Unemployment

The unemployment figures for December 2009, as released last week by the Obama Administration and as augmented by independent data, were simple, realistic and depressing. By Federal government standards the extent of America's national unemployment remained at 10% with some 85,000 additional citizens losing their jobs during this past reporting period.
As expected, many sources published that the real extent of the current level of the unemployed in our nation is at the figure of 17.3% which is just slightly higher than last month.

A quick analysis of this information draws the conclusion that the lower figure is bad news and the larger figure is just horrendous.

Several thoughts come immediately to mind: 1) It remains a mystery as to why Obama and his followers continue to express to the American public the phony representation that our nation has "only" a 10% level of unemployment. Six months ago it was difficult to find any general publication touching on the reality that unemployment was more in the range of 17% than 10%. Today, every news article on this labor subject now reports both figures which only hurts the credibility of the White House; 2) Within a few days Obama will complete 25% of his Presidential term and the most pressing national issue, the economy, remains unaddressed and unresolved. At present the down-sliding appears to have slowed but no improvements, minor much less significant, are being reported; and 3) The political pundits are now expressing that Federal government spending programs will soon impact the unemployed by at least doling out temporary government funded jobs (which means jobs paid for by current or future tax obligations imposed on the American public). This coming increase in the activity level of the Obama Administration on the unemployed is intentionally scheduled to have its biggest impact just as Americans prepare to vote in November. The goal is obvious - keep Congress in the hands of Obama advocates.

The old expression that "all is fair in love and war and politics" rings true in this first month of 2010 but it does not justify Obama's plans to try to link helping our unemployed to his desire for a November election success.