This one was sent to me by Michael S.
While by now everyone should know the answer, for those curious why the US unemployment rate just slid once more to a meager 5.9%, the lowest print since the summer of 2008, the answer is the same one we have shown every month since 2010: the collapse in the labor force participation rate, which in September slid from an already three decade low 62.8% to 62.7% – the lowest in over 36 years, matching the February 1978 lows. And while according to the Household Survey, 232,000 people found jobs, what is more disturbing is that the people not in the labor force, rose to a new record high, increasing by 315,000 to 92.6 million!
Pretty funny huh? The unemployment rate fell to the lowest point in the Obungler administration and the uninformed voters are jumping up and down with glee about how the chocolate Jesus has finally fixed the unemployment problem. How did he do it? He made a record number of people just quit looking for jobs. 92.6 million Americans are not working. That’s close to 1/3 of the population. I would be interested in knowing how many of those 92.6 million are between the ages of 18 and 65 years old. That would be the more telling statistic. But we do know that we have a record number of people on disability because they gave up looking for jobs.
The unemployment statistics are flat out lies by the ruling class trying to make things sound better than they are. But the uninformed voters believe what the gummint tells them. What a joke that is. I wish it were funnier than it is.
Labor force participation rate is the percentage of working age population that is part of the labor force. It is a measure of what proportion of a country’s population is employed or actively looking for employment. Higher the labor force participation rate, more of the country’s population is interested in working.
In US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines labor force participation rate as “the labor force as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.” Labor force is defined as: “all persons classified as employed or unemployed.” Employed persons are persons aged 16 years or older, who work for an employer or are self-employed, and excludes people who work as volunteers and people engaged in self-service/homemaking. Unemployed persons are those jobless persons who are aged 16 year or older, were available for job in last four weeks, and had made specific efforts to find a job at any time during that period.
I got that from a google search and you can find more if you want to wade thru the BS at BLS.gov
The statistics we all want is to see is the labor force participation rate for those of working ages say 16 to 65 from 1940 to 2014, excluding the retired 65 plus folks, so we can remove the influence of the baby boomer retirement that is happening now. You can calculate that yourself from the government data on that web site but it would take a lot of work. They do break down the participation rate by age groups on individual year historical charts but not on the charts from that show 1940 to the present. The official democrat party line is that the reason the labor force participation rate is down is because of all the current baby boomers leaving for retirement. That may have something to do with it but the party in charge is not gonna help with the obvious data set you are looking for. And the republicans are too scared to argue the point with a population that is too stupid to see the facts beyond the last government welfare check they got! WE ARE DOOMED!
Ya know I’ve had this debate and others regarding America’s getting screwed (ObamaCare, Bengazi & Fast & Furious come to mind) with some college educated Libtards. Although I believe I make a great argument why the United States is rapidly going down the toilet under the current regime and when we’re dealing with Obungler we’re dealing with a Chicago, gangster snake-oil salesman the Libtards to a man or woman recoil with fire in their eyes and respond: He’s my hero and only has American interests at heart.
We’re DOOMED!
Toejam.., I have run into many of them here in Illinois and in the Chicagoland area. Your description of President Obama is very accurate. I would only add he is a full product of the Democratic political machine that runs Chicago with an iron fist. We as a nation are indeed going down the toilet and it is heartbreaking to watch it. But the loyal liberals are completely convinced that it is somebody else’s fault and Obama is a great and wonderful hero that is here to help the common man and woman. We are screwed.
Will the millenials someday have a Great Awakening when they realize how badly they’ve been duped by the Democrats or will they go on blaming conservatives to their graves?
As long as democrats control the numbers they will stay in this region. If the Repubs win the presidency they will be forced to use the real numbers or the unemployment rate will drop to Minus 10 or minus 12 percent. The numbers have been fudged so much that if left alone they will show that there are more people working than there are people period. If real numbers are used by the next administration the rate will automatically go up to 15 or 17 percent unemployment, and the Dems will be ranting about how they left it a 5.9. When the inflation numbers are corrected to include the costs of food and fuel (currently not included) the uninformed classes will scream for bigger raises to their welfare payments and another bump to the minimum wage.
Go over to shadowstats.com and read what John Williams has to say. The BLS changed the way it reports unemployment (gee, who woulda thunk that a gubmint agency would change their way of counting in order to make the gubmint look good?). If the BLS were to use the same methodology as they did during the ’70s the current unemployment rate would be 23%.
The same goes for the inflation rate. The price of energy is now not factored in because no one uses electricity, gasoline or heating fuel, right?
You nailed it Al! Also, if there is no inflation, why do food prices keep rising?
America the lost civilization…….
Anyone with a high 2 digit let alone 3 digit IQ should be able to see America is going downhill, all empires & former great Nations have done so usually rotting from within.
We are no exception as ignorance & the apathetic sense of patriotism of most Americans trumps those who still believe in the American dream & desperately hope the exceptionalism which created America can rise from the ashes once again.
One need look no farther then the achievements of the greatest Generation our immediate predecessors & parents who survived the great depression , successfully fought WW2 & firmly established the United States as the greatest society to have ever existed,. Then compare it to the newest generation, the entitlement society our children who we all spoiled rotten who cannot accept the mantle of leadership , purpose & can do attitude which typified the greatest generation.
America as we know it once was is doomed, those who are inheriting America are not capable of maintaining that inheritance, defending it or growing it.largely due to our failure to prepare them for that challenge.
Our system is rotten to the core from within, it is populated with entitlement parasites & those who deny what made this country great & choose to punish those who are still driven to succeed. We tried to create a Utopia on earth , instead we planted the seeds of destruction.
The only hope this country really has is to postpone a collapse until enough people realize the path to oblivion we are on & reverse that decline….unfortunately that will not happen in our life times.
Many nations have fallen from power only to regain that stature again …..Russia, China, Germany even France have done so in times past, some several times. The question is will our enemies as we continue to fall allow us to recover? This is the question our children will have to resolve & I doubt they have the stomach for it.
I do not think most Americans will not recognize the situation we are in until the Western states made up from land we took from Mexico begin to debate or demand to secede & return to Mexico. Why do I say this?…..Because we are in the middle of an invasion not a drive for immigration. This is yet another challenge our children will have to face. Couple that with a race war between the Black welfare entitlement base of the Democratic Party & Hispanics who are willing to work & concentrate their growing power/ influence & consider what is coming..
I don`t think there will be too many able to sit back eat popcorn & watch the fireworks without being dragged into the firestorm sure to rage out of control. It is inevitable if people lose control, others will seize the opportunity to take charge. My money would be on the Hispanics if this did happen in my lifetime which I doubt.
I am not very happy for the real legacy of our generation, in fact our founding fathers recognized & wondered aloud would the people be able to keep the society they created……..It seems to me our generation in accepting liberalism killed it. I have seen the enemy & it is our generation who must accept the blame.
I have been meaning to comment on this post and have made some time to do so. Some of the best commentary on what I have witnessed so far in my lifetime. Dudley1 you are very correct and on target with your observation’s. You put down into words how I feel and what I have seen in the brief time I have lived on this planet. Sadly, America the land that I loved and once swore an oath to protect is indeed lost. Lost mostly to stupidity, greed and arrogance. RIP beautiful land.