Pure Spin
2011-12-26 - by
Last month, the state’s economy didn’t grow and create new jobs but unemployment went down. How is that possible?
Well, look at it this way: Imagine you’re a politician running for reelection and you’re praying your policies work and unemployment drops but the Labor Department just insists on putting out pesky figures that make your life harder. The solution is straightforward: You simply tell the numbers crunchers to shuffle a few peas and pods and move around a few facts and declare that thousands of people have left the workforce (because they’re no longer looking for work) and the result is like magic: Suddenly, without creating a single job, you’ve reduced unemployment.
The same News and Observer report about unemployment also included two heartwrenching stories about people who are out of work. Lakeshia Cobb is a 32 year old single mother with six children who receives $400 a week in unemployment benefits. Her car has been repossessed. She lives with relatives. And her children face a barren Christmas. But she has hope for the future – “It’s the only way to keep your sanity and keep going on,” she told the News and Observer.
Anthony Norman, a 43 year old electrician, is in a fix too. Mr. Norman has been out of work for 2 years. Worse, he just received his last unemployment check. Worse still, last week his girlfriend gave birth to his third child. “They always say God doesn’t put anything in front of you you can’t handle, but I’ve met my limit,” Norman told the newspaper.
There is no doubt about the power of God’s mercy but it’s also true God’s been known to send messages during hard times and it may be He’s sending one to Mr. Norman.
Finally, on unemployment, Wells-Fargo bank had the last word. It’s been studying the figures, and, the bank announced, the problem is clear: “Layoffs in the government sector continue to be a big drag on the economy.”
And that’s Wells-Fargo’s conclusion: We need to have more people work for government.
But Obama already tried that.
Pure Spin
2011-12-26/
Last month, the state’s economy didn’t grow and create new jobs but unemployment went down. How is that possible?
Well, look at it this way: Imagine you’re a politician running for reelection and you’re praying your policies work and unemployment drops but the Labor Department just insists on putting out pesky figures that make your life harder. The solution is straightforward: You simply tell the numbers crunchers to shuffle a few peas and pods and move around a few facts and declare that thousands of people have left the workforce (because they’re no longer looking for work) and the result is like magic: Suddenly, without creating a single job, you’ve reduced unemployment.
The same News and Observer report about unemployment also included two heartwrenching stories about people who are out of work. Lakeshia Cobb is a 32 year old single mother with six children who receives $400 a week in unemployment benefits. Her car has been repossessed. She lives with relatives. And her children face a barren Christmas. But she has hope for the future – “It’s the only way to keep your sanity and keep going on,” she told the News and Observer.
Anthony Norman, a 43 year old electrician, is in a fix too. Mr. Norman has been out of work for 2 years. Worse, he just received his last unemployment check. Worse still, last week his girlfriend gave birth to his third child. “They always say God doesn’t put anything in front of you you can’t handle, but I’ve met my limit,” Norman told the newspaper.
There is no doubt about the power of God’s mercy but it’s also true God’s been known to send messages during hard times and it may be He’s sending one to Mr. Norman.
Finally, on unemployment, Wells-Fargo bank had the last word. It’s been studying the figures, and, the bank announced, the problem is clear: “Layoffs in the government sector continue to be a big drag on the economy.”
And that’s Wells-Fargo’s conclusion: We need to have more people work for government.
But Obama already tried that.