Jobs...

The new jobs report came out today. We all know that when it comes to unemployment data the White House has the power to manipulate more zeros than a playmate at a scifi convention. But last month's (actually September's) drop from 8.2 to 7.8 was as shameless as it gets. For example they added, for the first time, part time employees, the "under employed" to the primary number of employed workers. There are something on the order of 8 different final unemployment numbers to represent formulas that include under employed, workers whom left the workforce, etc, all coded U6, U7, and so on, some of which have the total unemployment rate as high as 14.7%. And even the normally apolitical renowned former GE CEO, Jack Welch, was prompted to write an oped last month condemning the formula used as the primary unemployment number. He noted that if we used the formula of just the Clinton era the unemployment rate would be over 10%. If you use the formulas employed under JFK the real number is over 13%. They have simply changed the way the unemployed are counted.

But here's the bottom line of today's (October's) unemployment number. It's 7.9%. That's a tenth of a percent higher than September, and it has come out 3 days before the election. It's also a tenth higher than January 2009.  What does this mean? That his "last" unemployment number as president is higher than his his first... if history tells us anything its that you don't get reelected when the unemployment rate is higher on election day than on your first day in office. Or lets count Obama's jobs record this way - since January of 09, for every 1 job created, 75 people were added to the food stamp roles.

By the way - with food and fuel shortages abound in NYC the question is being raised, where is the National Guard? They could do air lifts if nothing else. I vividly remembered the Guard everywhere after Katrina when we were finally allowed to return. Here's your answer: Bloomberg said the NYPD is the only one he wants with guns on the streets of his city. Apparently governor Cuomo is honoring that sentiment. Bloomberg's anti-Second Amendment, anti gun policy apparently knows no sane boundary.