Can this be true? Half a million NEW unemployed EVERY week?

[Mac1337]

"The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for jobless aid dropped by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 445,000."

This is hard to believe. How many jobs are left? Or am I misreading the data?

[$tevie]

There's about 150,000,000 people employed in the United States. 445,000 people is not even 1/3rd of one percent of the workers in this country. Why is that number hard to believe? Didn't anyone tell you there's been a recession? You might want to do some research before you keep running your mouth about unemployment benefits, since you seem to be totally unfamiliar with what has been going on lately.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=INJCJC:IND

http://www.bls.gov/home.htm

[cbelt3]

Go to the source !

For a nice little chart

And to the point that you're alluding...
People DO get jobs. Looking at the negative side of the equation is only half the story.

I'll also point out that DOL statistics have always hidden ugly facts:

There is a substantial "non working population". This is made up of the disabled, military active service, and those who have given up completely or are working off the books.

There is a substantial 'underemployed' population. This is made up of people who have gone from 'good jobs' to minimum wage jobs. They're technically 'employed'.

What we are in is what is referred to as an economic shift in our economy. Our national standard of living is dropping. Eventually we will reach parity with our international trade partners (as their standard of living rises).

(ED Thanks. Gute... I got that wrong.. the reference was to an additional element on the chart for recently discharged military personnel.)

[Gutenberg]

Excuse me? Active military service is not working? Active military are certainly working, and they are not carried on the DOL books as "unemployed" or "underemployed" or "non-working population."

[cbelt3]

Gute- Thanks. D'oh... I changed my posting. I must have misread that in the DOL site..

[Gutenberg]

I have been rather sensitive to that attitude since Ronald Reagan referred to military family benefits as "welfare."

[Mac1337]

$tevie wrote:
There's about 150,000,000 people employed in the United States. 445,000 people is not even 1/3rd of one percent of the workers

So you are of the opinion that we can, umm, absorb this rate of unemployment. How far down the tank are you willing to sink to buck up your boy Obama?

[$tevie]

My statement had nothing to do with politics, it was in response to your apparent shock at the 445,000 number. Your statement to be exact was "This is hard to believe. How many jobs are left? Or am I misreading the data?"

-Why was it hard to believe? Didn't you know we have been enduring a recession?

-About 150,000,000 jobs are left. Hey, you asked.

-No, you weren't misreading the data. You were just confused and seemed to think there are only about a million or so jobs in this country.

I was trying to help you out since you seemed so lost and confused and unable to do any research or math on your own. I try to help poor dumb Dakota and all I get is a snark in return.

[Mac1337]

Oh, OK. So nothing to worry about. At this rate we losing "only" 26 millions jobs a year. I am sure we can "absorb" that, along with couple of more planes into buildings to boot.

[$tevie]

Duh. Did I not say that I was only answering your questions. If you want to argue with somebody about it, start a new thread, because that's not what I was writing about.