Apparently, “any measurement” doesn’t include the unemployment rate, job growth, number of jobs, wage growth, hours worked, home foreclosures, rate of mortgage delinquencies, etc.
Which leads to the next question: what does ‘any measurement’ include? Surely there’s something that qualifies: for example, I imagine that segment of the sex worker industry that handles corporate lobbyists and union leadership cadres have been enjoying the recent influx of stimulus money. That’s good, right?
Feel free to come up with your own possible examples in comments. If you can’t, well: open thread.
Moe Lane
Crossposted to Moe Lane.
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
KnightsofMalta
Dan Spencer
Dan McLaughlin
Gold Sales...
DamnCat Thursday, November 19th at 4:04PM EST (link)…better than ever!
Personally I'm stocking up on silver
opoconservative Thursday, November 19th at 4:11PM EST (link)It’s only a matter of time before we return to the silver standard.
Why do you say this?
samdallas (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 4:20PM EST (link)I really dont like the dollar now but I think gold is run out of sight. Why silver?
The world gold supply has "run out"...
Jeffrey Malbis (malbis) (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 4:50PM EST (link)…and I’m not kidding. So going back on the gold standard probably isn’t a viable option. Mines have been prodicing less and less for years, and the supply–probably unlike oil–actually is limited.
Read about it Here
From the 1940 feature film Ghost Breakers, starring the late, great, Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard:
Scientist: “It’s worse than horrible, because a Zombie has no will of his own. You see them some times, walking around blindly with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they do, not caring.”
Bob Hope: “You mean, like Democrats?”
Alaska mined more gold last year than any year since 1916.
Achance (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 5:06PM EST (link)The Kensington Mine near Juneau is slated to open early next year and it has estimated gold reserves of about 2MM ounces. The Pebble Prospect on Bristol Bay is estimated to have as much as 35MM ounces of gold but it faces considerable opposition from both the Greenies and the fishing industry and is unlikely to be permitted in the next decade because of federal obstruction and Greenie litigation. Both the now closed Alaska-Juneau and the Treadwell Mines near, actually in, Juneau were once the largest and richest gold mines in the World. The Treadwell, largely under Gastineau Channel flooded with sea water and at early 20th Century gold prices was not considered economical to re-open. The A-J supplanted ihe Treadwell and was still very productive when closed because it lost its labor allocation in 1944. An attempt to re-open it in the ’90s was abandoned because of Envirowhacko opposition. With gold at nearly $1200 and climbing, the producers might want to revisit either or both. In fact the Kensington, was an active mine early in the 20th Century but was abandoned due ot low quality ore and low prices. New techology made reopening it viable and there are lots more in Alaska and the Yukon like that if the price is right and the greenies can be held at bay.
In Vino Veritas
The reason I think 10% unemployment is scarier than it was last time
samdallas (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 4:11PM EST (link)is because of two factors:
1. Two worker families implies almost 20% of married couples have one or more members unemployed
2. Companies doing well on reduced labor force not planning to hire people back
That looks pretty ugly to me.
Reason 3 that "10%" unemployment is scarier now than last time...
Jeffrey Malbis (malbis) (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 5:01PM EST (link)…is that it isn’t really 10% now.
It is 17.5% computed the way it was computed the last time it was 10%.
The way unemployment is computed was changed under the Clinton administration in 1993 to cut out huge numbers of people who used to be counted as unemployed. Here’s an explanation of what changed and why the unemployment rate is really much higher.
The last time it was above 10%, it was computed using a formula that–if used today–yields an unemployment rate of 17.5% And if you add in all of the people who would like to work to help make pensions strech farther but can’t find a job (retired, handicapped/disabled, etc — those people “don’t count” even on the pre-1993 computation), then the total unemployment rate is currently 21.4%
Adn that’s nationally. In some parts of the rust belt, such as Michigan, unemployment in some towns is over 30% and climbing rapidly toward 50%. This reassurance from the government is blowing smoke to try to prevent a panic that’ll cause the whole house of cards to fall apart.
From the 1940 feature film Ghost Breakers, starring the late, great, Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard:
Scientist: “It’s worse than horrible, because a Zombie has no will of his own. You see them some times, walking around blindly with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they do, not caring.”
Bob Hope: “You mean, like Democrats?”
It was gratifying to hear Sarah Palin mention the 17.5% figure...
Third Street (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 5:08PM EST (link)…in her interview with Rush the other day. If 17.5% really is the most accurate number with which to draw comparison to historical unemployment prior to 1993, then figure can’t be pounded home enough and the argument can be made that we’re in full-fledged depression. I’m tired of being told that what’s right in front of our noses isn’t there.
“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.” –Wilkins Micawber, “David Copperfield”
A new situation
samdallas (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 5:42PM EST (link)I am not sure depression is right either– those end. In the 70s we had inflation and stagnation which was a new thing. A GNP recovery and unemployment TOGETHER is scary IMO. I have an easy solution– show your US passport for employment, and jailtime for employers that don’t follow that. It will do wonders for creating jobs fast.
Doublethink
BigGator5 (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 4:19PM EST (link)But Moe, we’ve always been at war with Eastasia.
Educated (About The Issues Facing Us Today), Dedicated (To Making A Difference), And Highly Motivated (To Getting Things Done)
Bananas?
ericstenner Thursday, November 19th at 4:19PM EST (link)We need to make sure we are prepared for our descent into Banana Republicdom. I am not sure if they grow very well in the Virginia soil, but I am going to give it a try.
Government Cheese!
GT350 Thursday, November 19th at 4:33PM EST (link)There’s never been a greater availability of government cheese, ie handouts. From mortgage subsidies for delinquents, to wall street bailouts, to the upcoming free healthcare, there’s just a cornucopia of benefits out there!
Since those handouts are all free, I figure it’s gotta reflect well on the strength of the U.S. economy, right?
Slightly unrelated topic
earlgrey (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 4:36PM EST (link)I called Ben Nelson’s office. They asked where I was calling from and I gave them my state (Not Nebraska ), they still asked for my zip code and took down my comment and my name.
I don’t really think it does any good to call these Senators when you aren’t from their state (or sometimes when you are from their state), but that intrigued me. Anyway. Please all keep calling when you can.
Did he say...
smitty Thursday, November 19th at 4:42PM EST (link)Ameri CON?? Freudian Slip??
Yes. No. Interrupted elision.
CincoSolas_del_Bronx (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 5:06PM EST (link)Brain: American economy
Mouth; Amerecon(omy)
Brain: HEY!
Mouth: economy
Those dreading urbanization should remember that though the Kingdom of God first appeared in a temporal Garden, at the end of the book it is established in an eternal City. (paraphrase, James M. Boice)
soli Deo gloria
Newsweek didn't have permission to run that picture of Sarah Palin on their cover (or anywhere)
Finrod (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 5:05PM EST (link)Check it out– Newsweek Filches Palin Photo, Rodale Angry:
Rules are for little people, don’t you know.
Let’s get down to brass tacks here. How much for the ape?
Another economic positive: Sarah Palin's book
DamnCat Thursday, November 19th at 5:19PM EST (link)Sold 300,000 copies the 1st day.
And I think Obama and Geitner can take at least partial credit for her popularity.
Start the bus
texas214 (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 5:37PM EST (link)Best part of this comment was that he had just been asked whether he should step down for his failures.
Fight back
vortigernpendragon (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 6:30PM EST (link)One last attempt to mobilze the people. Here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P21n4ZOP8KE
http://spendenforcer.com/
Easy question.
skorrent1 (Diary) Thursday, November 19th at 7:50PM EST (link)I nominate “teachers”. Of the supposed 640,000 jobs “saved”, 320,000 were labeled as “education” jobs. These teachers’ jobs were supposedly in jeopardy if the states didn’t get gobs of stimulus money.
Of course, I put this threat right up there with the USPS (“We’ll have to stop Saturday delivery.”) and the Park Service (“We’ll shut down the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty.”) when money gets tight.
Come on guys, ease up on Tim
maddog (Diary) Friday, November 20th at 8:18AM EST (link)After all, he’s only reporting what TurboTax, Quicken, and his other financial tools are telling him. It’s the sofware’s fault!!!
OMG. Some skeptic hacked into emails
redneck_hippie (Diary) Friday, November 20th at 11:38AM EST (link)and data files showing hoaxing on global warming!
Read it a moment ago on hotair, where the What’s Up With That blog is also referenced.
I’ve been wondering where a certain RS’er has been…
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/11/20/do-hacked-e-mails-show-global-warming-fraud/
Correction: it is Watt's Up With That blog. (link)
redneck_hippie (Diary) Friday, November 20th at 12:02PM EST (link)http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/19/breaking-news-story-hadley-cru-has-apparently-been-hacked-hundreds-of-files-released/