Political Economy category archive
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
For all practical purpose, flat.
(snip)
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 14,000 to 2.99 million in the week ended Aug. 17. The continuing claims figure does not include the number of Americans receiving extended benefits under federal programs.
The four-week moving average, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figures, rose to 331,250 last week from 330,500 the previous week.
Bloomberg’s “experts” were pretty close.
As my old boss used to say, “Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while.”
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Slight positive trend and one surprise:
The number of claims in the month ended Aug. 17 declined to 330,500 a week on average, the least since November 2007, a Labor Department report showed today in Washington. Compared with a week earlier, claims rose by 13,000 to 336,000, in line with the median forecast of 48 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
(snip)
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits increased by 29,000 to 3 million in the week ended Aug. 10. The continuing claims figure does not include the number of Americans receiving extended benefits under federal programs.
(snip)
Those who’ve used up their traditional benefits and are now collecting emergency and extended payments decreased by about 51,800 to 1.5 million in the week ended Aug. 3.
The surprise is that Bloomberg’s “experts” were in the ballpark.
Theft of Services 0
A. P. Ticker on the attempts to destroy public schools in Philadelphia:
It’s not just in Philly, pholks.
The Galt and Lamers 2
Just what is the fascination of Ayn Rand?
Thom tries to figure it out.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Marginally better:
(snip)
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 54,000 to 2.97 million in the week ended August 3. The continuing claims figure does not include the number of Americans receiving extended benefits under federal programs.
As near as I can reckon, sequestrian “furloughs” are not taken into account, as the “furloughed” do not qualify as “unemployed”; statistics on “screwed” are harder to collect.
The Galt and the Lamers 0
Driftglass sums up the epistomological underpinnings of Ayn Rand’s “Objectivism”:
Sequestrian Dressage 0
The new Republican trickle down:
The dip marks the resumption of a downward trend in local traffic over the past several years as the airline industry has consolidated, reduced flights and raised prices. Passenger movement at the airport had increased in 2012 for the first time since 2007, rising about 3 percent.
Wayne Shank, the airport’s executive director, attributed the recent drop to fewer government-related flights because of the automatic federal spending cuts known as sequestration that began March 1.
Update from the Foreclosure-Based Economy 0
Process servers’ job prospects wane in Tampa Bay:
Though cash buyers remain king of the market, buying up 42 percent of the homes sold last month, their share of the local sales slid for the seventh month in a row. Cash-rich investors from hedge funds to local flippers are finding fewer home deals that could leave them room to earn a profit.
Anything that keeps hedge funds out of a marketplace is a good thing.
Sequestrian Dressage 0
It may be out of the headlines, but the dance continues.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
A bit better, but still significantly above 300k.
(snip)
Those who’ve used up their traditional benefits and are now collecting emergency and extended payments decreased by about 48,800 to 1.52 million in the week ended July 20.
The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 2.3 percent in the week ended July 27, today’s report showed.
Forty-five states and territories reported a decline in claims, while eight reported an increase. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Loan Sharpers 0
In the Bangor Daily News, Eric Collins reflects on the recent student load bill in Congress and why it included so many bad ideas.
It’s all about ROI, folks, and not ROI on educaton–ROI on the loans.
Yet how is college supposed to become affordable?
There are plenty of solutions. When we have the greatest concentration of wealth in our nation’s history in the hands of a few and a bloated military budget used to fund the destructive atrocities of violence and war in the name of U.S. global hegemony, then it is clear we have the money to fund higher education. What prevents us from doing that is our priorities.
Prioritizing the interests of the wealthy over those of the masses is reflective of deeper, structural and ideological problems in our society.
The “Precariot”–The New Proletariat 0
Robyn Blumner:
(snip)
The industry’s excuse on wages is to claim that it provides a stepping stone to upward mobility — a whopper as big as a CEO compensation package.
Read it.
And, while you’re at it, read this too.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Somewhat better, still well over 300k.
(snip)
The less-volatile four-week moving average declined to 341,250 last week, a two-month low, from 345,750.
The number of people continuing to collect jobless benefits dropped by 52,000 to 2.95 million in the week ended July 20. That doesn’t include the number of Americans receiving extended benefits under federal programs.
Bloomberg’s experts maintain their streak.
Crying “Pension Crisis” 0
Whenever you hear someone complain about a “pension crisis,” remind yourself that employees did not cause a crisis.
Employers did, by not preparing for the pensions they promised.
It’s not the pensioners who should be punished.
It’s the employers who had promises to keep–and didn’t.
But that’s not the way the world works, is it, now?
Q. What the Dickens? 0
A. Exactly.
Republicans have decided that Oliver Twist depicts Utopia and Fagin, the ideal governor.
Hipster Heavens 0
Patrick Kerkstra writes at Philly dot com:
Not just Philadelphia’s Babbitts, but Babbitts in many other cities are falling into the same trap.
A strong economy does not grow from buying stuff; it grows from making stuff, then selling it.
Also, hipsters are ironically annoying.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
For all practical puposes, no change.
(snip)
Those who’ve used up their traditional benefits and are now collecting emergency and extended payments fell by about 21,300 to 1.62 in the week ended July 6.
The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits dropped to 2.3 percent in the week ended July 13 from 2.4 percent the prior week, today’s report showed.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
A little better, but still in the same ballpark:
(snip)
The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure than the weekly figures, fell to 346,000 last week from 351,250.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits climbed by 91,000 to 3.11 million in the week ended July 6, the most in five months. That caused the unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits to rise to 2.4 percent, the highest since early April, from 2.3 percent.
Bloomberg’s “experts” once again–oh, never mind, wish I could get a job where always being wrong is okay.