cartoon_soldier
Member
It's not bad, but it masks underlying problems with the US economic policy and job market.
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PoliGAF 2013 |OT2| Worth 77% of OT1
- Thread starter The Librarian
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It's not bad, but it masks underlying problems with the US economic policy and job market.
Honestly, it's just another bullshit anti-stat comment like "800 people aren't representative!" The different unemployment measures specifically account for underemployment.
There is a valid observation that, without appropriate government action, we will only reach normal employment by cutting wages, which is almost impossible to do directly so happens through backhanded methods like moving full-time to part-time and forgoing raises for many years, but even so, that's still an argument that we're still not doing enough to help the economy. In the long term it's an argument for strengthening social programs to increase the bargaining power of labor.
I suppose those arguing against part time jobs will say that they are transitory in nature, and represent a lack in faith by employers in the overall economy.
A few details from the employment situation report:
A positive report overall, but some mixed signals beneath the surface (increases in part time workers looking for full time, decrease in work week). Still way better than I was expecting.
The UI claims are at recovery lows right now, could signal another good month of they stay there.
A positive report overall, but some mixed signals beneath the surface (increases in part time workers looking for full time, decrease in work week). Still way better than I was expecting.
The UI claims are at recovery lows right now, could signal another good month of they stay there.
rocketknight
Member
Good news for Obama.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Yep, exactly. And in fact, I'd say underemployment is and has been a much more serious issue for the country than straight unemployment. However, it's not tracked and watched the with the same scrutiny.
To put this is real-life terms, I don't know that many unemplyed people, but I know a ton of people who don't get benefits, don't have healthcare, and don't have much descretionary income to speak of. That's not a sign of a healthy economy.
When my wife and I ran our end of April numbers, and saw them WAY up over the past couple months, it occurred to me we hadn't actually experienced a good stock market before. We started investing in 2000, so we've been through two bubbles that left the markets at about the same place nearly a decade later. We gobbled up a lot of shares while things were low and it's kind of jarring to see how quickly things went up when the markets actually increase. A less volatile market that actually goes up over time is something I could get used to.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Having read the posts that followed the ones I quoted--
I don't mean to say that as some sort of Anti-Obama message. I think the job numbers are fantastic. I'm looking ahead to the point where the unemployment rate is "good" but we still have underemployment as an issue.
I think underemployment as a problem dates back to at least the recession in Bush's first term, perhaps earlier.
I don't mean to say that as some sort of Anti-Obama message. I think the job numbers are fantastic. I'm looking ahead to the point where the unemployment rate is "good" but we still have underemployment as an issue.
I think underemployment as a problem dates back to at least the recession in Bush's first term, perhaps earlier.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
I have no idea. Say more, if you know more.
No, why would it be? Wages can go up much easier than they can go down. It's a DEFLATING economy that makes underemployment a certainty, because it's so hard to reduce people's expected pay.
Black Republican
Member
PhoenixDark
Banned
Not a bad jobs report although people are still fleeing the jobs market and lots of part time folks are still looking for full time work (made harder by the retail and fast food reaction to Obamacare). Imagine how much better the UE would be if we didn't see such a staggering dismantlement of public sector jobs. But remember, government is out of control!
BLS said:
The participation rate was unchanged. And the decline in recent months is largely explainable by the aging population. Agree about the rise in part time workers, though. It does seem to validate all the anecdotal reports of the way service employers are reacting to the ACA, by cutting hours. I wish we had a funtional government who could repair flaws in the law. :\
PhoenixDark
Banned
Hm, could have sworn I read the participation date decreased. Well, that's better.
We've had a few younger patients at work inform us that they've lost dental insurance due to being demoted to part time hours, thanks to the law (and to be fair, the greed of their employers). Lots of very upset people.
We've had a few younger patients at work inform us that they've lost dental insurance due to being demoted to part time hours, thanks to the law (and to be fair, the greed of their employers). Lots of very upset people.
The Librarian
Banned
Markey's going to win.
#demsindissaray
PhoenixDark
Banned
Imagine if Romney were president today. The cheer leading would be insufferable.
The Librarian
Banned
Do you know what I just fucking realized that's really fucked up?
It's okay for parents to give their kids a rifle, something that can KILL someone, but it's not okay for a teenage girl to buy a morning-after pill over the counter.
It's okay for parents to give their kids a rifle, something that can KILL someone, but it's not okay for a teenage girl to buy a morning-after pill over the counter.
CHEEZMO
Obsidian fan
You see, if you let youngsters have access to birth control they're going to go around having sex whereas if you give them guns they're going to goaroundshootingpeopleOMG D:
jamesinclair
Banned
I have a proposal to save the US government potentially billions.
1) Buy Esri (ArcGIS)
2) Profit
Anyone know how many licenses the US government buys? At $10,000 a pop.....
Local governments, states, EPA, MPOs, transit agencies etc etc etc etc etc....
1) Buy Esri (ArcGIS)
2) Profit
Anyone know how many licenses the US government buys? At $10,000 a pop.....
Local governments, states, EPA, MPOs, transit agencies etc etc etc etc etc....
The Librarian
Banned
Great article by Ezra Klein http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-not-here-to-please-you/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein
TacticalFox88
Banned
Thread title is so appropriate.
Never mind. I think I've just confused myself. As I said, apart from the basics (ie Keynes) economics largely flies over my head. Thanks for the answer though.
yglesias hit a similar point the other day. It was a thing of beauty.
America's Pharmacies Are Death Traps Full Of Products That May Injure Our Vulnerable Teens
The Obama administration recently announced its intention to continue litigation aimed at keeping Plan B emergency contraception unavailable to young teenagers, citing potential health risks. Safety is important, but I recently took a trip to the CVS that's on the block of Slate's D.C. office and I saw some disturbing things. Leaving contraceptives totally aside, the store turned out to be full of terrifying, dangerous objects.
Razor blades, for example:
They also have a chemical compound that literally dissolves hair:
This stuff is EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE and you're also warned that if you ingest it you need to go to a POISON CONTROL CENTER:
They have spray cans full of neurotoxins sitting adjacent to torch fuel:
These diet pills are "not intended for use by persons under 18" and carry a wide range of potential side effects, but anyone of any age can just walk right up and buy them:
I hope someone alerts HHS.
The Librarian
Banned
lol. Never heard of that Nair product before. I'll check it out.
Thread title is so appropriate.
Is this real? I don't even know anymore.
Giant Panda
Member
But the teenage girl is killing someone too.
The Librarian
Banned
Going by that logic, it should still be available, because kids accidentally kill others with rifles too.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve04-BcEP94
This jingle dates back to the 70s, and people above a certain age probably have it indelably imprinted in their brains.
DO NOT PUT IT ON YOUR BALLS!!!!
there's nothing less volatile about this, it went up way too quickly in relation to systemic changes from the correction (there were none). I've made a decent amount of money in it, but i don't trust it
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
That is not how Plan B works. It prevents pregnancy from occurring, it's NOT an abortifactant.
The Librarian
Banned
Thanks for the advice!
Plan B prevents or delays ovulation. There is no evidence that it prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/h...-science-suggests.html?_r=3&hp&pagewanted=all
I take it you speak from experience.
Right, that wasn't quite what I meant. I'm not counting on these to stick around, as I agree the market's spike this year is too fast; I'm kind of assuming we're going to level off or even dip later this year. It was more a general observation: I've been through two market booms and busts, but nothing that actually resembles the normal historical market trends. We've saved a lot over the past 10 years, but that's largely been brute force savings and dividends, rather than from market growth. This year showed me what happens when the market really grows. It's kinda nice. And I hope the steady (and steadier than expected) job gains point to steady growth.
I'd rather have slow and steady than the boom/bust of the past 10+ years.
(Some of our gains are from the company stock recovering even faster than the market, so it's a little lopsided.)
I'm laughing way too hard right now. :lol
Black Mamba
Member
Man, this makes the sequester look all the more foolish. 332k in February. We should be over the 250k threshold last month and every month before September really kicks into high gear again (late winter and early fall are usually the high points i believe).
The sequester is seriously stopping us from entering a full job recovery (well, maybe not full full since it might not be the long term jobs we really want, but still).
11k gov't jobs cut last month. Fucking idiots. Also the UE dropped despite 200k more people in the labor force.
The Librarian
Banned
Greg Sargent has an interview up with Ed Markey.
Aaron Strife
Banned
Everyone knows government jobs don't count as real jobs. Why do you think Joe Walsh couldn't pay child support?
PhoenixDark
Banned
Full employment was considered to be years away long before the sequester went into effect. I agree it needs to be ended ASAP though.
There has to be a way to shift the cuts to some other area of the budget instead of raising taxes, which it should be clear by now isn't going to happen.
Link
The Autumn Wind
So not only do you want your kid to feel left out at the shooting range, you want to murder him before he's even conceived. What kind of terrible mother are you, Dax?
Black Mamba
Member
I said a full jobs recovery, which is 250k+ a month every month with many months well above. Obviously full employment is years away.
Shifting cuts over raising taxes is still bad policy given the type of tax raises that would be instituted. Get rid of these cuts ASAP. Increase spending, god damn it. We're so close to turning the corner...
An infrastructure stimulus bill + states aid for teachers and other gov't services would do wonders.
Giant Panda
Member
Well darn. I should have done more research before attempting that trolling.
The Librarian
Banned
Troll hard or go home
ClassyPenguin
Banned
Regarding Plan B and other birth control: I hate the idiotic argument of "the government is paying people to have sex!"
rocketknight
Member
Just us immoral women, sorry to say. Guys have to rely on the invisible hand of the private sector to keep those free condom baskets filled. Obviously men need better lobbyists.
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