Breaking: another 610,000 initial jobless claims. Over 6,000,000 continuing claims.

[RB TexLa]

(RTTNews) - The U.S. Department of Labor revealed that initial jobless claims fell to 610,000 for the week ended April 11th, down 53,000 from the previous week's revised figure.

The 4-week moving average for initial claims, a statistic that flattens out week-to-week fluctuations in the data, dipped 8,500 to a level of 651,000.

The number of people receiving ongoing unemployment help, a statistic known as continuing claims, rose above 6 million for the first time since the data have been kept. Continuing claims for the week ended April 4, the latest week for which the government has data, climbed 172,000 to a level of 6.022 million.


http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200904160835rttraderusequity_0645&title=jobless-claims-fall-53000

[Adelante]

1. The True Headline: "Jobless Claims Fall 53,000"

For the record.

[Statistical]

2. Half full - Half empty

[Adelante]

3. Yep nt

[Hubert Flottz]

4. The truth about the unemployed...

They are dropped from the list after their unemployment compensation benefits are exhausted. And America has been bleeding jobs now for almost eight years.

So how many people are out of work now, that have fallen through the cracks? How many don't count anymore?

[pinqy]

13. The actual truth

Is that we're talking different sets of numbers here. The OP is about UI claims, collected by DOL on a weekly basis. The official Unemployment Rate, released on the first Friday of each month, has nothing to do with UI. The UE Rate is collected by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is a household survey which doesn't even ask about Unemployment Insurance.

The people who don't count as unemployed are those who are not participating in the labor market: people who are not looking for work such as the retired, full time students, stay-at-home spouses and anyone else who is not trying to find work.

[RB TexLa]

5. Feed the republicans for 2010 then. No matter to what extent the economy recovers

their campaigns will say it's not enough. We have to cause the people to understand that things are moving at a structured pace. If we are talking up the economy you will see countless town hall meetings with gop candidates having real "Mericans" talk about how all the fancy numbers out of Washington mean nothing to them because they don't have a job.

But if you want to both give them ammunition and cock their guns go ahead, you know "for the record."

[Adelante]

6. Feh nt

[Hubert Flottz]

7. You are the one that brought up the subject...the truth

The truth is, that here where I live the jobs are still being lost at an alarming rate. More layoffs and cutbacks reported here in the real world, just today. We do need to deal with the truth.

We tried Karl Rove and the neocon's made up "reality" for 8 years and look where that got the economy and the country.

The Obama stimulus package needs to be put into place and into action and given a little time to work and jobs need to be created, to put our party on solid ground to be a contender in 2012.

More lies and bullshit won't save us. The neocon's greed based house of cards is STILL crashing as I type. We need to stick to the truth about how this country got to where it is today and how bad the situation really is. No more sugar coated bullshit!

EDIT...A half million more jobs lost is a hell of a lot more misery.

[RB TexLa]

8. That's what I'm saying. We have to talk down the economy. Let people know that this is at least

a 30 year recovery plan.

What is true doesn't matter. November of 2010 is what matters.

[Hubert Flottz]

9. "What is true doesn't matter."

It matters when you are telling your kid why there is nothing left in the house to eat! After you've busted your balls and played by the rules all of your adult working life.

[RB TexLa]

11. The person was saying the numbers were good. You contend they aren't

because of flaws you have mentioned in unemployment stats. I agree more with you.

For what matters, the 2010 congressional elections we do not not need to go the way of the other poster and try to make any good economic news the focus. Even if the economy is turning around by then.

If our candidates are out saying the glass is half full or everything is turning around, the republicans will focus on what you mentioned and we will lose.

[Statistical]

10. 30 year recovery plan?

600K jobs per month * 12 months = 7.2 million per year * 30 years = 210 million jobs lost.

Recovery better begin a lot sooner than 30 years.

GDP is going to go positive either Q4-2009 or Q1-2010.
Jobs likely will lag behind that another 2-3 qtrs.

If GDP isn't positive & jobs numbers don't show net jobs gains by Nov 2010 then Dems will lose.
No amount of resetting expectations will change that.
The good news is we will be there by then.

30 years recovery?
Name one recession, anywhere in the history of the world, any economy that lasted 30 years.

[RB TexLa]

12. Total recovery by 30 or so years does not mean a 30 year recession.

Took at least 25 to 30 years to fully recover from the one in the late 1920's

[GirolamoSavonarola]

15. World's leading Great Depression expert believes this is worse....

Barry Eichengreen is a Berkley PhD who advises the IMF. In his latest publication he maintains that the current downturn is far worse than the 1929 crash:

http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/3421

If he is right then the US has a whole lot more hurting to endure in every facet of society.

[Dreamer Tatum]

14. Your dismissal of the truth in favor of election spin is sickening

Seriously" "What is true doesn't matter."

Highly rational and Democratic sentiment there. Not.