GAT_00: I've heard it's because Santorum is just getting everywhere.

it lubricates the wheels of commerce, suck it libs!

GaryPDX: I can hear the Unicorns coming as we speak. Pretty soon the rainbows will burst from the sky and shine upon us all.

It's because of "optimism that Republicans will take the White House", dude.

Grand_Moff_Joseph: gameshowhost: GaryPDX: I can hear the Unicorns coming as we speak. Pretty soon the rainbows will burst from the sky and shine upon us all.

It's because of "optimism that Republicans will take the White House", dude.

And all of this at the same time that Santorum floats to the top of the GOP heap. Coincidence, or a sign?

I'm thinking "no". NOT A COINCIDENCE O_O

/santorumentum

Me and my family have been gun clinging real hard, I think it helped.

EnviroDude: Who here really believes unemployment is 8.5%? Do you believe it because the government is telling you?

No, I believe it because the reverse vampires told me. I'm not crazy, after all.

/ ith a conthpirathy!

EnviroDude: Who here really believes unemployment is 8.5%? Do you believe it because the government is telling you?

/curious, but not in a bi kinda way

If the government was lying about job numbers, why wouldn't they have been doing a better job of it the last 3 years?

EnviroDude: Who here really believes unemployment is 8.5%? Do you believe it because the government is telling you?

Depends, are you using unemployment in-context, or are you using it like an ignorant redneck?

Dear Farktards,

Real unemployment rate. (new window)

You're welcome.

Sincerely,
Sonny

Palin would have added a million from her own personal spending budget alone.

Pants full of macaroni!!: But what about the 3 million who - and this is the best part! - will never work again????

I never really understood why a shrinking work force is such a bad thing. Particularly when you have a large population of baby boomers who are now retirement age who have decided to go ahead and retire. Out with the old, in with the new. It's the cycle of nature.

sonnymaou: Dear Farktards,

Real unemployment rate. (new window)

You're welcome.

Sincerely,
Sonny

This is hardly something ground breaking. The DOL releases several different unemployment rates. They're not hard to find. They're also all going down.

sonnymaou: Dear Farktards,

Real unemployment rate. (new window)

You're welcome.

Sincerely,
Sonny

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/06/2012 10:23 -0500

The fact that you take your financial advice from the fevered imagination of a fictional insomniac anarchist answers pretty much everything I might need to know about you.

EnviroDude: Who here really believes unemployment is 8.5%? Do you believe it because the government is telling you?

Is this a reasoned, philosophical "I don't believe the unemployment rate is really 8.5% because the formula does not include discouraged workers who have left the labor market"-type argument?

Or is this a tinfoil-hat "I bet the standard formula yielded a 15.5% unemployment rate and the Department of Labor is just flat-out lying about it because herpidy-derpidy-doo!"-type argument?

Never mind -- I just looked at who I'm talking to. Derp away, good sir!

InmanRoshi: sonnymaou: Dear Farktards,

Real unemployment rate. (new window)

You're welcome.

Sincerely,
Sonny

This is hardly something ground breaking. The DOL releases several different unemployment rates. They're not hard to find. They're also all going down.

This one actually appears to be different -- I don't recall ever seeing the BLS calculating the unemployment rate against a running 20-year average labor participation rate.

That said, even that chart is trending down from last year. We'll see if it becomes a trend -- I'm actually optimistic, because the trend is positive on several other (seasonally-adjusted) fronts in addition to the unemployment rate -- first time unemployment claims are down, net job creation is trending above population growth, and even some housing indicators are looking up.

Of course, as AirForceVet mentioned, if Europe decides to fark itself over, all bets are off. But the economy is definitely much stronger than a year ago.

DrippinBalls: I don't believe ANY statistic the government offers. Example, as of 11/2011, current inflation rate was 3.39%. Bullsh*t. Two, employment up in November/December?
Duh, morons hired for the holidays. BFD.Things are starting to slowly turn around, but the government lies about statistics. That's there job.

Oops, the number is already seasonally adjusted. The non-seasonally adjusted number is 8.3. So, you're right, extra people are hired for the holidays, and the people at the BLS already accounted for that.

Also, if you mistrust the government's inflation numbers, check out MIT's independent million prices index. It's pretty much in line with the official numbers.

If you still don't like that, feel free to make up your own index, but 'my aunt told me lettuce was more expensive last time she went shopping' doesn't cut it.

Arkanaut: That said, even that chart is trending down from last year. We'll see if it becomes a trend -- I'm actually optimistic, because the trend is positive

I just realized... I must like trends.

DrippinBalls: Duh, morons hired for the holidays. BFD.Things are starting to slowly turn around, but the government lies about statistics. That's their job.

True, but they're supposed to lie consistently. It's like always using the same scale when trying to lose or gain weight.

EnviroDude: Who here really believes unemployment is 8.5%? Do you believe it because the government is telling you?

/curious, but not in a bi kinda way

Even if you go by the U6 rate to include marginally attached and part-time workers, it's going down. In fact, from September to December, the U6 rate fell by 1.2%, from 16.4 to 15.2. The job market is undeniably getting better.

Not adjusted U3 Dec 2010: 9.1%, Dec 2011: 8.3%
Not adjusted U6 Dec 2010: 16.6%, Dec 2011: 15.2%

So who gets credit for this? Is this Bush's fault or Obama's fault?

/numbers better = Obama is teh most awesomest in the world!!!
//numbers worse = B-B-B-BUSH made things so bad it will literally take centuries to fix!!!!!
///vote partisan!!

Can I be happy about positive economic news and hope for further recovery without giving overt support for Obama as emperor of the world, or do I have to root for the destruction of America so that the Republicans can score politically? I really like having a job and a place to live, and finally getting a yearly raise again would be nice, but I don't want to end up on the wrong side of things politically. What to do!?

GanjSmokr: So who gets credit for this? Is this Bush's fault or Obama's fault?

/numbers better = Obama is teh most awesomest in the world!!!
//numbers worse = B-B-B-BUSH made things so bad it will literally take centuries to fix!!!!!
///vote partisan!!

Generally, I'd say it's just Americans. They keep going to work and trying to get shiat done in spite of whatever the legislators try to do to "help".

Eventually I think it's all going to come down around us, but so far Americans are remarkably resilient.

mod3072: Can I be happy about positive economic news and hope for further recovery without giving overt support for Obama as emperor of the world, or do I have to root for the destruction of America so that the Republicans can score politically? I really like having a job and a place to live, and finally getting a yearly raise again would be nice, but I don't want to end up on the wrong side of things politically. What to do!?

NO!!! You must be willing to die for your party!

Also in this report, people working part-time out of economic necessity and marginally-attached workers held relatively stable. Once both of these measures improve, then it's time to uncork the champagne.

Fabric_Man: mod3072: Can I be happy about positive economic news and hope for further recovery without giving overt support for Obama as emperor of the world, or do I have to root for the destruction of America so that the Republicans can score politically? I really like having a job and a place to live, and finally getting a yearly raise again would be nice, but I don't want to end up on the wrong side of things politically. What to do!?

NO!!! You must be willing to die for your party!

Hmmm... Fark that. I'll just say that it's Bush's policies finally kicking in and that the economy is improving in spite of, not because of, Obama and the Democrats. If the house Republicans had gotten everything they wanted, the unemployment rate would probably be negative by now! There, now I feel better. I can accept positive news without giving Obummer any credit. Whew, dodged a bullet there.

Arkanaut: Of course, as AirForceVet mentioned, if Europe decides to fark itself over, all bets are off. But the economy is definitely much stronger than a year ago.

I would think the US of all places would understand how brinksmanship politics works. Everyone, including Greece, is better off in the union that out of it. It's just about who's going to get the best deal right now. That said, it seems there's definitely a recession heading this way, the threat of a complete clusterfark of a breakup is about as serious as the US was to defaulting last summer.

It would be amusing if after both parties set up their strategy to blame the other for the continued doldrums, the economy recovered on its own.

/and nice for other, more obvious, reasons