Unemployment "number" goes down but those not working increases, WHAT?

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   uncorrectedvisionposted 12 years ago

   If not the most often touted, misunderstood piece of government disinformation is the unemployment rate.  It does not represent those who are not employed or those who would rather be employed than unemployed.  It barely and inaccurately represents the figure of jobs created in a specified period and of a specified type.  It is a "Potemkin Village" figure intended to reduce anxiety about economic hardship.
   
   At the same time the disinformation of unemployment figures are touted as showing progress the President says increasing the 99 week unemployment insurance period would create jobs and help the economy.  He is not alone in this belief.  If this is so, why have everyone stop working and go on unemployment?  Or are those of us who are working and would prefer to work doomed to be shackled by the State in serfdom to a growing idol and privileged leisure class?

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      Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It is terrible how the "statistics" do not reveal how many have dropped off of the unemployment rolls, are underemployed, or never qualified for unemployment insurance.  What a bunch of lies.

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      Ralph Deedsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      "He is not alone in this belief." That's very true. Nearly every economist agrees that extending unemployment benefits will provide stimulus as the unemployed individuals spend the money. One of the important functions of unemployment insurance is to provide a counter-cyclical boost to the economy. The other, of course, is to assist individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own and are seeking work.

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         uncorrectedvisionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Perhaps we would emerge from this recession faster if we were all unemployed and drawing government issued checks.

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            ediggityposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Jobs are always "created" around the holidays. 

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               Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah, it's called "seasonal" help.

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   Sherlock221bposted 12 years ago

   There are lies, damned lies and statistics.

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      uncorrectedvisionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Perhaps there should be a fourth - government statistics.

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         Ralph Deedsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The BLS statistics are accurate in stating what they measure. The unemployment figure normally cited does not include workers who have retired or otherwise dropped out of the labor force. The true level of unemployment is higher than the one commonly cited by the BLS. BLS figures are not perfect, but they are quite reliable.

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   Quilligrapherposted 12 years ago

   The unemployment rate is one of many economic indicators produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  It is designed to track one narrow segment of the country’s labor force. To understand each of the indicators visit  http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm for full details and explanations on the September figures.
   
   “In September, job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, and construction. Government employment continued to trend down.” The manufacturing sector was relatively unchanged.
   “Both the labor force and employment increased in September. However, the civilian labor force participation rate, at 64.2 percent, and the employment-population ratio, at 58.3 percent, were little changed.”
   
   “Total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 103,000 in September. Since April, payroll employment has increased by an average of 72,000 per month,”
   
   People have stopped working because there aren’t enough jobs to go around. The employment picture has been improving gradually over the last several months but many, many new jobs need to be created in the private sector before the Unemployment Rate and many of the other economic indicators improve.

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   Evan G Rogersposted 12 years ago

   Get the REAL stats here:
   
   http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_da … ent-charts
   
   The government has been redefining the numbers for decades. They claim that "from 1990 on, CPI will be calculated THIS way!!", then they compare the 2011 figure to the 1960 figure and say "Look! Things aren't as bad as they were in '60!"
   
   ... and for some reason, the new numbers always make things look nicer... Amazing thing, that!
   
   Also, your government (and the central bank, which is basically a branch of the government) have simply refused to stop printing some statistics! Want to know what M3 is? TOO BAD!
   
   http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_da … ply-charts
   
   We're at a 23+% unemployment rate.

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      Evan G Rogersposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm surprised this didn't get a comment!

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   logic,commonsenseposted 12 years ago

   Where I work, they will be hiring well over 100 people next spring.
   North Dakota needs hundreds more employees to work in the oil fields.
   Lots of places hiring.

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      uncorrectedvisionposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I wonder how much employment increased oil production would return to the Gulf coast.  I wonder how much more economic activity would occur if gas and diesel prices were lower because of increased supply and increased employment.er how long it will take before people realize that a huge barrier to real employment and real economic growth is the Federal government.

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         Longhunterposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The Federal government is the BIGGEST barrier this country has right now to economic prosperity. These politicians couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were on the bottom of the heel but yet we trust them to work for us rather than line their own pocket while screwing us over.
         
         Unfortunately, there are far too many people in this country who believe the Federal government is the end-all, be-all nanny they want taking care of them. They don't realize, mostly because they're too stupid to do so, that the more they let the government do for them, the more freedoms the government will take from them.
         
         The rugged individualism that helped build this country is all but gone. It's been replaced by far too many weak-kneed, pantie-waste liberals who are too damn lazy to work and provide for themselves. I, for one, am sick and tired of having my pockets picked to support them.
         
         The feds need to get out of the way and let the American people get things done, get this country back on track. The first step in doing this is voting Obama OUT in 2012.

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   junkoposted 12 years ago

   The Federal Government is the blame for this and that, if so , the federal government didn't just start getting in the in the way of progress. This Presidency has been reference in many ways the Federal Government reference is one of many other words and ways used to isolate and attack the president. It's called a war of words. The word war has changed the American's people anger and distrust of the Republican Party in 2008 to anger and distrust of ALL politicians in 2011. Now the the Republican- teaparty want to replace everybody on Capitol Hill and the Presidency in 2012. The American people's progress is being blocked by Republicans, Big business and Wall street, not, Big Government, that's HOGWASH!!!

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      Longhunterposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There's your favorite word again - HOGWASH. Try mixing it up with BALDERDASH or the good, old fashion BS from time to time. Keeps thing more interesting.
      
      We all know that no matter what party's candidate occupies the White House or Congress in the majority, they're in the way. That's nothing new to this president. However, it's just that the Dems, not the Republicans, believe in BIG government.
      
      Dems want the nanny government who tries to take care of everything but fails miserably. To obtain that, they have no problem going around, over, or outside the Constitution. They would love to literally shred the Constitution given the chance. The present administration is a PRIME example of just that.
      
      The Republicans, mostly the Tea Party Conservatives, on the other hand, want to secure public policy consistent with their three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.
      
      Hmmmm, on one side, we have people that love a BIG government nanny state that would take away our Constitutionally guaranteed rights and impose more and more taxes to take care of people who are too damn lazy to do it for themselves and think everyone else owes them everything.
      
      On the other side, we have people that want low taxes and a government that doesn't spend more than it takes in. They also want a government that works within the Constitution as it's suppose to and the elected officials do their jobs knowing they work for us, not the other way around. Lastly, they want free markets where, if the government will get the hell out of the way, the American people will jump start the economy.
      
      Thanks, Junko. I didn't need a big push but your words and what I've seen of the OWS morons has convinced me I should join the Tea Party.

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