Which States Get Lumps of Coal for Job Growth in November?

Rhode Island and Wisconsin get biggest bags of Lumps of Coal in job growth last month; Texas, New York, and Louisiana get the largest Angel Wings for job growth in November 2011. 

Rhode Island and Wisconsin have each received 6 Lumps of Coal in job growth/loss for November 2011.  Alaska and Delaware each received 5 Lumps of Coal, while Indiana, Minnesota, and Missouri received 4 Lumps of Coal a piece for one or more categories of job growth as of November 2011.

Based on an analysis of the latest Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report which was released Tuesday, December 20, by the Bureau of Labor, Rhode Island and Wisconsin had the lowest job growth (or actual decreases in jobs) in one or more categories:  Month over month, over the past three months, 2011 to date, or year over year. This is the second month in a row in which Wisconsin has been singled out for such "distinction".

Texas, New York, and Louisiana have received the most Angel Wings  for November 2011, each leading the nation in one or more categories of job growth (over the past month, past three months, in 2011, or over the past year.)

According to the same analysis, the US gained approximately 1.16% in jobs since November 2010, and approximately 1.2% in jobs in 2011 to date.

(Note:  The BLS report includes month over month and year over year numbers.  My analysis, taken from BLS data copied to a spreadsheet every month, includes detailed percentage increases/decreases, 3 month numbers, and 2011 to date numbers.  I will provide this data on a state-by-state basis, including rankings in all categories, in the coming days.)

Latest (January) Jobs & Unemployment Reports HERE!! 

Rankings of states in order of Percentage Increase in Jobs in 2011 HERE! How does your state rank?

Jobs Performance Month Over Month (October to November 2011):

The best performance (biggest gains) in month over month jobs numbers (October to November 2011):
Angel Wings to-

• New York           +28,500
• Texas                +20,800 
• South Carolina    +16,600
• Georgia              +13,000
• New Jersey         +10,300

The worst performance (biggest losses and/or smallest gains) in month over month jobs numbers:
These states get Lumps of Coal-

• Wisconsin           -14,600   
• Minnesota           -13,700

The best performance (biggest gains) as a percent of jobs compared to the previous month:
Angel Wings to-

• South Carolina       +0.91%
• Arkansas               +0.61%
• Wyoming               +0.55%
• New Hampshire      +0.51%

The worst performance (in this month, the biggest decrease) as a percent of jobs compared to the last month:
Lumps of Coal to-

• Alaska                -0.79%
• Delaware            -0.65% 
• Montana             -0.60%
• Wisconsin           -0.53%
• Minnesota           -0.51% 
• Nebraska            -0.42% 
• Rhode Island       -0.41%  

Jobs performance over last three months (August to November 2011): 

The best performance (biggest gains) in three-month jobs numbers (August to November 2011):
Angel Wings to-

• California   +83,400
• Florida       +51,100
• Texas        +34,600
• Illinois       +26,200
• Louisiana    +23,400
• New York    +21,100
• Tennessee  +20,600

The worst performance (biggest losses these three months) in three-month jobs numbers:

November's Lumps of Coal go to-

• Wisconsin         -28,000
• Minnesota         -21,100
• North Carolina    -8,600
• Ohio                 -8,600
• Missouri            -4,900

The best performance (biggest gains) in percent of jobs over the past three months:
Angel Wings to-

• Mississippi       +1.44%
• Hawaii             +1.41%
• Louisiana         +1.22%
• North Dakota    +0.96%
• South Carolina  +0.87%
• Tennessee        +0.78%

The worst performance (biggest losses and/or smallest gains) in percent of jobs over the past three months:
Lumps of Coal to-

• Wisconsin       -1.01%
• Minnesota       -0.85%
• Rhode Island   -0.72%
• Nebraska        -0.71%

Jobs performance in 2011 (December 2010 to November 2011):

The best performance (biggest gains) in job numbers in 2011 to date:
Angel wings to-

• California     +234,300
• Texas          +184,600
• New York     +106,000
• Florida         +104,100
• Ohio            +79,300
• Illinois         +62,300
• Michigan       +62,100
• Pennsylvania    +55,900
• Washington      +54,800
• Massachusetts  +51,600 

The worst performance (biggest losses and/or smallest gains) in job numbers in 2011 to date:
Lumps of Coal to-

• Georgia            -13,100
• Delaware          -3,700
• Rhode Island    even 0.00
• Alaska             +500
• South Dakota    +1,800
• Indiana            +2,000
• Maine              +2,800
 

The best performance (biggest gains) as a percent of increase in number of jobs in 2011 to date:
Angel Wings to-

• North Dakota     +4.39%
• Oklahoma         +2.51%
• Utah                +2.47%
• Wyoming          +2.46%
• Louisiana          +2.45%
• Washington       +1.97%
• Arizona             +1.87%
• Texas               +1.77%

The worst performance (biggest losses and/or smallest gains) as a percent of jobs in 2011 to date:
Lumps of Coal to-

• Georgia         -0.89%
• Delaware       -0.34%
• Rhode Island  even 0.00%
• Indiana          +0.07%
• Wisconsin      +0.14%
• Alaska           +0.15%
• Alabama        +0.25%
• Missouri         +0.27%

Jobs performance year over year (November 2010 to November 2011):

The best performance (biggest gains) in job numbers year over year:
Angel Wings to-

• California          +233,100
• Texas               +226,000
• Florida              +98,100
• New York          +83,600
• Ohio                 +75,600

The worst performance (biggest losses and/or smallest gains) in job numbers year over year:
Lumps of Coal in November to-

• Georgia          -20,300
• Indiana           - 7,000
• Delaware        - 3,400
• Rhode Island   -600
• Alaska            -300
• Maine             +1300
• Missouri          +1400 

The best performance (biggest gains) as a percent of jobs year over year:
Angel Wings to-

• North Dakota      +4.53%
• Wyoming            +2.97%
• Oklahoma           +2.82%
• Utah                  +2.55%
• Louisiana            +2.47%
• Texas                 +2.17%
• Washington         +2.15%

The worst performance (biggest losses and/or smallest gains) as a percent of jobs year over year:
Lumps of Coal to-

• Delaware          -0.82%
• Georgia            -0.53%
• Indiana            -0.25%
• Rhode Island     -0.13%
• Alaska              -0.09%
• Missouri           +0.05%
• Alabama          +0.16%
• Wisconsin        +0.16%

Big Sacks of Coal to these states in November:

• Wisconsin, with 6 lumps of coal, had the largest drop in number of jobs over the past month and over the past three months.  Its ranking in percentage job growth/loss is:  47th month over month, 50th over the last three months, 46th in all of 2011, and 43rd year over year (since last November).
• Rhode Island, also got 6 lumps of coal in its sack of jobs this month.  No jobs have been created in Rhode Island this year, one of only three states with zero or negative job growth in 2011.  Rhode Island also ranks consistently low in percentage job growth/loss. 
• Alaska with 5 lumps of coal.
• Delaware, with 5 lumps of coal.  
• Other states with large sacks of coal include:
• Indiana, Minnesota, and Missouri, each with 4 lumps of coal.
• Wyoming with 3 lumps of coal.   

Angel Wings to these States:

• Texas, with 6 wings.
• New York, with 4 wings. 
• Louisiana, with 4 wings.
• Runner up Angel Wing states include: 
• Southern Carolina, Florida, Washington, and North Dakota each with 3 angel wings.  

Latest (December) Jobs & Unemployment Reports HERE!! 

Rankings of states in order of Percentage Increase in Jobs in 2011 HERE! How does your state rank?

Which Employment Sectors Added or Lost Jobs in 2011 To Date?

Which Industries/Employment Sectors are Growing in 2011?


Mining and Logging took the lead in percentage of job growth in 2011 to date, with the Post Office losing the highest jobs as a percentage in 2011 to date. Local, state, and federal government sectors took five out of the lowest seven slots in job growth/decline to date in 2011.  Other job losers in 2011 include Finance &  Accounting, Manufacturing of Non-Durable Goods, and "Information".  Other  winning sectors include Professional & Technical Services, Manufacturing of Durable Goods, and Administrative & Waste Services.   These are percentages of jobs lost and gained vs. absolute numbers of jobs lost and gained. 


The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports how many jobs are lost or gained each month, and it also breaks down these numbers by industrial, commercial, or government "sector".

I've been copying this data published by the Bureau of  Labor Statistics to an Excel spreadsheet for several months now, and I've been calculating and publishing the number of jobs gained or lost over various periods of times, such as since Obama was elected, since the "trough" of the recession, over the last three months, and during this year.

This month I'm starting to publish job growth or decline by industry "sector".  Every non-agricultural job in this country can be found in one of the "sectors" listed below, but there are a few catch-all categories, such as "Information" and "Other Services".  I'm only publishing jobs lost/gained in 2011 to date, but  I will expand this in the coming months.  Most of you will be able to figure out into which sector your employer falls, but some of you may not work for employers who fit into one of these categories, so you may have to guess.


Sectors in 2011 to date:

Here's a ranking on job growth in 2011 to date (as of November 2011) based on employer sector:

Rank	Sector	% Incr/Decrease
1.	Mining/logging	+11.04%
2.	Professional/technical services	+3.15%
3.	Manufacture/Durable goods	+2.96%
4.	Administration and Waste Services....	+2.67%
5.	Educational services	+2.24%
6.	Health Care	+2.12%
7.	Accommodation & Food Services	+2.09%
8.	Retail Trade	+1.52%
9.	Management of Companies	+1.38%
10.	Wholesale Trade	+1.29%
11.	Social Assistance	+0.97%
12.	Real estate, rental, leasing	+0.83%
13.	Utilities	+0.74%
14.	Other Services	+0.68%
15.	State Gov't Education	+0.57%
16.	Transportation & Warehousing	+0.56%
17.	Construction	+0.44%
18.	Arts, entertainment, recreation	+0.17%
19.	Financial, acctg, finance, insurance	-0.11%
20.	Fed Gov't outside of Post Office	-0.24%
21.	Manufacture/Non-durable goods	-0.27%
22.	Local Gov't other than Education	-1.00%
23.	Local Gov't Education	-1.22%
24.	Information	-1.82%
25.	State Gov't other than Education	-2.92%
26.	USPS (Post Office)	-4.82%

Notes:

• Government sectors are marked in red.
• "Administration and waste services" includes temporary agencies.
• "Educational services" does not include government education, but may include private schools.  (I'm still trying to verify that.)
• "Social Assistance" includes private and non-profit day care establishments.

Shame on You! Merry Christmas, Mr. Conservative Scrooge!

Dear, dear Huffington Post... So many Grinches and Scrooges have made it their home in recent months and years. They are always trying to get the last word in against those "libs" and others they dislike (such as Democrats and progressives.)

Today's "Shame on you" is dedicated to this modern day Scrooge, calling himself something like "yesIamaconservative", posting at this article about the recent two-month tax cut and unemployment extension deal at Huffington Post.  I didn't have time for a complete reply to him; perhaps some of you can help me.

In his tome about the two-month tax cut and unemployment extension deal, Mr. Conservative Scrooge  ranted:

WOW - BIG Victory!! $160.00 ... but relative to past 3 years I guess anything counts.

Where is the "what's best for America" congress gone? It's now all about ME - what's in it for ME - what are you going to do for ME.

Border security - good for the country - but don't dare stop ME and ask for proof of citizenshi­p or don't you dare deport ME. Give ME amnesty.

Entitlemen­t reform - good and necessary for country - but dare touch MY medicare or welfare.

Taking taxes from SS - bad for country - but it's good for ME to get $160.00 in my paycheck.

Long term unemployme­nt - bad for country - but keep paying ME to be unemployed and you'll get my vote

Voter Id to validate legal right to vote - good for country - but don't dare ask ME to have to produce one - I'm too disadvanta­ged

Long term welfare - bad for country as it keeps people in poverty - but don't dare touch MY welfare because then I'll scream that you are racist

Poor govt. schools - bad for country - and certainly don't let me make any decision that could possibly improve my educationa­l choices

Give ME something and I'll vote for you. Don't and I won't.

Thanks you Democrats, Liberals and OWS believers everywhere --- WHERE IS MY TROPHY??

Shame on you!

I only had time for this quick retort:

“Anybody who thinks that long term unemployme­nt extensions are "paying people not to work" is not a good person. Do you really believe that that the unemployed in this (still) 4-jobseekers- for- every-job economy are enjoying the life of Riley lazing on their couch while they collect their $300 a week?  If you really believe this, then you are a person lacking in compassion or common sense. Shame on you.”

He shot back:

"All this bloody compassion you libs. express is just pandering and doesn't help people improve their lives - it keeps them in poverty. If that's not obvious - then indeed there is no common sense.

Shame on me for wanting people to take personal responsibi­lity and improve their lives vs. living FOR GENERATION­S depending on the govt.

Right - I'm the shameful one. Merry Christmas ..."

Yes, Mr. Scrooge, you are the shameful one.  I can just hear you ranting, "Are there no prisons?  Are there no workhouses?"  as you blame the 13,300,000 unemployed people, the 40-odd percent who don't make enough money to pay federal income taxes, the millions without health insurance, and the millions who are at or close to poverty level for their predicament.  And you convince yourself that many of these formerly middle class people are in their situations because they are the result of "generations of government programs", or because they didn't "plan well", "make good choices", or "work hard".  


Bah Humbug!


I can only say to you, Mr. Conservative Scrooge:  Bah Humbug!  And wish that those three ghosts will visit you tonight... but that is really too much to ask for. 


To everybody reading this:  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and have a Festive Festivus for the rest of us!  And, as Tiny Tim would say, God bless us, each and every one!    


***********************
Update December 26, 2011:


Here are several other articles written in the last few months on the same theme:  


Conservatives Put a Spin on Food Stamps


47% of the People Pay No Taxes!


The Rich Deserve What They Have; They Have Earned It

Job Growth by State: 2011 to date (November update)

States ranking by Percentage of  Job Growth in 2011 to Date (November)

Below are the rankings of the fifty states based on percentage of job growth for the year 2011 through November.  Only two states, Delaware and Georgia, have  experienced a decrease in jobs for the year to date.  The average percentage job growth for the United States in 2011 to date is +1.20% 

I've included the party affiliation of the governors and legislatures of the various states.  See the legend after the data.

  Latest (January & all 2011) Jobs and Unemployment Reports HERE!! 

Which States Received Lumps of Coal in Job Creation for November 2011?  

(Note:  These numbers are based on the monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Reports.  The BLS reports include month over month and year over year numbers.  Data for my monthly reports is taken from that BLS report copied to a spreadsheet every month.  I will continue to add more reports on state data in the coming days.)

Rank	State	Governor...	Legislature.....	% +/- Jobs....	Rank Last Month
1.	North Dakota	R	R	+4.39	1.
2.	Oklahoma	R	R	+2.51	3.
3.	Utah	R	R	+2.47	2.
4.	Wyoming	R	R	+2.46	8.
5.	Louisiana	R	M	+2.45	4.
6.	Washington	D	D	+1.97	12.
7.	Arizona	R	R	+1.87	7.
8.	Texas	R	R	+1.77	9.
9.	California	D	D	+1.68	11.
10.	Massachusetts	D	D	+1.62	15.
11.	Michigan	R	R	+1.61	17.
12.	Ohio	R	R	+1.58	14.
13.	Vermont	D	D	+1.57	9.
14.	Nebraska	R	N	+1.57	5.
15.	Tennessee	R	R	+1.50	20.
16.	South Carolina	R	R	+1.50	33.
17.	Florida	R	R	+1.45	19.
18.	West Virginia	D	D	+1.41	16.
19.	Kentucky	D	M	+1.37	21.
20.	New Hampshire	D	R	+1.29	35.
21.	Hawaii	D	D	+1.29	24.
22.	New York	D	M	+1.24	27.
23.	Colorado	D	M	+1.19	13.
24.	Illinois	D	D	+1.11	21.
25.	Iowa	R	M	+1.08	26.
26.	Pennsylvania	R	R	+0.99	30.
27.	New Mexico	R	D	+0.97	23.
28.	New Jersey	R	D	+0.94	34.
29.	Nevada	R	D	+0.93	32.
30.	Oregon	D	M	+0.93	25.
31.	Montana	D	R	+0.91	6.
32.	Arkansas	D	D	+0.87	46.
33.	Maryland	D	D	+0.86	35.
34.	Idaho	R	R	+0.76	27.
35.	Kansas	R	R	+0.73	38.
36.	Minnesota	D	R	+0.71	17.
37.	Virginia	R	R	+0.70	31.
38.	Mississippi	R	D	+0.69	39.
39.	Connecticut	D	D	+0.61	37.
40.	North Carolina	D	R	+0.52	45.
41.	Maine	R	R	+0.47	41.
42.	South Dakota	R	R	+0.44	44.
43.	Missouri	D	R	+0.27	40.
44.	Alabama	R	R	+0.25	41.
45.	Alaska	R	M	+0.15	29.
46.	Wisconsin	R	R	+0.14	43.
47.	Indiana	R	R	+0.07	48.
48	Rhode Island	I	R	+0.00	46.
49.	Georgia	R	R	-0.34	50.
50.	Delaware	D	R	-0.89	49.

Legend: 

• R- Republican 
• D- Democratic 
• I-  Independent
• M- Mixed
• N- Non-partisan  

Is there any relationship between party in control of a state and the rate of job creation in that state?

Based on the rankings in this report, there does not appear to be any obvious correlation between control of the state politically and job growth.  Six states in the top 10 are now completely controlled by Republicans, as are six states in the bottom 10.  This is the same pattern that we saw last month.  21 states are now controlled completely by Republicans.  11 of those states are in the top half of the rankings, and 10 Republican states are in the bottom half.  10 states are now controlled completely by Democrats.  7 of those states are in the top half of the rankings, and 3 of those states are in the bottom half.

Many of the top ranking states are benefiting from continued growth in mining, including the leader, North Dakota.  


Biggest improvement:  Washington, Massachusetts, Michigan, Tennessee, South Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Arkansas, and North Carolina, each advancing at least 5 slots from last month.


Nebraska, Colorado, Oregon, Montana,Idaho, Minnesota, Virginia, and Alaska, all declined at least 5 slots since last month.

  Latest (January & all 2011) Jobs and Unemployment Reports HERE!! 

Which States Received Lumps of Coal in Job Creation for November 2011?  

Shame on You, John Boehner! Boehner and the GOP's Concerns This Christmas

"We oppose the Senate bill because doing the two-month extension instead of a full year extension causes uncertaint­y for job creators," says John Boehner, Speaker of the House, quoted in this article at the Huffington Post about the payroll tax cuts.

"Uncertainty for job creators":  Let me repeat that.  I don't know about you, but I'm really tired of hearing this "job creator" nonsense.  Boehner's concerned about uncertainty for his rich "job creator" friends, who, as far as I can tell, have not bothered to create many jobs so far.

Why isn't Boehner concerned about the uncertainty of the unemployed?  They are concerned about keeping the heat on over the winter if unemployment insurance benefits get cut off come the cold of January 1st.  Should they take back the presents for the kids and use the money to pay their heating bills?  

Why isn't Boehner concerned about the uncertainty for the middle class and working poor?  Those people are concerned about having a few more bucks to make it through the worst economy in 80 years.  Perhaps they too will need to scale down to avoid bills come January that they no longer can pay. 

But do Boehner and the rest of the Republicans care about the 7 million people getting unemployme­nt benefits (which affects about 12 million people if you count the family members of the unemployed)..... or do they care about the working mi­ddle income and poor families having an extra 100 or 150 bucks a month to pay a few bills? Nope!  Boehner is concerned about the "uncertainty" of his rich friend NO job creators.

Shame on Boehner and all of these Republicans.

Someone explain to me why there is one.... even one... middle or working income person who supports (or believes) these characters­?  


*************************************
Update Wednesday, December 21, 2011:


Even the Wall Street Journal is sick of Boehner and the Republicans, but for another reason:  They are afraid that the American people will react so strongly against the Republicans that they will guarantee Obama's reelection, something that the Wall Street Journal does not want.  The article discussing this at the Huffington Post is HERE.


And here's another "Shame on You Boehner"  from commenter Ariando at Huffington Post :

McConnell and Boehner should be impeached for breaking their oath's of office - When you list your highest (and only) priority as working against a duly elected President, you have declared that you are not interested in performing the duties of your office. Shame on you.:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constituti­on of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservatio­n or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

Private and Government Jobs Lost or Gained Under Obama (November 2011 update)

Latest (2013, 2012, & all 2011 Updates) HERE!!

How many jobs (total, private, and government) have been lost or gained since Obama was inaugurated?  

• 4,303,000 jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were LOST in TOTAL from the time Obama took office until the "trough" of the recession in early 2010.  That's a decrease of 3.2%. 
• 2,462,000 jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were CREATED from the "trough" of the recession until now, November 2011.  That's an increase of 1.9%.
• In total, 1,841,000  jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were LOST from the time Obama took office until now, November 2011.  That's a decrease of 1.4%. 
• We have experienced 14 months WITHOUT job losses since September 2010.  We have ADDED 1,864,000 jobs during those 13 months. 

How many PRIVATE sector jobs have been lost or gained since Obama was elected?

• 4,189,000 private-sector jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were LOST from the time Obama took office until the "trough" of the recession in early 2010.  That's a decrease of 3.8%.
• 2,947,000 private-sector jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were GAINED OR CREATED from the "trough" of the recession until now, November, 2011.  That's an increase of 2.8%.
• In total,1,242,000 private sector jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were LOST from the time Obama took office until now, November 2011.  That's a net decrease of 1.1%. 
• We have experienced 21 months of positive private-sector job GROWTH from February 2010 until November 2011.  We have added 2,947,000 private-sector jobs during those 21 months.    

How many GOVERNMENT jobs have been lost or gained since Obama was elected?

• 114,000 government jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were LOST from the time Obama took office until the "trough" of the recession in early 2010.  That's a decrease of  .5%  (half of a percent). 
• 485,000 government jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were LOST from the "trough" of the recession until now, November, 2011.  That's a decrease of 2.2%.
• In total, 599,000 government jobs (in seasonally adjusted numbers) were LOST from the time Obama took office until now, November 2011.  That's a decrease of 2.7%. 
• We have experienced decreases in the number of government jobs in 12 out of the last 13 months, starting in October 2010, when the layoff of 2010 Census workers was complete.  

Notes:  Current numbers taken from the October Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Report.  Historical numbers taken from various archived Employment Situation reports as indexed HERE. Specifics will be provided upon request; please email me or leave a comment.

Alternate Unemployment Rate Declines to 17.7% in November

Molly's Alternate Unemployment Rate Falls to 17.7% in November 2011 from 18.2% in October 2011. 


The decrease is due primarily to:

1. Another 4.2% decrease in the number of people working part-time who want full-time work.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 378,000 FEWER involuntary part-time workers (people working part-time who want full-time work) in November as compared to October 2011.  This seasonally-adjusted number was decreasing in the early months of the year; it then rose dramatically for two months, but now has decreased for two months.  It is still unclear if this is a trend or an aberration.  We'll have to wait another couple of months to make this determination.
2. An increase of 278,000 in the number of people who reported themselves as employed.  
3. After accounting for people returning to work (the 278,000 additionally employed), a drop in the number of people who are actively looking for work.  315,000 people stopped actively looking for work, though there was an increase of 192,000 in the number of people who "want a job" but haven't actively looked for work recently.  That leaves about 123,000 people who have simply stopped looking and stopped wanting a job.  (I don't believe we can't count people as unemployed unless they profess to "want a job".)       

      Latest (November) numbers HERE!!

Molly's seasonally-adjusted alternate unemployment rate is 17.7% for November 2011. It is down a half of a percent or five-tenths (.5%) of a percent from the 18.2% of October 2011.  

28,416,000, over 28 million people, are unemployed and want to work OR underemployed (working part-time and wanting full-time work) in November 2011. This is an decrease of 780,000 people from the 29,196,000 who were unemployed and/or  underemployed in October.

The details of Molly's alternate unemployment rate continue after the jump.

Shame on You! The Heartless in America

I've written before on the "New Face of Poverty in America", but this is a bit of a different spin:  "The Face of Heartlessness in America".  I don't think it is the "new" face of heartlessness in America, as we've always seen some pretty cruel people over the years, but the recent upsurge of Tea Party Republican-ism and "social conservatives" seems to be bringing out the worst in a segment of our population.

There are an incredible number of mean-spirited, objectifying, and negative posters around the Internet these days.  We can let the words of those who feel that they are "superior" to the rest of us speak for themselves.. with rebuts from those who are compassionate believers in this country and all of its citizens, from the wealthiest to the most poverty stricken.   

Shame on You!

All of these unpleasant people somehow missed the lesson that so many of us got from our parents:  Shame on you! 

In our family, if we were selfish, lying, lazy, mean to each other, or cruel to a classmate, my mother would admonish us with the "Shame on you"! cry.. and that "Look"!  We learned "There but for the grace of God go I" when we talked of people who had experienced hardships or when we came across people with deformities or disabilities.    We learned that showing compassion, empathy, and caring for others was a good thing.  And that the often heartless, sometimes cruel or selfish behavior in which most children engage as they mature was not a good thing; and those behaviors over time were extinguished.    

The Republican Debate Hall of Shame

We could shame many of the Republican candidates and legislators, and probably a few Democrats as well. Not to mention the Republican audiences at these debates.  Let's start with the Republican debate Hall of Shame:

• Who could forget the raucous audience applause when the moderator mentioned the hundreds of people put to death in Texas under Governor Rick Perry?
• And then, just a week or two later, the loud calls of "Let him die!" when a question about a proverbial person without health insurance was asked of Texas Rep. Ron Paul.
• Another debate or two down the line, and a soldier now defending his country in Iraq was on videophone asking a question of the cavalcade of clowns and characters.  He was, however, a gay soldier, so the audience felt free to boo this man who was fighting on their behalf in a country half a world away.  
• And then we get Newt Gingrich, the most despicable of the bunch.  He suggests that poor kids need to build up a work ethic, apparently assuming that all poor kids have parents who don't work and have never worked.  But he is going to help them to build up a work ethic, not by providing better schools or more education to these kids, perhaps after-school tutoring programs or other activities that help the learning process... but, no, these poor kids can scrub the toilets of their wealthier classmates.  Why don't the wealthier classmates need to scrub toilets?  Because they already have a work ethic!  Yep, it's easy to have a work ethic if you get to work for Daddy's business during the summer, like some wealthier kids I know.  In any event, the Grinch continued to defend his vision for America's poor children, and the Republican audience applauded vehemently.       

Today's Hall of Shame from the realm of forum posters

Today's candidate for the "Shame on You!" award is the person who wrote the following reply to an article at Huffington Post about extending unemployment benefits.  One of the people profiled in the article was a long-term unemployed  man in his 60's trying to figure out how he could keep paying his mortgage and other bills.  Our charter Hall of Shame poster wrote:

He shouldn't still have a mortgage at age 60. Renting is cheaper, nobody is entitled to own a home, and most are forced to retire before 65. That was just greed and bad planning. __ The young need the jobs, they have the highest unemployme­nt. It's their world not ours (I'm 61). The new mantra is "60 is the new 70". You are now too old to get or keep a job in the US at age 60.

Though I don't completely disagree with this person's assessment that you are now too old to get or keep a job in the US at age 60, I did disagree with his judgmental attitude towards those who are 60 who still have mortgages.  My reply:

Shame on you. We know very little about this person's situation. Perhaps a family member was ill and he was not able to save as much as he wanted. Perhaps he himself or his wife had a chunk of time out of the labor force before this recession due to health problems.. or tending elderly parents.

I know people who pursued the American dream by starting a business in their 40's or 50's only to have the business go bellyup, which happens much more than we think.. .Now they find themselves planning on working as long as they can.. if they can. People with late-in-li­fe divorces or late-in-li­fe families often find themselves starting over in their 40's or 50's with not as much time to accumulate assets.

I know many people in their 50's who are just getting their last kid out of the door.. They planned on working for the next 10 years and stashing cash.. only to have the economy tank.

I know plenty of people who have mortgages, often very reasonable mortgages, who are in their 50's or 60's. It doesn't mean they are greedy or "didn't plan well". It meant that life threw them some curves. It's too bad that we aren't all as superior as you seem to think you are.

Another Huffington Post member added:

And it is a sad world, Molly, where posters such as the one you just answered think that every person must follow the same trajectory in life. There are resources enough of earth for everyone. With automation we see the possibilit­y of the end of monotonous labor for people's entire lives. And we would live on a much happier planet if we thought about how to share more equally rather than scheming to defraud our fellow human beings.

Yes, indeed; it can be a sad world when we are chided, criticized, or condemned for not making "perfect decisions" or living a "perfect life."

Private & Government Jobs Lost and Gained Month by Month in 2011

How many jobs, total, private, and government have been gained (created) or lost month by month in 2011 to date (November 2011)?

Latest (December) jobs reports HERE!!

Private & Government Jobs Lost& Gained Month by Month in 2011... end of year

(Numbers of jobs in thousands, jobs lost/gained as stated.)

Month	Total Jobs	Jobs lost/gained	Private Jobs	Prvt Jobs lost/gained	Gov't Jobs	Govt Jobs lost/gained
Jan.	130,328	+68,000	108,102	+94,000	22,226	-26,000
Feb.	130,563	+235,000	108,363	+261,000	22,200	-26,000
March	130,757	+194,000	108,582	+219,000	22,175	-25,000
April	130,974	+217,000	108,823	+241,000	22,151	-24,000
May	130,999	+25,000	108,896	+73,000	22,103	-48,000
June	131,047	+48,000	108,997	+101,000	22,050	-53,000
July	131,174	+127,000	109,170	+173,000	22,004	-46,000
August	131,278	+104,000	109,242	+72,000	22,036	+32,000
Sept.	131,488*	+210,000*	109,462*	+220,000*	22,026*	-10,000*
Oct.	131,588*	+100,000*	109,579*	+117,000*	22,009*	-17,000*
Nov.	131,708*	+120,000	109,719	+140,000	21,989	-20,000

The numbers above represent the latest revisions, which often differ from the preliminary numbers announced by the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) on the first Friday of a given month.  (* - Revisions since the last month's numbers). 


A total of 1,448,000 jobs have been ADDED/CREATED in 2011 to date, November 2011.  That is an average of 131,700 new jobs per month this year.  


1,711,000 jobs have been ADDED in the private sector in 2011 to date; that is an average of 156,000 new private-sector jobs per month this year.


263,000 jobs have been LOST in the government sector in 2011 to date; that is an average of 24,000 government sector jobs lost per month this year. 

Latest (December) jobs reports HERE!!


Private & Government Jobs Lost& Gained Month by Month in 2011... end of year

(Note:  All of my employment number reports are based on monthly reports and data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  States numbers reports are based on the monthly Regional and State Employment/Unemployment Survey .  The BLS reports include month over month and year over year numbers of state job numbers.  My analysis is taken from the monthly BLS data copied to an Excel spreadsheet every month.  I calculate detailed percentage increases/decreases, 3 month numbers, 2011 to date numbers, and I rank the states according to various metrics.)