The stimulus is working: 32 states had unemployment decrease or stay the same in April

[scheming daemons]

18 states had unemployment go up.


It will take time, but the stimulus is beginning to work.


http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/22/news/economy/State_unemployment/index.htm?postversion=2009052212

[Coyote_Bandit]

1. The recession is personal here

The stats don't mean shit. Just give me a fricking job that enables me to be self-supporting.

There are millions more like me.

[gcomeau]

4. Ahem...

...those "stats that don't mean shit" and those "millions more like you"? The stats ARE ABOUT those millions. When the stats look better, it's because those millions are starting to get help. I'm genuinely sorry that you, personally, are not one of the people which that help has already reached but to use that as the basis of rejecting any meaning in a possible sign of turnaround in the employment numbers is ridiculous and childish.

[Javaman]

6. When one person gets killed it's murder...

when it's millions, it's a statistic. - Stalin.

have a little sympathy, okay?

[gcomeau]

8. What?

Did you perhaps misread my post? I can think of no other explanation for your thinking that quote had relevance... unless you just thought that the fact that it also used the word "statistic" meant it was appropriate?

And I said I was sympathetic to the situation... but that doesn't alter the staggering irrationality of what was said.

[Javaman]

9. Yeah, I misread it and apologize.

I went back and reread it and had a WTF was I thinking moment.

my bad :hi:

cheers!

[gcomeau]

10. No problem. -nt

[WeDidIt]

2. The GOP hates it that the economy seems to be picking up.

IF things have turned around by November 2, 2010, the GOP is fucked.

[Cant trust em]

3. I guess that's as good an indicator as we're going to get right now

I'll take the wins wherever I can.

[book_worm]

5. you are a brave soul to write anything that can even by implication be postitive about Obama on DU

but I agree, but we still have a ways to go. Still a lot of pain out there, but I think the plan is beginning to help.

[DireStrike]

12. Well that's a bit exaggerated.

I'm one of those that have been cautiously pessimistic about Obama so far. I think most of us would agree that it's quite likely he can pick up the economy in the short run.

He can indeed make it run tighter. Better than W for sure, but that isn't saying anything. He is at very least incredibly competent, and will run the country better than many presidents.

However, what we need isn't a tight running ship of state. Or rather, we need that, but we also need so much more. Obama has said time and again that he wants to address things now so they don't become worse later... but so far, he has done exactly the opposite. All the reforms are minor changes that improve the efficiency of our system without really changing it at all.

It's a band-aid over a severed limb. You'll have to forgive some of us for not cheering when in every speech Obama implies that he'd reattach that limb, and in fact grow us new ones.

[Greyhound]

15. Do you honestly believe that people would not really like to see things improve? n/t

[Hanse]

17. Definitely

People have made names for themselves talking the economy down

Wanting Obama to fail is the only tangible item on the republican platform.

[Greyhound]

18. Not from DU and I think that is what we were talking about.

"Talking the economy down" is not a problem since it's been in decline for about 40 years, using standard of living as the indicator, as opposed to the BS numbers that are the fodder for public consumption.

And letting Obama do what he, apparently, wants is sufficient so far.

[Hanse]

19. oh, there's plenty on DU.

The Krugman fanboys love that shit.

[Greyhound]

21. I've never heard of anybody from DU that has made their name for being here,

we're pretty insignificant.

As for Krugman, by my count he's been more right, more often than anybody else. Maybe that's why he has that medallion thingy and the million dollar prize...

[Hanse]

22. Oh, the Nobel?

That was for some foreign trade theories he came up with back in... 1974 was it? Yeah, he didn't get famous for that. He got famous for trying to talk down the economy and Obama. You'll notice he's been relatively quiet on that recently.

He's probably seen the writing on the wall.

[Greyhound]

23. He writes several times a week.

His message has been consistent on this for years, first warning that what was going on was bringing this, then trying to educate us on the scale of what was happening, then telling us what he thinks might alleviate the pain.

Frankly, I'll take his record over yours any day.

[strategery blunder]

7. It's a sham

Unemployment benefits starting to run out for the first wave of laid off employees...after which point they are no longer counted. :(

[denem]

11. Wrong. The unemployment rate is not the unemployment insurance rate

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm#ui

[DireStrike]

13. However, long-term unemployed will stop being counted at some point

ANOTHER HOWEVER, I don't think it's been long enough for workers laid off in this recession to have migrated out of the pool of general, really-recognized-as Unemployed yet.

The article itself is pretty mixed. Only three fewer states have decreases than have increases. I'd have to see a chart of the unemployment rates (and CHANGES of rates) for the states over time, which the article does not provide, for the information to be more meaningful.

[Greyhound]

14. More bullshit propaganda.

Between government hiring of "temp" workers and the continually rising numbers of people falling off the rolls no longer being counted.

We are still hemorrhaging jobs at unprecedented rates while "our representatives" pour money into corporate black holes and continue to ignore small businesses which actually do help the real economy that you and I live in.

[Ohio Joe]

16. I've been out of work almost a year now

Since day one it has been tough to get even a nibble and I've seen no change in that yet.

[the other one]

20. Benefits run out.

Once they are gone a person is no longer unemployed.

We have had our recovery. Next stop: street protests some time in the august to october time frame.

[northernlights]

24. Maine's unemployment went down a bit...except

1. a lot of the work was temporary and seasonal, as the DOT went to work repairing roads

2. a lot more of the work was temporary and seasonal, as the local companies gear up for the tourism season

3. the overall employment "pool" actually went down. People are simply giving up and/or leaving.

Bob Gates did show up at Bath Iron Works today and promised them lots of work for many years to come building war ships.

[Old Hank]

25. Misleading statistic

What if those states in which the unemployment picture improved are states with smaller populations than the states in which the situation worsened?

This is why the only number that matters is the nationwide number; Unemployment went up from 8.5 to 8.9. It's called the big picture.