What was the Unemployment Rate When Obama Took Office? (September update)

What was the unemployment rate when Bush left office and Obama took office?  7.7%


How high did it go?  What is today's (September's) unemployment rate?   Keep reading!

How many people were looking for work when Obama was inaugurated, how many were working?  And how many people are looking for work and how many are employed now?   Keep reading!

*NEW*Private, government jobs gained and lost month by month 2011

          Latest (November) reports linked HERE!! 

The Unemployment Rate when Obama took office:

Happy Labor Day! A Tribute to My Father.

My Dad was a veteran and a union man.    

Happy Labor Day!  from Cognitive Dissonance 

(Updated for Labor Day 2013, September 2, 2013)
He wasn't an activist; he wasn't a union steward; he just worked in a union shop for about 35 years. 

He was bright but not educated; he never finished high school, but he was awarded a number of patents over the years.  He was a self-taught man.  In these days of degrees and advanced degrees, someone like my dad would go nowhere.  The garage and his workshop in the basement were filled with every kind of tool imaginable, pieces of wood, metal, odds and ends that he picked up.  He could fix anything, and, for a while when we were really little, he fixed cars out of the garage and also did some electrical work for pay.  After he got his union job, however, he did less of that, content to keep our home, our grandmother's home, and the apartment buildings that my parents owned in good repair.  

He never went on strike, but he was concerned about it a few times; there was always a settlement before the strike date came.  The company he worked for changed owners, was bought out, was sold again, but eventually it became part of what is now Verizon.  

HERE's MORE about my dad and about what it meant (and still means) to be a union member in these United States.

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Index to all Jobs & Employment Reports HERE  

The Unemployed: Lazy? Irresponsible spongers?

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And, remember, unions wouldn't be necessary if companies paid their employees reasonably, treated them like human beings, and insisted on decent working conditions.. and didn't insist on paying CEO's millions because they are so "worth it".  "Class warfare" didn't start with the workers.

I just came across this article about Labor Day:  Republicans Should Use This Labor Day to Ponder Their Assault on the American Worker--

...And that's what Labor Day has transformed into: Not about the history of labor, respect for union or an opportunity to affirm our commitment to fundamental worker rights, just a chance for some family-friendly fun.

That family-friendly fun, by the way, is made possible by child labor laws, weekends and minimum wage - all progress that was championed by labor unions. But you won't hear about that on Monday, politicians will be too busy discussing how to get government out of the way of Big Business and regular Americans will be too preoccupied worrying about their economic future.

Thanks, Justin Krebs!

For Labor Day 2013, Paul Krugman talks about the loss of respect for the working man, particularly among the Republican right-wing:

No, what’s unimaginable now is that Congress would unanimously offer even an empty gesture of support for workers’ dignity. For the fact is that many of today’s politicians can’t even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans. 

Consider, for example, how Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, marked Labor Day last year: with a Twitter post declaring “Today, we celebrate those who have taken a risk, worked hard, built a business and earned their own success.” Yep, he saw Labor Day as an occasion to honor business owners.

But, while we contemplate the state of the American worker, we can appreciate Labor Day.

And to all workers everywhere, whether labor or management, whether union or self-employed:

 Have a good day and remember the middle class life that we all took for granted.  It's still not too late to save it!

47% of the People Pay No Taxes!

An Update for Tax Day:


Check out my update to this article:  45% of Households Pay No Taxes.

Updated 9/18/2012:  Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney speaks with derision and disdain about the "47%" who supposedly pay no taxes.  Commentary HERE.

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This is one of the constant rallying cries of those of the right-wing.

Many appear to be incensed that they pay taxes and so many of their fellow Americans do not.

I've often ansewred these kinds of whines with a comment on the order of: "Be glad that you have the income to pay taxes." Or:  "I would gladly pay the taxes that you whine about if only I could also have your income."

Now, I'm not a fool. I have close friends who make a lot of money...not millions, but low to mid 6 figure money. They pay a lot of taxes. But they live a very, very good life. They have big homes, vacation homes, a boat, new cars, weekend trips frequently; you get the picture. They are not hurting, taxes or not.

But I just read the best answer to the "Working class and poor people don't pay any taxes" complaint.  Here's the specific comment:

"HELLO!

THE POOR PAY NO FEDERAL TAX

47% of Ameican househods pay NO federal tax

PLEASE!"

To which my friend at Huffington Post, "APMOTRBC", replied:

And that should horrify you . . . that 47% of your fellow Americans are being paid so poorly by the businesses for which they work they don't make enough to sustain themselves as well as contribute financiall­y to the common good.

I'm going to say this slowly because it seems that conservati­ves can't grasp the concept. THE REASON THAT 47% OF ALL AMERICANS DON'T PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES is that they don't make enough income to PAY IT.

They don't have the money. The reason the rich pay the income tax is because they have the WEALTH.

You do know that the bottom 50% of the country holds only 7% of the assets/wea­lth, while the top 10% controls 83%......

You don't just want your share . . you believe you are entitled to everyone else's share too.”

Thanks, APMO!