOTT: The unemployed.
COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.
ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work. Those who are out of work stopped looking. They gave up. And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.
COSTELLO: So if you’re off the unemployment roles, that would count as less unemployment?
ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!
COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don’t look for work?
ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That’s how you get to 9%. Otherwise it would be 16%. You don’t want to read about 16% unemployment, do ya?
COSTELLO: That would be frightening.
ABBOTT: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means there are two ways to bring down the unemployment number?
ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.
COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?
ABBOTT: Correct.
COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?
ABBOTT: Bingo.
COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for work.
ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like an economist.
COSTELLO: I don’t even know what in the world I just said!
And now you know how and why Obama’s unemployment figures are improving and will continue to improve all the way to November 6, 2012.
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.
Give a man a welfare check, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe and some Air Jordan’s and he votes Democrat for a lifetime
Just a couple of emails I got.
If the labor participation rate dropped roughly another 5% percent, the official unemployment rate would be near zero.
I wish the RNC would turn this into a commercial and blast this across the nation.
Your great little skit demonstrates the U3 versus U6 issue. There is still the workforce participation issue, which is the systematic shrinking of the universe for both the U3 and U6 categories.
It’s like vaporizing millions of discouraged workers so they don’t count in the stats.
A good commercial would show a mother trying to pack her kids school lunch will trying to decipher a long sheet of federal guidelines, opening up the penny jar to get enough of the 5$ a gallon gas to get to work and back, then getting a call from the pharmacy saying the death panel has denied her father’s interferon prescription to keep his cancer in check.
All right, that was both funny and brilliant. Why did my mind cast Joe Biden as Bud Abbott?
“Now that the unemployment rate seems to be on a steady decline”
This remains to be seen. Often unemployment will increase after a “steady decline” because more people who had stopped looking for work renew their search once the labor market improves.
Moreover, I don’t think anyone is expecting unemployment to be much below 8 percent by November, and although the MSM insists how well the labor market is improving since when is 8 percent considered good by anyone’s standards? It’s like it’s all been so bad that 8 percent is now considered good and acceptable, and I just don’t buy it as a good indicator for Obama just because it’s better than a 9 percent rate.
I don't like it. Liberty is the only indicator that I want the the Government concerned with. For instance, my wife is a very hard working home manager and home-school teacher to 10 kids. I don't want any more government or cultural pressure telling me she needs to report to an office or factory somewhere: that's communism. I don't want the government manipulating or taking credit or blame for anything in the economy.
Blaming Obama for our entire corrupt economic system plays right into their hands because is substantiates their argument to the average boobus americanus, that the government are responsible to "fix" things by any and every means necessary.
Government needs to get out and stay out of our churches, homes and our economy.
Acts 12:22
And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
“Government needs to get out and stay out of our churches, homes and our economy.”
From your lips to God’s ears.
My son has been out of work so long he is no longer considered as unemployed. He is off the grid, even though he goes every day to look for work. He would even take a job as a dishwasher at this point. HE CAN NOT FIND ONE!!
He has an interview as a welder’s helper on Monday. I pray he gets it. This man has never been without a job since he was twelve years old. He always had SOMETHING.
He will shovel snow, cut firewood, or anything he can find. He has been able to keep his head above water. Luckily he is not married.
There are people like him all over the country. They count, and deserve to be COUNTED. He is smart enough to see the reason for the lack of jobs in the country. It sits smugly in the White Hut, when it is not playing golf or figuring some other way to screw this Country.
It's not like 8.9 percent unemployment is GOOD news for BO. Especially when it's the best you can get cooking the books. In short, Republicans don't have to "rummage" to find damning evidence of BO's incompetence. Even his "good" news is pretty damaging.
On its face this is absurd.
When you consider population growth, new high school and college graduates plus an increasing number of retirees returning to work at places like McDonalds and Walmart, there is no way labor participation has gone down.
If it's going up or even staying steady, why would the labor department release this info? This hurts obama.
Those retirees are replacing less dependable young people. High school and college grads are finding it harder to get jobs.
That would make a great add.
I got it in an email with no author given credit for it, but I liked it so well I put it here.
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