work force – Kingsjester's Blog

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…John’s last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs, j-o-b-s, jobs. – Democratic Party Vice-Presidential Candidate Joe Biden, October 15, 2008

Now, over 8 years later, a seven-letter word describes Obama’s Record at making things possible for employers to create actual, non-governmental full-time jobs for Americans:

FAILURE

CNSNews.com reports that

Barack Obama’s presidency began with a record number of Americans not in the labor force, and it’s ending the same way.

The final jobs report of the Obama presidency, released Friday, shows that the number of Americans not in the labor force has increased by 14,573,000 (18.09 percent) since January 2009, when Obama took office, continuing a long-term trend that began well before Obama was sworn in.
In December, according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record 95,102,000 Americans were not in the labor force, 47,000 more than in November; and the labor force participation rate was 62.7 percent, a tenth of a point higher than in November.

The participation rate dropped to a 38-year low of 62.4 percent on Obama’s watch, in September 2015. It was only 3-tenths of a point higher than that last month.

People over age 16 who are no longer working or even looking for work, for whatever reason (retirement, school, personal preference, or gave up), are counted as not participating in the labor force.

When President Obama took office in January 2009, 80,529,000 Americans were not in the labor force, the highest number on record. That number rose steadily during his two terms, reaching a record 95,055,000 in November 2016, then setting another record (95,102,000) in December.

BLS said the December unemployment rate increased a tenth of a point to 4.7 percent, well below the Obama-era high of 10 percent. Last month, a record 152,111,000 Americans were counted as employed, up 63,000 from November; and the number of unemployed stood at 7,529,000, an increase of 120,000 from the prior month.

But people who stop looking for a job are no longer counted as unemployed.

In an interview with a Chicago reporter yesterday, Obama said he has done “an enormous amount” to create greater economic opportunity for Americans.

“I took an economy that was about to go into a Great Depression, and we’ve now had a little over six years of straight economic job growth, an unemployment rate that’s down below 5 percent, and incomes that have gone up and poverty that has gone down.”

Obama also conceded that “there are still folks out there who struggle and communities that are still depressed.” He called it an “ongoing battle.”

“We have to continue to work to make sure that kids are getting the best education they can, that jobs are being located so that people in need can access them, and that’s going to be something that I suspect we’ll all be working on, and folks will still be working on after I’m gone.”

During Obama’s two terms in office, the number of employed Americans reached its lowest point – 138,013,000 – in December 2009. Eight years later, in December 2017, 14,098,000 Americans have been added to the employment rolls.

The government collects payroll taxes from Americans who work, and some of that money is spent on government programs that support people who do not work. So the more who work, the better for the economy.

In December, the nation’s civilian noninstitutionalized population, consisting of all people age 16 or older who were not in the military or an institution, reached 254,742,000. Of those, 159,640,000 participated in the labor force by either holding a job or actively seeking one.

The 159,640,000 who participated in the labor force equaled 67.3 percent of the 254,742,000 civilian noninstitutionalized population.

According to BLS, total nonfarm payroll employment rose by a lackluster 156,000 in December. Over the past 3 months, job gains have averaged 165,000 per month.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (4.4 percent), adult women (4.3 percent), teenagers (14.7 percent), Whites (4.3 percent), Blacks (7.8 percent), Asians (2.6 percent), and Hispanics (5.9 percent) showed little change in December.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was essentially unchanged at 1.8 million in December and accounted for 24.2 percent of the unemployed. In 2016, the number of long-term unemployed declined by 263,000.

Who are these people who are no longer a part of America’s Work Force?

They are average Americans like you and me, who, in their very real despair, have given up trying to find a job, choosing instead to work under the radar as handymen or flea market vendors. some not even working at all, sitting at home and letting Uncle Sugar take care of them.

When you ask Lliberals about this unacceptable situation, they will respond to you with charts and graphs designed to buttress their opinion that Obama has actually moed America’s Stagnant Economy forward.

And, if that argument doesn’t work, their pre-programmed response is

But…but…Booosh!!!

Quite frankly, the reason that Obama Presidency did not move our economy forward, like President Ronald Reagan did, is because Obama was more concerned about growing the Central Government, than he was about growing American Production by freeing the job creators from punitive tax rates, in order to encourage the growth that will revitalize our economy.

That is why I once spent 6 hours on a Saturday, on the phone with Punjab from Calcutta about my Comcast Cable Box, which was on the fritz.

But, I digress…

Make no mistake, granting amnesty to millions of unskilled, underage illegal aliens would have done and still will do nothing for the health of our economy.

This action would simply provide future voters for the Democrat Party, which is now firmly in the control of the Far Left. If Obama grants amnesty before he leaves office, he would be putting a further strain on our economy, as all of these “little rascals”, would rely on their new Uncle Sugar for their “daily bread”.

A popular Liberal Defense that was going around during Obama’s Presidency was the claim that Reagan actually had a bigger Federal Government than Obama.

The funny part is: It’s true.

It was larger because President Reagan, through his sound Economic Policy, actually increased tax revenues.

American Production rose, therefore, TAX REVENUES INCREASED.

Yes, “Trickle-Down Economics, “trickled up”, allowing for a well-funded, strong American Military and Administration.

You see, boys and girls, that’s the secret of American Exceptionalism,am a concept that Obama always gave lip service to, but, clearly, never believed in.

For America to proper, we must remain free. For America to remain free, we must be prosperous.

American Capitalism is the engine which drives a strong, vibrant economy. American Capitalism is the result of the courageous Entrepreneurial Spirit of American Citizens. The same “Can Do” attitude which led to Western Expansion and triumphs against those before-mentioned enemies, foreign and domestic.

The current state of the Shining City Upon a Hill can be summarized thusly:

America was formed by men seeking FREEDOM. She grew and prospered because of an indomitable will and spirit forged through the Refiner’s Fire, guided by the common-sense words, inscribed in our Constitution, and administered through a Constitutional Republic. Our nation’s largesse and strength comes through the actions and character of her citizens, not through the usurpation of power by professional politicians, who has long since lost touch with their constituency.

Obama’s attempt to “radically change” our nation into a Third World Barrio was met with resistance, not because of professional politicians, but, because of the defiance of the American People, who love their country.

It was this Defiant Spirit which caused Americans to elect American Entrepreneur and Businessman Donald J. Trump as our 45th President.

And, President-elect Trump recognizes whom he owes his Presidency to.

On November 8th, we proved that America’s Heritage of God and Country is still alive and well in the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority of the citizens in this country, even those who have dropped out of the workforce.

A President’s role, if he wants to be viewed positively as a world leader, is to work to restore America to a position of strength, both both in foreign and domestic policy.

President-elect Trump understands the mandate that he has been given and is already serving Americans by making deals which will help to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN .

He understands that it all starts with the Engine That Drives Our Country.

And, President-elect Trump already has his hand on the throttle.

Oh…and one more thing…

The Russians did not stop Hillary from continuing Obama’s “Legacy”.

FED UP AVERAGE AMERICANS DID!!!

Until He Comes,

As August’s Job Report was delivered, yesterday, I was struck by how, under the Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama, our American Capitalist System, which after World War II, produced a health and vibrant Middle Class, has been compromised to the point of now beginning to resemble a faltering economic system, not unlike a European Democratic Socialist country like, say, Greece.

According to cnsnews.com,

A record 94,031,000 Americans were not in the American labor force last month — 261,000 more than July — and the labor force participation rate stayed stuck at 62.6 percent, a 38-year low, for a third straight month in August, the Labor Department reported on Friday, as the nation heads into the Labor Day weekend.

The number of Americans not in the labor force has continued to rise, partly because of retiring baby-boomers and fewer workers entering the workforce.

In August, according to BLS, the nation’s civilian noninstitutional population, consisting of all people 16 or older who were not in the military or an institution, reached 251,096,000. Of those, 157,065,000 participated in the labor force by either holding a job or actively seeking one.

The 157,065,000 who participated in the labor force equaled only 62.6 percent of the 251,096,000 civilian noninstitutional population — the same as it was in July and June. Not since October 1977, when the participation rate dropped to 62.4, has the percentage been this low.Historical perspective

In January 1948 — the first year the data was recorded — 88.7 percent of men, aged 20 and older, were participating in the U.S. labor force. The rate first dipped below 80 percent in November 1975 (79.9%), spiraling steadily downward through August 2015, when 71.5 percent of men 20 and older were participating in the labor force.

It’s the opposite story for women 20 and older: In 1948, a time when one-earner incomes were generally sufficient to support the family, only 31 percent of women participated in the workforce. In May 1966, the rate climbed above 40 percent for the first time; it broke 50 percent in October 1978; and 60 percent in July 1996.

When Barack Obama took office in January 2009, 60.9 percent of women were particiating in the labor force, but after rising somewhat in that economically turbulent year, the particpation rate for women started heading down. Last month, it stood at 58.2 percent.

Change. Little hope.

Norman Matoon Thomas (1884-1968) was a six-time Presidential Candidate representing the Socialist Party of America. In a campaign interview in 1948, he said the following:

The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of ‘liberalism’ they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.

Are you catching my drift? Mr. Thomas was right. I think that he and the president would have been fast friends.

When Barack Hussein Obama first ran for the Presidency of the United States in 2008, he claimed that his economic policies would “foster economic growth from the bottom up and not just from the top down.” Obama promised to put in place “an immediate rescue plan for the middle class” and would end the “tired, worn-out, trickle-down ideologies we’ve been seeing for so many years.”

Obama got everything that he wanted in his first two years in the White House, when Democrats had solid control of Congress — a massive stimulus, auto industry bailouts, temporary middle class tax cuts, vast new regulations on businesses and ObamaCare.

But, all of his brilliant Socialist Economic Policies produced the exact opposite of what he’d promised.

So, he pounded his them of “Class Warfare” even harder.

So much so that, during his Re-election Campaign in 2012, President Barack Hussein Obama said,

This country doesn’t just succeed when just a few are doing well at the top. It succeeds when the middle class gets bigger. Our economy doesn’t grow from the top down — it grows from the middle out. We don’t believe that anybody is entitled to success in this country,” said Obama. “But we do believe in opportunity. We believe in a country where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded, and everybody is getting a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same rules.

On July 24, 2013, Newly-Re-elected President Obama began a series of Stump Speeches titled, “Growing the Economy From the Middle Class Out”. Here’s an excerpt of the first speech:

…With an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals, Washington has taken its eye off the ball. And I am here to say this needs to stop. Short-term thinking and stale debates are not what this moment requires. Our focus must be on the basic economic issues that the matter most to you – the people we represent. And as Washington prepares to enter another budget debate, the stakes for our middle class could not be higher. The countries that are passive in the face of a global economy will lose the competition for good jobs and high living standards. That’s why America has to make the investments necessary to promote long-term growth and shared prosperity. Rebuilding our manufacturing base. Educating our workforce. Upgrading our transportation and information networks. That’s what we need to be talking about. That’s what Washington needs to be focused on.

And that’s why, over the next several weeks, in towns across this country, I will engage the American people in this debate. I will lay out my ideas for how we build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class in America, and what it takes to work your way into the middle class in America. Job security, with good wages and durable industries. A good education. A home to call your own. Affordable health care when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. Reducing poverty and inequality. Growing prosperity and opportunity.

So, who is it that is keeping America’s Middle Class from prospering?

I’ll give you a clue: His initials are B.H.O.

The prosperous years during the Reagan Presidency marked a period of economic progress for Middle Class Americans. Middle Class Income increased 11 percent after adjustment for inflation, while nearly 20 million new jobs were created.

Those Liberal critics of the 1980s, who argue that the Middle Class shrank in number during those years, are half -right for the wrong reasons. The proportion of Middle Class Americans did indeed decline, but this reflected an upward movement of households into the high income category. Meanwhile, the proportion of Low Income Households declined, as more became middle class. The income growth during the Reagan Presidency increased the size of the pocketbooks of Americans at all income levels.

During Obama’s time in office, America’s major corporations have been hit with punitive measures, including high corporate tax rates and Obamacare, which has caused them to “down-size” their employee rolls and to relocate their call centers to companies like India, which has effected the rest of our economy.

Trickle-Down Economics was simply common sense. Capitalism is the engine that drives America’s economy.

When those who actually hire Americans are attacked by an Administration, naturally, those consequences are felt by those in lower economic strati (that’s you and me, boys and girls).

Obama’s “Trickle-Up” Economic Policy has been a miserable failure.

Because, as Lady Margaret Thatcher once said,

The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.

Until He Comes,

Kingsjester's Blog

Tag: work force

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