Puterbac News Network and Political Discussion Thread

[hedge]

"This is the second day of the Cheney scandal, FRONT page/above the fold, of the NYT."

One big difference, in that case it was the man himself who had done it, in Biden's case it's his son. What does that have to do with Biden? Do you think it wouldn't be news if, say, Biden was busted with a gram of cocaine? Of course it would. Quit whining, pussy...

[Toemeesleather]

This Frieden guy is sharp when it comes to cokes and salt, but when it comes to epidemics he's status quo political double talker. No wonder folks are panicking.




New York City's health commissioner, Thomas Frieden, is leading the way. He's the guy who purged trans fats from the city's restaurants and made them post calorie counts for menu items. Lately he's been pressuring food companies to remove salt from their products.

Now he's going after soda. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, Frieden and Kelly Brownell, the director of Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, propose a penny-per-ounce excise tax on "sugared beverages." That's nearly $3 per case. Why so much? Because this tax, unlike the petty junk-food taxes of yesteryear, is designed to hurt. Its purpose is to discourage you from buying soda, on the grounds that soda, like smoking, is bad for you.

[Toemeesleather]

"This is the second day of the Cheney scandal, FRONT page/above the fold, of the NYT."

One big difference, in that case it was the man himself who had done it, in Biden's case it's his son. What does that have to do with Biden? Do you think it wouldn't be news if, say, Biden was busted with a gram of cocaine? Of course it would. Quit whining, pussy...

Both stories are at best 2 sentence blurbs at the end of a newscast, scandal does not fit either.....but I really don't expect numbnut idiots like you to understand that.

[hedge]

The VP of the United States shoots a man and that's a 2 sentence blurb? You're a fucking idiot. But we already knew that...

[Toemeesleather]

A casual glance at the job market makes it appear that things are a lot better. The unemployment rate was 7.2% a year ago. Now it's 5.9%.

But there's a dark side to this recovery: Millions of people are still unemployed or underemployed.

A close look at three types of frustrated job seekers underscores why the American economy is still struggling.

1. The 'glass is half-empty' workers: Part-time jobs remain a big problem. Over seven million Americans want full-time work, but can only find part-time hours.

Statisticians dubbed this group "involuntary part-time workers."

There are 54% more part-time workers now than when the recession began in December 2007. In other recent recessions, the number of part-timers peaked and then quickly dropped. Since this recession ended, it peaked and is now trickling down very slowly, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Part-time employment raises questions about the quality of jobs people are finding in the recovery.

"It's one of the big differences between the labor market during this recovery and this crisis compared with previous business cycles," said Jeremy Lawson, chief economist at asset management firm Standard Life Investments in Boston. "It's a group of people that would like a different type of job, but this is the only one they can get."

2. The 'I'm done' crowd: Some job seekers want work, but see such dim chances of employment, they stopped looking for a job four weeks ago. For a slew of reasons ? skills, age or no available work ? these would-be workers have stopped searching for jobs. These are discouraged workers.

The number of discouraged workers is down considerably from its peak in December 2010. But unfortunately, the current number, about 700,000, is almost double what it was when the recession began.

Discouraged workers represent only a fraction of the issue though. The "missing," workforce that government data does not capture is significantly higher. Missing workers are not employed or looking for jobs because of poor employment prospects, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, a left-leaning think tank.

"We're talking about over 5 million workers who should be in the workforce if we had a healthy economy, but have dropped out over the past four or five years" says Josh Bivens, a labor economist at EPI.

3. The 'lost workers': People who can't find work for months represent one of the most concerning indicators of the current job market.

At the start of the recession, 17% of all unemployed people were out of work for six months or longer. In September, almost a third of the unemployed population was jobless for half a year or more.

Although long-term unemployment has declined a bit recently, policymakers are still concerned. The Obama administration announced new measures this week to help long-term unemployed workers find jobs.


Examined a little closer, long-term unemployment is becoming a bigger issue for women. About 35% of long-term jobless workers were women in 2007. Now that number is 44%, according to a recent study by the Congressional Budget Office. Still, men make up the majority of people looking for work for six months or more.

The impact of long-term unemployment goes beyond money.

"To look unsuccessfully for work for over a year, a year and a half, is, psychologically, very discouraging" says Gary Burtless, an economist at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Once government unemployment benefits run out, "Many people temporarily or permanently give up the search."

Economists say the job market will continue to improve, but may take years for these economic wounds to fully heal.

[hedge]

Nobody cares...

[Jungle Rat]

Can't we just put these ebola patients in an incenerator and be done with it? They ain't gonna live anyway.

[AlabamAlum]

Kinda funny: Obama's credit card declined: http://www.eater.com/2014/10/17/6995423 ... restaurant

You know someone is hearing about that...

[Dr. Strangelove]

Every time the unemployment rate drops, those carrying water for the Republicans rush to publish more articles on how Obama is failing the long-term unemployed, the underemployed, and those stuck in bad part-time jobs. It's cute the way they pretend the Republicans care about any of those people.

[AlabamAlum]

You know, DSL, your post would have also worked in reverse a few years back:

Every time the unemployment rate drops, those carrying water for the Democrats rush to publish more articles on how Bush is failing the long-term unemployed, the underemployed, and those stuck in bad part-time jobs. It's cute the way they pretend the Democrats care about any of those people.

I can't understand how anyone can be a partisan on either side because they're both the same and they both suck.

[Jungle Rat]

The funny thing about this is that the Republicans will be bitching about this for another 8 years.

[Jungle Rat]

1st they get beat by a negro. Twice. Then by a woman. Probably twice as well. Stupid old farts.

[Professor Tiger]

Every time the unemployment rate drops, those carrying water for the Republicans rush to publish more articles on how Obama is failing the long-term unemployed, the underemployed, and those stuck in bad part-time jobs. It's cute the way they pretend the Republicans care about any of those people.

Au Contraire. Republicans love the long-term unemployed, the underemployed, and those stuck in bad part-time jobs. Such people make excellent maids, butlers, chauffeurs and gardeners - all at bargain prices.

[aTm]

The democrats need just more time to bring peace to the middle east, end surveillance by the government and the patriot act, close the Guantanamo bay prison, etc. Hopefully they can get the next president added back into Obama's Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts on these multi-decade missions.

[Toemeesleather]

Not a Foxnews commentator:



Women, she said this morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, don’t feel safe with Obama at the helm. A sense among of insecurity is a big political problem, because it strikes at a visceral need for women.

The politically correct would be offended by the suggestion women in particular need to feel secure, but it happens to be true, and no Democratic political operative worth their pay would ignore the issue of safety and women – though of course they might attack Republicans for bringing it up.

Fortunately, Tina Brown brought it up. She said:

For women, I don’t think he makes them feel unsafe. They feel unsafe economically, they’re feeling unsafe with regard to ISIS, they’re feeling unsafe about Ebola . . .

I think they’re beginning to feel a bit like Obama’s that guy in the corner office who’s too cool for school, calls a meeting, says “This has to change,” doesn’t put anything in place to make sure it does change. Then it goes wrong, and he’s blaming everybody.

[bluetick]

I'm with toe....no chance in hell oprama gets re-elected.

[bluetick]

The democrats need just more time to bring peace to the middle east, end surveillance by the government and the patriot act, close the Guantanamo bay prison, etc.

Then you have the obamacare failure,the ruined economy, Benghazi, and the IRS, VA, and Secret Service scandals. And don't forget he never came clean about the birth certificate.

Oh(!) - and Ebola is oprama's payback for slavery, according to Rush. Goddam.

Every day it's something else. Seriously, the guy will never get elected again, period - end of story. Not even for dog catcher.

[Toemeesleather]

Then why is he campaigning???? ....and getting walked out on???!!!

[youtube]aLcdd5XQcAc[/youtube]

[Professor Tiger]

The democrats need just more time to bring peace to the middle east, end surveillance by the government and the patriot act, close the Guantanamo bay prison, etc.

He was supposed to lower the sea levels too.

[hedge]

There are several people in here I'd like to see lowered below sea level...