Comments on: Words Over Action – The December Jobs Summit http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/11/18/words-over-action-%e2%80%93-the-december-jobs-summit/ Conservative and Libertarian Intellectual Philosophy and Politics Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Pat Skurka http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/11/18/words-over-action-%e2%80%93-the-december-jobs-summit/comment-page-1/#comment-80282 Pat Skurka Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:22:25 +0000 http://www.intellectualconservative.com/?p=7071#comment-80282 When it comes to manufacturing “Hope”, America is the world leader and Obama and his loyal minions are running the shop on three shifts. But economists are estimating the real unemployment rate to be around 17.5% in present day America, give or take a percent. If you count the folks on reduced work hours, planned facilities shutdowns where you remain an employee but don’t work for extended periods, inability to find a higher paying job when you possess the requisite skills but are currently underemployed as a part-time greeter at Wal-Mart, etc., the employment picture remains dismal. Washington, where the bottom line solution is always taking money from some Americans and giving it to other Americans, has failed to stimulate a recovery in employment. And waiting for the natural recovery and then taking full credit for creating it hasn’t panned out either. Those folks who saw Obama as their savior a year ago are now grumbling; the “get the torches and pitchforks” reaction may be the next step in the disappointment cycle. What more can Obama do in any event? Peddle more “Hope”? Guess what, it isn’t working. The Detroit Free Press, a media outlet that literally worshipped at Obama’s feet before and after his election, is a good bellweather of the gathering storm. Southeast Michigan, and most especially Detroit, is severly hurting, job losses are at historic highs, mortgages aren’t being paid, unemployment insurance payments are running out and there is no “Hope” or, more importantly, recovery in sight. Even divorces have fallen off in the greater Detroit area, bickering spouses can’t afford the divorce expenses and the latest cure for a failed marriage is a severe recession. The Free Press has put a happy face on Obama's failure to launch problems throughout this long ordeal, but small criticisms of The One are now trickling into its articles and editorials on a more frequent basis. The Free Press’s parent organization, USA Today, is losing circulation, the Free Press itself has cut back on printing newspapers for home delivery to 3 times a week. And despite ideology, media employees do have to eat and pay their bills, so it’s closer to home than many writing for the Free Press are willing to admit. Nouriel Roubini, one economist who sounded early warnings concerning the 2008 meltdown, believes there are actually two American economies at present and the larger economy is in for a long dry spell with substandard GDP growth. Both conservatives and libs should be asking if America just got a case of the economic flu that will soon be over – or – if America has a severe long term illness that won’t go away with some NyQuil and a little bed rest. When it comes to manufacturing “Hope”, America is the world leader and Obama and his loyal minions are running the shop on three shifts. But economists are estimating the real unemployment rate to be around 17.5% in present day America, give or take a percent. If you count the folks on reduced work hours, planned facilities shutdowns where you remain an employee but don’t work for extended periods, inability to find a higher paying job when you possess the requisite skills but are currently underemployed as a part-time greeter at Wal-Mart, etc., the employment picture remains dismal. Washington, where the bottom line solution is always taking money from some Americans and giving it to other Americans, has failed to stimulate a recovery in employment. And waiting for the natural recovery and then taking full credit for creating it hasn’t panned out either.

Those folks who saw Obama as their savior a year ago are now grumbling; the “get the torches and pitchforks” reaction may be the next step in the disappointment cycle. What more can Obama do in any event? Peddle more “Hope”? Guess what, it isn’t working. The Detroit Free Press, a media outlet that literally worshipped at Obama’s feet before and after his election, is a good bellweather of the gathering storm. Southeast Michigan, and most especially Detroit, is severly hurting, job losses are at historic highs, mortgages aren’t being paid, unemployment insurance payments are running out and there is no “Hope” or, more importantly, recovery in sight. Even divorces have fallen off in the greater Detroit area, bickering spouses can’t afford the divorce expenses and the latest cure for a failed marriage is a severe recession.

The Free Press has put a happy face on Obama’s failure to launch problems throughout this long ordeal, but small criticisms of The One are now trickling into its articles and editorials on a more frequent basis. The Free Press’s parent organization, USA Today, is losing circulation, the Free Press itself has cut back on printing newspapers for home delivery to 3 times a week. And despite ideology, media employees do have to eat and pay their bills, so it’s closer to home than many writing for the Free Press are willing to admit.

Nouriel Roubini, one economist who sounded early warnings concerning the 2008 meltdown, believes there are actually two American economies at present and the larger economy is in for a long dry spell with substandard GDP growth. Both conservatives and libs should be asking if America just got a case of the economic flu that will soon be over – or – if America has a severe long term illness that won’t go away with some NyQuil and a little bed rest.

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