Replies

Your discussion is interesting but not complete. BLS reports that total employment is up from Jan 1, 2001 to Dec 31, 2003 by 2.5 million. Unemployment is also up by about 2.4 million during the same time frame. So about 5 million joined the job market and during the recession and 2.5 million got jobs, and unemployment rate is now going down.

BLS reports no such thing.

BLS in fact reports total non-farm employment is down 2.3 Million from 132.436M Jan 2001 to 130.124M(p) Dec 2003.

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Series Id: CES0000000001 Seasonally Adjusted Super Sector: Total nonfarm Industry: Total nonfarm Data Type: ALL EMPLOYEES, THOUSANDS
2001	132436	132560	132527	132247	132230	132064	131867	131719	131550	131198	130900	130661
2002	130578	130510	130481	130415	130411	130383	130204	130224	130289	130408	130409	130198
2003	130356	130235	130084	130062	129986	129903	129846	129881	129980	130080	130123(p)	130124(p)
p : preliminary

Total unemployment has gone up 2.4M from 5.956M in Jan 2001 to 8.398M in Dec 2003

And the unemployment rate went down because the labor force got smaller as discouraged job seekers quit looking.

When those unemployed discouraged workers are included, the unemployment rate is 9.9% for Dec 2003.

Please, don't try and confuse us with the facts . .

I can assure you between now and November, the Dems will be preaching a much more damnable sermon than what these numbers are reflecting. If Republicans continue to embrace the "Ostrich effect" by ignoring this and the immigration invasion issue, both of these issues will cut like a double sword into Bush's reelection effort.

All is not as rosey as we would be led to believe.

MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT: It's the jobs - THE AMERICAN JOBS!

"When those unemployed discouraged workers are included, the unemployment rate is 9.9% for Dec 2003."

Jobs Americans Won't Do: Voodoo Economics from the White House.

Employment Situation Summary
Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 USDL 04-07
http://www.bls.gov/cps/

Establishment data: 691-6555 Transmission of material in this release is
http://www.bls.gov/ces/ embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EST),
Media contact: 691-5902 Friday, January 9, 2004.

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: DECEMBER 2003

Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)

HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force.....| 146,628| 146,986| 146,892| 147,187| 146,878| -309
Employment.............| 137,647| 138,369| 138,095| 138,533| 138,479| -54
Unemployment...........| 8,981| 8,616| 8,797| 8,653| 8,398| -255
Not in labor force.......| 74,885| 75,290| 75,147| 75,093| 75,631| 538

Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information: USDL 01-35
Household data: (202) 691-6378
Transmission of material in this release is
Establishment data: 691-6555 embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EST),
Media contact: 691-5902 Friday, February 2, 2001.

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: JANUARY 2001
Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________| Dec.-
Category | 2000 | 2000 | 2001 | Jan.
|_________________|_________________|________|change
| III | IV | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 140,706| 141,208| 141,136| 141,489| 141,955| 466
Employment..........| 135,049| 135,593| 135,478| 135,836| 135,999| 163
Unemployment........| 5,657| 5,616| 5,658| 5,653| 5,956| 303
Not in labor force....| 69,235| 69,358| 69,441| 69,254| 68,934| -320

I am not sure what you are looking at but my numbers above are directly from BLS and support my prious email.