September 4, 2009 archive

1. The NY Times reports Signs of a jobless recovery in unemployment report. “The American economy lost another 216,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate jumped to 9.7 percent”.

   “Many experts now see a high probability of another so-called jobless recovery, in which the economy expands but jobs continue to disappear – a replay of what happened after the last recession in 2001.”

   The broader U-6 measure marks the seasonally-unadjusted unemployment rate for August 2009 at 16.8 percent.

   McClathcy adds the rate of Job losses have slowed down. “Taken along with a key manufacturing index showing growth for the first time in 18 months, Friday’s job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics are one more indication that the U.S. economy appears to have hit bottom and is on a slow upward climb.”

   Bloomberg reports Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says even this jobless U.S. economic recovery may not be ‘sustainable’. “It’s not clear that the U.S. is recovering in a sustainable way,” Stiglitz said.

   Stiglitz said he sees two scenarios for the world’s largest economy in coming months. One is a period of “malaise,” in which consumption lags and private investment is slow to accelerate. The other is a rebound fueled by government stimulus that’s followed by an abrupt downturn — an occurrence that economists call a “W-shaped’ recovery.

   “There’s a significant chance of a W, but I don’t think it’s inevitable,” he said. The economy “could just bounce along the bottom.”

   The U.S. economy is increasingly more vulnerable because some firms are now too big for the financial system to handle any one of them failing.

   “These institutions are not only too big to fail, they are too big to be managed,” he said.

   Stiglitz believes the U.S. “economy faces a short-term threat of disinflation and possibly deflation” with the possibility of declining wages and prolonged high unemployment. Longer-term, massive inflation is the threat.

Four at Four continues with the Afghanistan update, firefighters on the frontline of health care, urban density can fight climate change, and a library goes bookless.

This is soooo good I just HAD to share it with my fellow Dharma Bums here at Docudharma.

Meet the PhillyFringeHarmonic, a oof beat classic music troupe who is cuurently featuring their latest work, The GonzalezCantata

This is such a clever Progressive WIN, I just love it.

This was featured on the Rachel Maddow show last night, tickets are on sale this weekend only, so if you are in Philadelphia in the next few weeks you MUST check it out.

Enjoy!

“I Can’t Recall”

“This is not about Alberto Gonzalez”

     I wonder if Fredo will be singing this behind bars someday soon. One can only hope.

Cheers.

This poll, unsavory as it may be, seems to be teaching a very specific lesson. While the great debate has been whether or not Democrats will lose “the vital center” if they push hard for aggressive health care reforms, a greater debate which is being ignored is whether or not the Democrats lose their own base if they punt on the issue.

And there is no shortage of evidence to suggest that the base should be the Democrats primary concern. Our “generic ballot test” asks voters whether they would rather see more Democrats or Republican in Congress next year.

Democrats only hold 70% of their base on that question. The Republicans hold onto 85% of their base. This strongly correlates to the (growing) conventional wisdom that the Democratic base may do something as bad as vote Republican–they may simply choose not to vote.

And here’s a nickel’s worth of free advice to the Obama White House–ditching critical parts of health care reform to appease Republicans, over 90% of which don’t like you anyway, is not the magic elixir that will inspire Democrats to vote in mass numbers.

McClatchy Washington Bureau continues their extremely stellar reporting on the effects of Wars and Occupations of others on those that serve in these theaters of operations, especially as to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder {PTSD} with the following report printed in their Kansas City Star:

Defense Dept. funding study pairing dogs and troops with PTSD

Burning the Midnight Oil for the Next American Revolution

The White House has said it will do anything to “get a win”.

Clearly, there are several Democratic Senators who will vote no, even if they vote for cloture.

Which means that with 50+ Congressmen willing to stand firm for the Public Option, it only requires 10 Senators willing to stand firm for the public option to force the President to go all in for the Public Option.

My Senator Sherrod Brown sounds like he’s close.

Advisers to Obama Divided on Size of Afghan Force



By PETER BAKER and ELISABETH BUMILLER

Published: September 3, 2009

WASHINGTON – The military’s anticipated request for more troops to combat the insurgency in Afghanistan has divided senior advisers to President Obama as they try to determine the proper size and mission of the American effort there, officials said Thursday.

Even before the top commander in Afghanistan submits his proposal for additional forces, administration officials have begun what one called a “healthy debate” about what the priorities should be and whether more American soldiers and Marines would help achieve them.

Leading those with doubts is Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has expressed deep reservations about an expanded presence in Afghanistan on the grounds that it may distract from what he considers the more urgent goal of stabilizing Pakistan, officials said.

Hundreds March in Chinese City Hit by Riots in July



By Christopher Bodeen

Associated Press

Friday, September 4, 2009

BEIJING, Sept. 3 — Hundreds of Chinese protested deteriorating public safety Thursday after a series of mysterious syringe attacks further unnerved residents in the western Chinese city of Urumqi, where ethnic rioting in July killed nearly 200 people.

People living near the city center reached by telephone said hundreds, possibly thousands, of members of China’s Han majority marched peacefully in the city center. They waved Chinese flags, confronted local Communist Party leaders to demand they step down, and shouted “Severely punish the hooligans” — a reference to the July 5 rioters.