Washington Democrats are not just out to lunch on jobs. They have devoured the entire buffet table.
“It’s very clear that private-sector jobs have been doing just fine,” Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) declared on October 19, while debating Pres. Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act. “It’s the public-sector jobs where we’ve lost huge numbers, and that’s what this legislation is all about.”
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Reid’s hometown of Searchlight, Nev., may be a workers’ paradise. But, nationally speaking, Reid knows not what he speaks.
As the Heritage Foundation recently calculated, Reid has capsized his facts.
Private workers have been hammered for nearly four years, throughout this lame economy. Local-government employees have suffered modest job losses. Meanwhile, it’s happy hour at Uncle Sam’s Place. Government hiring has created a carnival atmosphere within the federal bureaucracy.
Consider these mind-blowing numbers:
Between December 2007 (the start of the Great Recession) and September 2011, the private sector has lost 6,257,000 jobs — an employment reduction of 5.4 percent. Government across the board shed 392,000 positions — off 1.8 percent. State-government and local-education employment fell 148,200, down 1.4 percent.
It really isn't surprising that a government slug would see everything in terms of the public sector. These guys don't realize that it is in the private sector where GDP growth occurs. Obviously his constituency in Nevada don't see it any differently considering that they re-elected him not long ago even though Nevada was one of the worst hit states by the economic recession. I guess those folks should expect no help from him in improving economic conditions except should they want to work for the government. Too bad! You get what you pay for.
Uhhh, why stop at jobs? If the recent over the top actions of a certain Democratic Governor are any indication, you can add taxes & gerrymandering to the list ... External Link
And again, why is anybody surprised. Democrats think the end-all is the government. That's all they know. What is surprising is when a businessminded individual who actually employs people supports their policies and votes for them.
The Democratic leadership aren't so stupid that they cannot understand the chart you display, so they're not pursuing what they're pursuing because they're "clueless". It seems obvious that they're willfully and aggressively and illegally increasing Federal employment and federal power at the expense of private citizens ... I call (and so should the media) that a "coup in progress".
Great article! Harry Reid's comments are staggering, and I don't understand how he and Pelosi can approach microphones and state absolute untruths with equanimity. Her comment that unemployment was the best form of stimulus was directly contradicted by Obama's latest economic adviser Krueger.
We need more writers to sound the alarm about the "Great Recession." The U.S. needs structural change. Bloated government, stifling regulation and failing education are crippling our economy.
2.3% growth rates were reported in Q3. If we can maintain that 2.5% growth rate, we'll be back at full employment by the early part of next decade. Uhhh, that's not going to cut it. External Link
Where are all the liberal trolls that stalk these comment sections trying to debunk whatever conservatives have to say? When they are confronted with cold, hard facts they are like cockaroaches when the lights are turned on.
I'm not a liberal troll, and I'm saying the tables are bunk. The government cannot create private sector jobs (as we all have observed). However, private sector jobs will not be created unless net demand increases. So, if the government wants to increase demand, it has to hire people or buy things (or do nothing). Since the dead weight cost of running the economy at less than full employment DWARFS the cost of simulation, something reasonable is happening. It could certainly be managed better or happen better, and we in the GOP should concentrate on that.
