Unemployment Rate Actually Below Average Not Doom And Gloom As Reported

dow down to 304 and more, I guess that our nice OP opener needs to take into consideration everything that is affecting our economy.

I guess it was a nice try he did with the OP.

Rockpuck and I don't always see the same sides of an issue, but no one here doubts his research. It is always well sourced and accurate.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

Originally posted by LLoyd45

Originally posted by blimpseeker
Ok, so lets not trust the graphs and charts from the people that track this for a living, lets just believe Rockpunk who says so.
c'mon! mate! anyone can say this and that but how do you back up your statement?

Okay!

I'll take Rockpuck's word for it, because I know he researches his posting thoroughly before committing himself. If you really want graphs and charts, I'm sure he can do that for you as well.

Why thank you.

The reason I don't use graphs is because graphs, charts and pretty pictures are eye candy.. they do not correlate reality.. they are used specifically to make a point. I can numbers and make two graphs. In one graph the numbers will look like a massive increase. In another they will look mundane and not a big increase. It's a tool.

Unemployment.. is up.
Inflation is... up.

The misery report is a better tool to gauge the American situation, and ultimately.. the World.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

While I agree with the OP in the sense that one should not believe everything they read or hear in the MSM, I agree with nothing else.

Here is what I do BELIEVE.

I believe that it costs me nearly twice as much to fill up my gas tank then 3 years ago.

I believe that a trip to the grocery store used to cost me a lot less than what I am paying now.

I believe that my pay check afforded me the ability to put some away in savings one year ago and now it does not.

I believe that the government and the FED would have some need to distort unemployment figures to preven complete and utter fall out.

Finally...

I believe that the mentality of running around saying "you see! It's not so bad" is one of the greatest mistakes that any responsible citizen could make.

reply to post by Rockpuck


To prove my point.. from CNN:



Just by chance I stumbled onto that

You're not going to have a lot of people arguing 'no recession' with this data," said Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of the Economic Cycle Research Institute. The prolonged job loss and jump in unemployment are better indicators that the economy is in a downturn than is the traditional thumbnail rule of two quarters of falling gross domestic product, he said.

So yes, OP, I DO know what I am talking about.

Seeing as one half a percentage point by Fed standards is typically in relation to 1% in reality, and if you discount newly created GOVERNMENT jobs, the picture of the economy is... dismal at best.

money.cnn.com...

SOURCE forgot it my bad

[edit on 6/6/2008 by Rockpuck]

Oh, and I forgot my chart as well. Sorry.

Here it is.

reply to post by TruthWithin


HAHA .. omg.. that is the funniest and most unexpected bit of humor I have seen in a long time... CHEERS to you!

reply to post by TruthWithin


That is hilarious, I think that with such wealth of stimulus checks people don't need to work anymore so they are just quitting their jobs.

reply to post by blimpseeker


I would back that up with looking around my area of Michigan.
Scads of folks looking for seasonal work at garden centers. (And not just college kids, but middle-aged men.)
Automotive jobs disappearing. Folks selling their toys: boats, campers, etc.
The want ads don't amount to enough paper to wrap the garbage.
Lots of store-fronts with For Lease signs.

wow..lots of haters on this thread
look, i am simply pointing to the historical figures.
if you use half your brain and set aside party loyalties you would see that the unemployment rate is below average since 1948 that is a fact...spin it whichever way you want to spin it, it remains a fact.

viewing this info i provided it would seem to anyone that isn't wearing gloom shaded glasses and drinking the msm koolaid that the msm is hyping up the doom and gloom...good news is no news.

as an informal survey i would like to ask the thread participants, how many of you (or your husbands marg) are currently unemployed and looking for work?

reply to post by blimpseeker


AHEM

Party loyalties???????

Are you accusing us of all being Democrats?

I have voted Republican in every election I have voted in.. I am a strong Conservative and member of the Libertarian party.

Preaching to me about damn party loyalties.

Maybe it's because I don't drink the kool-aid and have the amazing ability to think for my self.

Originally posted by blimpseeker
wow..lots of haters on this thread

I see you're a new member so I'll throw some advice your way (I did in my last post but you seem to have missed the point). You're going to have to drop that attitude if you want to have any hope of engaging people on this site.

This is not your average political bait and bash site and I'll remind you this is an international site (hence I have no "party affiliation" - try thinking outside your limited borders). Political mudslinging is not very well tolerated by the membership here.

If you are here just to call people names and act stupid you will be quickly ignored by most members or get the wrong kind of attention from the staff, if you know what I mean. Personal attacks and calling our members names is a no-no.
.

edit: By the way, you never answered any of my questions. A figure of 5% unemployment today is NOT THE SAME as a 5% figure of 20 years ago. They are not comparable.

[edit on 6/6/2008 by Gools]

im one of the people directly affected,i work maybe 8 hours a week now,6 straight years never being laid off,40 to 50 hours i worked every week for 6 years and now right down the pooper,having a hard time paying bills and now theres this guy saying hey its not so bad,i know im not alone in this,put lack of work on top of inflation in prices ranging from the gas station to the grocery store makes for a rough time.so your 'facts' mean nothing to me or anyone else being affected by this

reply to post by Gools
fair enough, but i still stand by this statement:
" the unemployment rate is below average since 1948 that is a fact...spin it whichever way you want to spin it, it remains a fact. "

also let me remind you that i am reffering to the US economy unemployment rate. hence you being from canada, perhaps you don't have the correct outlook to comment on this thread.



[edit on 6-6-2008 by blimpseeker]

Originally posted by pureevil81
im one of the people directly affected,i work maybe 8 hours a week now,6 straight years never being laid off,40 to 50 hours i worked every week for 6 years and now right down the pooper,having a hard time paying bills and now theres this guy saying hey its not so bad,i know im not alone in this,put lack of work on top of inflation in prices ranging from the gas station to the grocery store makes for a rough time.so your 'facts' mean nothing to me or anyone else being affected by this

First off, let me say that I feel for your situation. But to clarify my point.I am not saying the economy isn't bad. My OP states that the msm is spinning the unemployment rate as if it is the worst ever and i am simply pointing out the fact that it is below average historically.

as for your situation. there is ways to better your income it starts by bettering your education. don't wait for your government to "fix" it for you.
everyone is dealing with higher costs..some better than others.

reply to post by blimpseeker


wow,your so smart why didnt i ever think of that,i guess were all just a bunch of idiots that need more education huh,my bad

Originally posted by pureevil81
reply to post by blimpseeker

 

wow,your so smart why didnt i ever think of that,i guess were all just a bunch of idiots that need more education huh,my bad

i didn't mean to offend, simply stating a suggestion. It learned to follow this rule a long time ago:

1 not making enough money? get a better paying job
2 can't get a better paying job? get a better education
3 can't get a better education? STOP SMOKING WEED!

when i listened to that advice i finished college and was able to get gainfull employment.

i know your right about that,but when someone has a mortgage to pay on a house,bills to pay,and practically no way of going to get that better education,how do you suppose thats suppose to work.unfortunately everyone doesnt have that opportunity,i wish i did,i wish i already would have gotten that better education,welcome to the reality of many americans

The point is that the dollar is losing it's value, goods are not getting more expensive. Go look at any graph of the dollar's value over the past 100 years. Your dollar does not buy as much as it used to.

[edit on 6-6-2008 by drew1503]

Originally posted by drew1503
The point is that the dollar is losing it's value, goods are not getting more expensive. Go look at any graph of the dollar's value over the past 100 years. Your dollar does not buy as much as it used to.

[edit on 6-6-2008 by drew1503]

1. the dollar is losing its value in relation to other currencies.
2. goods are getting more expensive. milk doesn't cost what it did 5 years ago, so the price had to have gone up.