Friday, August 2, 2013

Unemployment Is Indeed Down... Down to 14%... Three-Tenths of a Point Down From June's 14.3%...


...which was actually WAY up from May's 13.8%!

Yep... I'm referring to U6 unemployment... the REAL unemployment number.

Hey... folks... I'm ALWAYS gonna be honest with you! 

Today you're reading/hearing that unemployment is down to 7.4%.

That's the U3 stat.

If today's U6 stat had stayed the same or gone up I'd have let you know, therefore, I'm gonna also let you know when U6 goes down in tandem with U3. It's only fair... it's only right.

Folks... U6 is the figure you wanna watch. Period. 

The other thing you wanna watch is "Workforce Participation."

Interestingly enough... workforce participation is down... down a mere one-tenth of one percent... down from 63.5% to 63.4%... but down nevertheless.

Folks... here's my point: While most of you don't "need" Usually Right... don't "need" my newsbites... you need to realize that the average American doesn't know what you know - and certainly doesn't know what I know!

Just stick to the info in this particular post! Sure... the U6 stat isn't unknown... but it's certainly inside baseball! Same with workforce participation! What do most Americans know... they "know" that when they read a newspaper headline or hear a network TV or radio news anchor reporting that "unemployment is down to 7.4%" that... well... the economy "must" be improving.

 Alas... if only it were that simply... if only the average American were to dig a big deeper.

Every American high school graduate should be familiar with a great deal of the background material I use to analyze the news. The sad fact is, however, that it's the rare college graduate who is truly familiar with the underlying information I possess which allows me to separate the wheat from the chaff, read between the lines, connect the dots, and thus come to the (usually right) conclusions I do.

(*WINK*)

Again... Carl... my Goddaughter should be reading Usually Right.

You... Whose Name Dare Not Be Mentioned... my "nephews" are mature enough... and indeed, between your "reaction" to what I post and your lovely bride's... well... the boys will leapfrog their peers while developing a Socratic mindset.

(*SHRUG*)

Phil... reading my blog regularly could only further enlighten you... (and me when you reply!)

(*SMILE*)

...and enlighten Sam as well!

(*HUGE FRIGGIN' GRIN*)

Anyway... 2,209 page-views last month... 140 yesterday... 80 so far today...

(*WINK*)

Only 313,000,000 Americans to go...!

 

At the Center of the Benghazi Cover-up... Barack Hussein Obama




* SORRY, FOLKS; I SHOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST NIGHT; WAS AWARE OF IT... BUT WE HAD COMPANY.

Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya.

CNN has [today - August 1, 2013] uncovered exclusive new information about what is allegedly happening at the CIA, in the wake of the deadly Benghazi terror attack.

Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret.

* ARE WE TO BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT DIDN'T KNOW THIS...???

(*SMIRK*)

CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency's Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out.

* ARE WE TO BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING WITHOUT THE PRESIDENT'S KNOWLEDGE AND APPROVAL...???

Since January some CIA operatives involved in the agency's missions in Libya have been subjected to frequent - even monthly - polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency's workings.

* DON'T YOU WISH THE POLITICIANS WERE AS WELL! LIVE! ON CAMERA!

The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress.

* ...OR CONGRESS.

* CONGRESS... THE CO-EQUAL BRANCH.

It is being described as pure intimidation, with the threat that any unauthorized CIA employee who leaks information could face the end of his or her career.

* FOLKS... AGAIN... "CONGRESS."

In exclusive communications obtained by CNN, one insider writes, "You don't jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well." Another says, "You have no idea the amount of pressure being brought to bear on anyone with knowledge of this operation."

* CERTAINLY CONGRESS NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED... AND I BELIEVE "WE THE PEOPLE" DESERVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. HOW IS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE KNOWING WHAT OUR TRUE FOREIGN POLICY IS "HARMFUL TO NATIONAL SECURITY." MY CONTENTION IS THAT IT'S JUST THE OPPOSITE!

CIA spokesman Dean Boyd asserted in a statement that the agency has been open with Congress.

* AND IF THEY HAVEN'T BEEN... (*PAUSE*)... THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE NEED TO BE CASHEERED... PERHAPS EVEN CRIMINALLY PROSECUTED.

"The CIA has worked closely with its oversight committees to provide them with an extraordinary amount of information related to the attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi," the statement said.

* YES... THE STATEMENT FROM THE... er... CIA SPOKESMAN...

(*SNICKER*)

"CIA employees are always free to speak to Congress if they want," the statement continued. "The CIA enabled all officers involved in Benghazi the opportunity to meet with Congress. We are not aware of any CIA employee who has experienced retaliation, including any non-routine security procedures, or who has been prevented from sharing a concern with Congress about the Benghazi incident."

* THAT'S NOT WHAT MANY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE BEEN SAYING PUBLICLY!

Among the many secrets still yet to be told about the Benghazi mission, is just how many Americans were there the night of the attack. A source now tells CNN that number was 35, with as many as seven wounded, some seriously.

* MUST BE A COINCIDENCE... (*SNICKER*)... YOU KNOW... THE CIA BEING THERE AT THE SAME TIME AS A "ANTI-MUSLIM VIDEO" INSPIRED "INCIDENT."

(*SPITTING ON THE GROUND*)

* FOLKS... OBAMA WAS LYING ALL ALONG! SUSAN RICE WAS SENT TO LIE TO US ON NATIONAL TV!

The lack of information and pressure to silence CIA operatives is disturbing to U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), whose district includes CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. "I think it is a form of a cover-up, and I think it's an attempt to push it under the rug, and I think the American people are feeling the same way," said Wolf.

"We should have the people who were on the scene come in, testify under oath, do it publicly, and lay it out. And there really isn't any national security issue involved with regards to that," he said.

* "...AND THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE INVOLVED WITH REGARDS TO THAT."

(*NOD*)

Wolf has repeatedly gone to the House floor, asking for a select committee to be set-up, a Watergate-style probe involving several intelligence committee investigators assigned to get to the bottom of the failures that took place in Benghazi, and find out just what the State Department and CIA were doing there. More than 150 fellow Republican members of Congress have signed his request, and just this week eight Republicans sent a letter to the new head of the FBI, James Comey, asking that he brief Congress within 30 days.

* WHERE ARE THE "ANTI-WAR" LIBERAL DEMOCRATS?

* WHERE ARE THE "AMERICANS HAVE A RIGHT" TO KNOW LIBERAL DEMOCRATS?

* WHERE ARE THE "WE STAND FOR THE CONSTITUTION" LIBERAL DEMOCRATS... THE "SEPARATION OF POWERS" RESPECTING LIBERAL DEMOCRATS... THE SIMPLY SELF-RESPECTING LIBERAL DEMOCRATS...?

In the aftermath of the attack, Wolf said he was contacted by people closely tied with CIA operatives and contractors who wanted to talk. Then suddenly, there was silence. "Initially they were not afraid to come forward. They wanted the opportunity, and they wanted to be subpoenaed, because if you're subpoenaed, it sort of protects you, you're forced to come before Congress. Now that's all changed," said Wolf.

* SO MUCH FOR THE ASSURANCES OF CIA SPOKESMAN DEAN BOYD...

Lawmakers also want to about know the weapons in Libya, and what happened to them.

* PERHAPS HOLDER HAD THEM SHIPPED TO MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS...?

(*SMIRK*)

Speculation on Capitol Hill has included the possibility the U.S. agencies operating in Benghazi were secretly helping to move surface-to-air missiles out of Libya, through Turkey, and into the hands of Syrian rebels.

* IN ACCORDANCE WITH U.S. LAW... OR IN DIRECT DISREGARD OF U.S. LAW?

It is clear that two U.S. agencies were operating in Benghazi, one was the State Department, and the other was the CIA.

* HILLARY... RODHAM... CLINTON...

The State Department told CNN in an e-mail that it was only helping the new Libyan government destroy weapons deemed "damaged, aged or too unsafe retain," and that it was not involved in any transfer of weapons to other countries.

* HILLARY... RODHAM... CLINTON...

But the State Department also clearly told CNN, they "can't speak for any other agencies."

* Hmm... NOW WHO WOULD DEFINITELY KNOW THE ENTIRE STORY BECAUSE... WELL... ALL AGENCIES ULTIMATELY REPORT TO HIM?

(*RAISING MY HAND*)

* I KNOW! I KNOW! PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!

The CIA would not comment on whether it was involved in the transfer of any weapons.

* AND PRESIDENT OBAMA ISN'T ORDERING THEM TO DO SO... WHY...???

* FOLKS... BOTTOM LINE... OBAMA IS AT THE HEART OF THE BENGHAZI COVER-UP.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

A Bailout for Boeing


All hail the Special Interests! 



Thanks to a federal program lined up by their unions, local workers laid off during the current dip in employment at Boeing Commercial Airplanes will enjoy a financial cushion that’s much, much plumper than what the average unemployed state resident gets.

(*GRITTING MY TEETH*)

“Compared to what Joe Worker gets when they get laid off, our members have a pretty extensive safety net,” said Connie Kelliher, spokeswoman for the International Association of Machinists (IAM).

* VIA GOVERNMENT... VIA SPECIAL INTEREST BAILOUT...

The U.S. Department of Labor has approved Boeing workers — union or non-union, production workers or engineers — laid off between April 2012 and June 2015 for a package of benefits that includes drawing unemployment pay for up to 2½ years, rather than the regular six months.

* GEEZUS... F--KING... CHRIST...

The Labor Department ruling also means that if laid-off Boeing workers need to travel, say to California, for a job interview, the government will reimburse 90 percent of the costs.

* GEEZUS... F--KING... CHRIST...

If they relocate for a new job, the government will pay 90% of their moving expenses and provide an additional lump-sum relocation allowance of up to $1,250.

* GEEZUS... F--KING... CHRIST...

While unemployed, they’ll also get a tax credit for nearly three-quarters of their health-care premiums. And they’re eligible for a grant of up to $25,000 toward the cost of a degree.

* GEEZUS... F--KING... MARY... AND JOSEPH...

And for those workers over 50, if they have to take a lower-paid job after leaving Boeing, the government will provide up to $10,000 over two years in supplementary pay to make up some of the difference.

(*GNASHING MY TEETH*)

All these benefits flow because the Labor Department recently granted the IAM’s petition for federal aid under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which is designed to assist U.S. workers who have lost their jobs as a result of overseas trade or outsourcing.

* BUT IT'S THE GOVERNMENT THAT SETS TRADE POLICY...!!!

And after a parallel petition from the white-collar union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), the government broadened the approval to include all Boeing Commercial Airplanes workers, even non-union employees.

* THIS... IS... INSANE...!!!

The Department of Labor explained the decision by saying the company’s job losses here can be attributed to outsourcing because Boeing has acquired aircraft parts from foreign countries, “which contributed importantly to worker group separations.”

* SO...??? AGAIN... IT'S GOVERNMENT POLICY THAT CREATES THIS VERY REALITY THAT LEADS TO BOEING ACQUIRING AIRCRAFT PARTS FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES!

* FOLKS... NAFTA WAS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN ACTION!

* FOLKS... IT WAS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHICH GAVE CHINA MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS...!!!

In addition to producing overseas airplane parts such as the wings of the 787, Boeing has outsourced engineering work to its 787 partners overseas and also employs about 1,000 engineers at its Moscow design center.

* THE MOSCOW DESIGN CENTER...!!!

* THE... MOSCOW... DESIGN... CENTER...!!!

[T]he TAA approval is timely because recession-generated federal emergency funding that extends benefits beyond six months for all the unemployed is winding down, with the final such payments in December.

* SO... JUST AS THE INSANITY IS BROADLY ENDING... (*PAUSE*)... NEW SPECIAL INTEREST BAILOUTS START. GREAT! WONDERFUL!

The substantial TAA benefits for the Boeing workforce are on top of extras that the unions had already negotiated with the company.

(*SNORT*)

Howard Rosen, executive director of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Coalition, which advocates for the TAA program...

* WHICH ADVOCATES FOR THE TAA PROGRAM... (HMM... AND HOW DO THE FINE FOLKS AT TAAC GET PAID...?)

...said Congress has reauthorized the assistance as a quid pro quo for the steady embrace of free-trade rules by a succession of presidents that have encouraged imports and outsourcing.

* SO... TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT IN WASHINGTON...

(*LITERALLY FEELING SICK TO MY STOMACH READING THIS SH-T*)

“This has been the trade-off for giving the president the authority to conduct trade negotiations,” said Rosen, who helped draft 2002 reforms to the TAA legislation. “In exchange for that, we should help those people who are going to be hurt.”

* WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE ROSEN MAKES A YEAR IN PAY, BENEFITS, AND PAID EXPENSES THAT BENEFIT HIM, FRIENDS, AND FAMILY MEMBERS? OH... IT'S GOTTA BE AT LEAST SIX FIGURES... BUT WOULD ANYONE OF YOU BE SURPRISED IF IT TURNED OUT TO BE SEVEN FIGURES?

(*CONSCIOUSLY RESISTING THE URGE TO RUN TO THE TOILET AND PUKE*)

According to the latest annual report for the TAA program, the Labor Department approved 1,134 petitions covering an estimated 81,510 workers for the fiscal year ended September 2012. That year, the program paid out a total $855 million in income support and $575 million more for training, employment and case-management services, job-search allowances, relocation allowances and program administration. That’s total funding of $1.4 billion, of which Washington state got almost $41 million.

* GEEZUS...

Rosen concedes that the TAA program, born out of the politics of trade liberalization, may seem unfair to workers laid off for reasons unconnected with trade.

* "MAY...?!?!"

“I would love to have a program ... that is given to all workers regardless of the cause of their dislocation,” he said. “But politically, we are not there.”

(*SNORT*)

* BUT HE'D LIKE TO BE "POLITICALLY" THERE. FORGET ECONOMICALLY THERE... FORGET THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF TRILLION DOLLAR PLUS YEARLY DEFICITS... FORGET THIS YEAR'S EXPECTED CLOSE TO A TRILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT... FORGET THAT WE'RE $17 TRILLION IN DEBT (NOT FACTORING IN UNFUNDED FUTURE LIABILITIES)... FORGET THAT AFTER ALMOST FIVE YEARS OF OBAMA POLICIES THE ECONOMY IS STILL ON THE SKIDS...

Indeed, the pressure today is to cut, not broaden, unemployment assistance.

* YES!

But Boeing workers are in under the wire. If the TAA is not renewed, benefits will continue for those groups already in the system, including any Boeing Commercial Airplanes employees laid off during the next two years.

* DURING THE NEXT... THE NEXT... THE NEXT TWO YEARS...!!!

Barker's Newsbites: Thursday, August 1, 2013


And once again... it's August.

The July heatwave ended weeks ago. Today is overcast... cool... we're expecting off and on rain throughout the day and evening.

Kimmy has a friend - and the friend's baby - driving down from Massachusetts later on this afternoon to stay with us till Saturday. The baby just turned two. Mary and I are looking forward to having a baby in the house... for a couple days.

(*WINK*)

We're even set to babysit on Friday night while Erin and Kim go out!

Saturday... we owe Aunt Ruth a visit.

Sunday... bbq over at Colleen's to celebrate Kenny and Kevin's birthdays.

Tonight... Body Pump at 6:45 p.m.