[Perdogg]

The keep on revising the previous week upward, they should wait two weeks before reporting.

[Pollster1]

unexpected . . . surprised

I remain surprised at the unexpected frequency of economic reports that use these two words. Are the journalists economic illiterates who are simply clueless so that anything would be unexpected? Are they in the habit of using those words, and didn't notice that this was superficially good news? Is the media dying so rapidly that they can no longer attract and keep competent consultants?

[jonascord]

Does anyone have the totals of how many people have used all their unemployment benefits and simply dropped off the system? Are these NEW applications?

Simply put, how many people in the US don't have a job, and want one? What percentage of the national LEGAL population does that amount to?

Or is that racist?

[RetiredArmy]

Well, FIRST time jobless claims have to drop at some point. By now, nearly everyone that can be laid off has been laid off! They will have to start calling that SECOND time jobless claims to be accurate.

[george76]

Actual jobs are down .

If you remove millions people from being counted in the labor force , that will indeed help lower the fake unemployment rate.

http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/263656/our-workforce-lost-233-million-people-one-year

[newgeezer]

Just the latest evidence that the fix is in.

The official unemployment rate will fall below 7% before Election Day.

[traditional1]

As I've said several times before: by the time Nov 2012 comes around, we should see "Numbers" (generated by the Machine in D.C.) that show 105% employment, and 0% Unemployment Claims.

Of course, in December, the reported numbers will skyrocket if (R)'s take the Senate.

[musicman]

"U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall To Four-Year Low"

[FastCoyote]

All you need to know is at the St. Louis Fed in a graph called Civilian Participation Rate.

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CIVPART/

[ExTxMarine]

Please note that they are no longer saying revised “higher” or revised “lower,” only REVISED! Because they know that that people know for a fact they ALWAYS revise UP!

Do they not realize that the American public is more awake than ever? They can no longer BS and expect people to buy their crap!

I think my favorite part is that EVERYONE is dancing because it is as low as 2008. If I remember right, that was when the economy was TANKING! So, they are not “correcting” the problem, at best, they have stabilized the failure! They are trying to introduce 6-7% unemployment as the new “normal.” Where as, in the past, and as soon as a Republican is back in office, it will be 4.9% or less is “normal.”

[mellow velo]

So there's been a ~ 1.5% improvement in initial jobless claims figures when economists were projecting about a ¼ % worsening? And we're supposed to get all excited over this (particularly given the mild winter)?!

As Derrick Coleman of the NJ Nets once famously said, "whoop-de-d@mn-do"!