Don't forget that the numbers would have actually been worse if they had included the 45,000 striking Verizon workers.

I'm glad that Obama waited two years into his administration to deal with unemployment. That game of chess he's playing is really helping the people who haven't been able to find work in years. And I'm sure they are just chopping at the bit to vote him a second term!!

The Republican strategy has been clear from day one: Do everything you can to make Obama fail. So what if the economy goes in the tank? In fact, it works out even better that way, because they say that it was Obama's fault. When the Republicans take control again, they can't just say, "See? Government doesn't work! Let's cut taxes some more!"

Of course, it doesn't help that Obama has let them get away with this plan.

Actually, like when Bush was in office, it's not a bad unemployment rate. Our country has had way worse in the past, all this fuss is really just political and media hype, ratings in other words. The problem is the number of people on disability is growing a lot and there is no way out of it, really. Also there's the retirement age being lowered by companies and raised by the government so there's a huge number of people who are being lost through that crack. But the real issue is people not paying their personal debts that has hurt banks, then turning around and demanding the government help them out ... ooops, wasn't suppose to put the blame on the people ... there I go again, aiming for the root of the problem. There is simply no money to spend, anywhere, by anyone.

We really just got too comfortable with how everything was and the economy became stagnant so when the world wide market drop hit, no one had anything prepared and with us owing every country a fortune, there was no way to jump start it. The government wasn't too smart in handing out a bunch of money, oh yeah, another fact we aren't suppose to talk about since no one realized they were just getting their future taxes at the time. Sorry, but this single issue thing is just getting on my nerves now. Heard it with Bush and now it's Obama, when will people wake up and just admit that we're fucked and need other countries to help us fix our problems now?

@4 - No money to spend anywhere? Interesting, because Tiffany's stock has gone from $41 a share to $68 a share in the last year. Somebody must have some money to spend.

Yes, the Republicans are obstructionist pricks. And yes, Obama's an incompetent boob. And corporate America's not helping by sitting on untold billions of dollars that it should be funneling back into the economy. But none of that really matters, because it's time for your daily ass-raping. Bend over.

The Great Depression ended when WWII brought about the most massive deficit-funded jobs program we've ever seen. Oh, that and higher taxes on the wealthy, so that consumers had a better chance to go to college and become more productive, earn more and spend more. And a deeper respect for the common person, who, despite paying lower taxes, bore the heaviest burden of the war.

I think part of the problem now is the extraordinary concentration of wealth, so that the people with all the money don't want to spend or invest it (trillions sit on the sidelines), because the markets are waiting for consumers, the people who have no money right now, to start to spend more.

The job non-numbers did include the Verizon strikers.

But considering those who have given up looking, and those who are now working part-time at McDonald's instead of their former fulltime jobs, the unemployment figure's closer to 16%, so many more jobs are needed than officially recognized.

@10 McDonald's is still a job.

@5 Just because a stock rose doesn't mean there's more money involved. It's a lot more complicated than that. Stocks have been rising all over the place, even for businesses that are failing, because ... it's more complicated than that.

Goldy, don’t you think Boehner did Barack a favor by postponing the debate by only a day? Were you really looking forward to the candidates dissecting Barack’s lies, distortions, and empty platitudes all in the same evening. What a delight that would have been!

@14: Where have you been? Hyperbole aside, my sterling commentary is remarkably consistent.

@ 12 - Luxury goods sales are up 8% in 2011. Somebody's buying the stuff.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424…

Yikes! "debate" s/b "speech" on @13! Never do Slog before coffee.