Political Economy category archive
Manufacturing Dreams 2
The Las Vegas Sun takes a look at Donald Trump’s promise to bring back manufacturing jobs and concludes that’s it more flim-flam. A nugget:
There is no shortage of economic experts who say it’s a fantasy.
Why?
Because U.S. manufacturers already are producing a lot of goods. They’re just doing it with fewer people due to automation and other technological advancements in manufacturing processes.
Follow the link for much, much more.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still well under 300k, despite Bloomberg’s scary headline (follow the link to see it).
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 251,000 — the lowest since the first week of October — from 253,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits climbed by 60,000 to 2.04 million in the week ended Nov. 12. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits ticked up to 1.5 percent from 1.4 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Wait six months. The unemployment rate will Trumple.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 253,500 from 260,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 66,000 to 1.98 million in the week ended Nov. 5. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits fell to 1.4 percent from 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Wait six months.
“Laboratories of Democracy” 0
It is sometimes said that, in the U. S., states are the laboratories of democracy. Peter St. Onge suggests that, if that’s the case, take a look at North Carolina.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, ticked up to 259,750 from 258,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 18,000 to 2.04 million in the week ended Oct. 29, while the four-week average dropped by 2,250. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.5 percent.
Do not expect this trend to continue once voodoo economics again casts its spell.
Image via Job’s Anger.
Vote 0
My Daddy taught me that voting is not a right; it’s a duty.
Two thoughts:
1. Not voting is a vote, perversely, mayhap, but still a vote, a vote to abdicate your responsibility to care about your neighbors, your community, and your polity.
An election at whatever level of government is not about you. It’s about the polity. Abandon it, you abandon the polity.
2. Vote in the real world, because that’s the world where we live–vote not in a fantasy world where perfection is likely or even attainable.
If you choose to vote for someone who doesn’t have a chance of winning, you are choosing option #1, but just dressing it up in Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes to make it seem palatable, but it’s merely a seeming. Behind the seeming is cowardice, fear to take a stand that matters, fear, indeed, to matter.
Your vote is your opportunity to influence. Use it wisely.
Trickle-on Economics 0
Michael Hiltzik surveys the ruin:
Follow the link for details.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still well under 300k.
(snip)
Filings for unemployment benefits have been below 300,000 for 87 straight weeks — the longest streak since 1970 and a level typical for a healthy labor market. . . . .
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, increased to 257,750 from 253,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 14,000 to 2.03 million in the week ended Oct. 22.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, increased to 253,000 from 252,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 15,000 to 2.04 million in the week ended Oct. 15. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
The really big news, left implicit but unstated in Bloomberg’s story, is that Bloomberg’s experts got it right. Today’s the day I buy that lottery ticket!
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still well under 300k.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, increased to 251,750 from 249,500 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 7,000 to 2.06 million in the week ended Oct. 8. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad (and certainly not Donald Trump’s hellscape):
Jobless claims were 246,000 in the period ended Oct. 8, unchanged from the previous week’s level, which was revised lower, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 249,250 from 252,750 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits fell by 16,000 to 2.05 million in the week ended Oct. 1, the lowest since June 2000. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.5 percent.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
The last time the number was this low, I was in grad school.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, dropped to 253,500, the lowest since December 1973, from 256,000 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits declined by 6,000 to 2.06 million in the week ended Sept. 24. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.5 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Still not bad.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, dropped to 258,500 from 260,750 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits declined by 36,000 to 2.11 million in the week ended Sept. 10, the lowest level since May.
“Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go” 0
No significant change:
(snip)
The less-volatile four-week average of jobless claims dropped to 260,750, the lowest level since the end of July, from 261,250.
That’s 80 weeks under 300k.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
No change worth noting (emphasis added).
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 261,250 from 263,000 in the prior week. Filings have been below 300,000 for 79 straight weeks — the longest stretch since 1970 and a level economists say is typically consistent with a healthy labor market.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 7,000 to 2.14 million in the week ended Aug. 27. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits was 1.6 percent for a seventh week. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
The Trouble with Education 0
This pretty much sums up what’s wrong with public schools. It’s not the schools, it’s Republican-controlled governments that do not believe in the public good.
After we stuffed her basket with folders and paper for her students, she started looking at office supplies like staplers and paper clips. “Doesn’t your school give you those for your classroom?” I asked innocently. “No,” she replied, literally shaking her head.
The night before her first day of school, she received an email stating that the school is no longer able to supply ink for her classroom printer. So now she must purchase that as well.
Follow the link for more.
“Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go” 0
For all practical purposes, no change:
(snip)
Filings have been below 300,000 for 78 straight weeks, the longest stretch since 1970 and a level that is typically consistent with an improving job market.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 14,000 to 2.16 million in the week ended Aug. 20. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent.
Bloomberg is all a-titter because the figure is a measly 2,000 lower than its forecast (that’s 0.7%); that’s much ado like not much of anything.
A pox upon their forecasts, a veritable pox, I say, and a greater pox upon their incessant nattering about them.
You Too Can Be on Television! 0
At Science 2.0, Edzard Ernst explains how to become a charlatan.