Fact: The recovery was hindered by Republicans
By PAUL KRUGMAN
The economic news is looking better lately. But after previous false starts — remember “green shoots”? — it would be foolish to assume that all is well. And in any case, it’s still a very slow economic recovery by historical standards.
There are several reasons for this slowness, with the most important being the overhang of household debt that is a legacy of the housing bubble. But one significant factor in our continuing economic weakness is the fact that government in America is doing exactly what both theory and history say it shouldn’t: slashing spending in the face of a depressed economy...if it weren’t for this destructive fiscal austerity, our unemployment rate would almost certainly be lower now than it was at a comparable stage of the “Morning in America” recovery during the Reagan era.
Notice that I said “government in America,” not “the federal government.” The federal government has been pursuing what amount to contractionary policies as the last vestiges of the Obama stimulus fade out, but the big cuts have come at the state and local level...We’re talking big numbers here. If government employment under Mr. Obama had grown at Reagan-era rates, 1.3 million more Americans would be working as schoolteachers, firefighters, police officers, etc., than are currently employed in such jobs.
And once you take the effects of public spending on private employment into account, a rough estimate is that the unemployment rate would be 1.5 percentage points lower than it is, or below 7 percent — significantly better than the Reagan economy at this stage.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/opinion/krugman-states-of-depression.html
This is why Republicans in Congress and State Governorships have been working hard to sabotage the recovery.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002322208
By Pat Garofalo
<...>
However, the “New Jersey experience” under Christie has been anything but rosy. Here are some key economics stats to know before Christie hits the stage tonight:
– New Jersey ranked 47th in the nation in GDP growth in 2011. (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
– The Garden state’s unemployment rate of 9.8 percent is fourth highest in the nation, trailing only Nevada, California, and Rhode Island. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
– New Jersey lost 12,000 jobs last month, the most in the country. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
– The state ranked 44th in personal income growth in 2011. (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
Christie has focused on cutting taxes for millionaires (while blocking a millionaires’ surtax), slashing social spending, and opposing plans to help New Jersey’s workers. He’s cheered the firing of public sector workers and scuttled important infrastructure projects on false pretenses.
Finally, he’s handed out a record number of corporate handouts, while getting little for it in terms of job growth. And for this, he’s been rewarded with a huge speaking slot at the Republican convention, from which he will likely proclaim Republican economic ideology a stunning success.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/08/28/760501/christie-rnc-keynote/
Elizabeth Warren: We built it together (smacks down Chris Christie)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021227075
by jamess
When it comes to the GOP -- they didn't Build that.
Most times They Blocked that ...
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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/30/1126128/-They-Blocked-that
= new reply since forum marked as read
Last edited Fri Aug 31, 2012, 08:32 PM - Edit history (1)
And the ultimate outrage, pretending they wanted to work together and saying it's Obama's fault that the economy is sluggish!
If a great big hole opened up in the ground and swallowed them all up, I'd CHEER MY HEAD OFF!!! Those
bastards cannot continue this dangerous charade, else there really will be hell to pay.
OOPS! Make that 4 bumper sticker slogans
FACT: The Department of Labor and the Obama Administration have robbed millions of struggling workers and families out of ARRA emergency designated funds. See CUIAB Case A0-265448, GAL 12-92, Title 20 Chapter V Part 615, and Recovery Fraud Complaint RATB-2011-DOL-9DF2506-0 for more details. Or actually speak with the whistle-blower that the media is so terrified to talk with, for fear that his story might actually be true (investigative journalism is dying out).
Right now, the Obama Administration, is specifically blocking an investigation into irrefutable proof that the Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration published a serious implementation error in the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program. They made this error back in August of 2008, when they published it in UIPL 23-08 Change 1, in the Q&A section about "Monetary Eligibility", under Q&A #7, "Multiple EUC Claims". They have been advising all States through these EUC08 guidelines to force EUC08 claimants onto older claims from terminated eligibility periods, until they exhaust any remaining balance from the prior benefit year.
This not only makes no sense, it is illegal and does not comply with their own regulations found at Title 20 Chapter V Part 615.5(2) ("the definition of an exhaustee" here says the opposite of their incorrect advise). This has ended up paying people way less emergency aid then they were entitle to by laws that the Department of Labor cannot even seem to comprehend. These idiots even made this same error in the 1990s recession. Here is the proof, that the DOL knew about this from the past, and back then they investigated and fixed the exact same problem I am decribing right now (that everyone is ignoring like the plague):
http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=109
GAL 12-92, Change 5, the 1993 DOL admits same mistake you all think does not exists, and fixes it, unlike the Obama Administration
They were also challenged in court last October 20,2011. California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board Case A0-265448, refuted the "Multiple EUC Claims" determinations, payments and adjudication that had cost this claimant almost $3000 in ARRA emergency designated funds (based partly on the GAL 12-92 evidence and 20 CFR 615.5(2)). This claimant then challenged the state and federal government to investigate their errors. The US Government has refused, and even gone so far as to violate more rights, laws, regulations and oversight requirements along the way (details in the links below). Their faulty implementation fails the "Chevron Doctrine". They can neither explain why they did what they did nor refute the case against them that proves this is a historic mistake.
They were beat in court and now refuse to admit nor fix the problem that has denied millions of other claimants billions of dollars. Even the Chief of Legislature for the Office of Unemployment, Suzanne Simonetta could not produce a response in writing with one single point of law to back up their faulty implementation (just this week). They seem to prefer to hide and wait it out while millions of unemployed remained fully screwed by their fubar implementation.
Numerous Agents, Employees, Officers and Officials at the
The Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Division are involved in :
A. Abuse of Authority
B. Malfeasance in Office
C. Non-Compliant Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program violations of:
1. 20 CFR 615.2(c)(2) "applicable benefit year"
2. 20 CFR 615.2(h)(1)(2) "eligibility period"
3. 20 CFR 615.5(2) "definition of an exhaustee/return to regular compensation"
4. Public Law 110-252/111-205 and the other amendments to present day
5. Program Letter 23-08, The implementing and Operating Instructions for EUC08 (Definition of Applicable Benefit Year - 20 CFR 615.2(c)(2) + (I.) Operating Instructions, (b.), "determining exhaustees" (2)).
6. Program Letter 23-08, The implementing and Operating Instructions for EUC08,(I.) Operating Instructions, 13. Inviolate Rights to EUC08.
7. The "EUC08 Agreement", Attachment A, Program Letter 23-08, "Processing Claims for EUC08", Section 6. "Fraud and Overpayment Section 4005 of the Act"
8. The American Reinvestment and Recover Act of 2009, EUC08 under Division B, Title II, Section 2001, "Principles and Purposes of the Act", Section 3, "
1) To preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery. (2) To assist those most impacted by the recession". It also specifies these funds as:
"SEC. 5. EMERGENCY DESIGNATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Each amount in this Act is designated as
an emergency requirement and necessary to meet emergency needs
pursuant to section 204(a) of S. Con. Res. 21 (110th Congress)
and section 301(b)(2) of S. Con. Res. 70 (110th Congress), the
concurrent resolutions on the budget for fiscal years 2008 and
2009."
9. Oversight requirements for all of the above (ARRA, Improper Payments and IG Acts).
The evidence is public. Anyone with a working brain who would examine this research and factual evidence, will find with just a small effort, that the Obama Administration has been keeping a very deep and dark secret from the unemployed and the rest of the nation. I welcome any reasonable discussion, but so far not even Paul Krugman has gotten back to me nor been able to explain the evidence I have found. Journalists have come to ask questions and then vanished with nothing to say.
Everyone wants to ignore the truth, that they cannot refute:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/09/1118321/-Mr-President-there-is-a-serious-problem-with-the-EUC08-program
Mr. President there is a serious problem with the EUC08 program
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/18/1121545/-An-ARRA-Implementation-Error-Exposed
An ARRA Implementation Error Exposed
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/26/1124397/-Welcome-to-our-21st-century-Watergate
Welcome to our 21st Century Watergate
Please look into this problem. Our government intends to rob the unemployed and the economy out of billions of dollars in ARRA aid, just so they won't have to admit this humiliating mistake that they made four years ago. Cowards is not a strong enough word to describe the spineless individuals running the corrupt and criminal Department of Labor....
I challenge the "entertainment" Media and the Democratic Party to stand up and face this very real problem. If there are any investigative reporters left, then here is your big story, if you just look at the evidence. It is shameful to ignore an error that has harmed the unemployed, who are in no shape to defend themselves thanks to "all sides" bemoaning their existence for four years straight. Plenty of people have yelled and complained, not one person, not even the federal government can refute the evidence I have presented and am happy to share.
Sorry for the bad news. It is all true.