(Image from Alternet)
THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS HAS SCARCELY A CLUE OF THE REAL DIMENSIONS OF A JOB CRISIS IN THE U.S.A.
(Alternet)
This is the view of Michael Thornton in a semi-technical analysis of “11 reasons” that the recession is far worse than most people think. While the BLS and most of the media obsess over tenths of a percentage point rise or fall in the official rate of unemployment, these measures leave out of account not only such numbers as that of “discouraged” workers, but also measures of the economy’s performance in creating enough new jobs to provide for the work needs of a growing population. With labor statistic “information” like this, who needs mis-information?
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NEW YORK TIMES DISCOVERS THE “GROWING SWAY” OF ISLAMISTS IN THE LIBYAN REVOLUTION.
(New York Times)
Having acted as a cheer-leader of the “humanitarian intervention” in Libya, the Times through two of its reporters exposes some growing “concern” that the rebels, whose support has long since been noted by alternative news sources to be derive largely from CIA-nurtured Islamist forces, are showing signs of demonstrating in power what they threatened in revolt. There is even a thought that the U.S.-educated leader will be displaced by one of those sponsored Islamists. Who would have thought it?
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“URBAN RENEWAL” FINALLY GETS OFF THE MARK IN TULSA.
(Tulsa World)
40 years ago, a tract in downtown Tulsa OK was designated as an “urban renewal” area that has been a vacant lot for all those years. Finally, a project is underway to “renew” that area by building 40 units of housing available at half the rentals of the gentrified “renewal” in downtown Tulsa.
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SHUT UP KID AND JUST PEE IN THE BOTTLE!
(ACLU)
American Civil Liberties defends students at Linn College in Missouri, some of whom were dragged from their classes to furnish urine samples for mandatory drug testing for all students. The college claims this is necessary because the college is a “technical” one whose students handle dangerous instruments for which they need to be fully sober. ACLU notes that none of the six students whom it represents are in any “technical” classes that involve the handling of any such instruments.
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IF SAT SCORES ARE A VALID MEASURE OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, STUDENTS IN FLAGLER AND VOLUSIA COUNTY FLORIDA ARE IN SOME TROUBLE.
(Daytona Beach News-Journal)
Test results from the Daytona Beach area indicate signficant declines in scores on the college admissions tests in areas of critical reading, math and writing. (the 3 R’s) These performance difficulties, while noted across the U.S., are especially problematic in Florida, which has a “Bright Futures” college scholarship program largely dependent on good test scores as a portal to their entry.
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Quote of the day…
New Yorkers are wise to look no further than Atlantic City to remember what happens to cities that pin their hopes on the commercial gambling industry as the solution to all of their economic problems. The Atlantic City community has been victimized for decades by the gambling industry that has depleted revenues from the city, leaving it crime ridden, blighted and with an uncertain future. The gambling industry is not obligated to care about the long-term future of the communities where they may locate—their operational concern is to exploit opportunities that promise the greatest immediate returns, wherever they find them.
Ray Halbritter, American Indian critic of development of gambling casinos in NewYork state.
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The passion toward job creation will NEVER come from Washington as long as we have people in charge who just. don’t. see. it. as. a. problem. They all HAVE jobs. We should do more to see that many of them no longer do.
We seem to be in a negative feedback loop, in which higher unemployment and lower median incomes result in less consumer spending, which in turn results in even higher unemployment and even lower median incomes, especially for an economy where 60+% of GDP depends on consumer spending. Has unfettered consumerism acted as an undiscussed bubble in the U.S. economy? If that bubble is bursting, well, I don’t know what to think.
Jobs crisis? Solution is obvious: Job speeches! Obama and Boehner need to trot out a speech at least once a week that tells people the jobs are right around the corner. But please, guys, hire a scheduler so the speeches don’t conflict. For the sake of the country….