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Ear to the Ground

U.S. Job Loss Highest in 5 Years

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Posted on Mar 7, 2008

The short month of February was long on economic problems, as 63,000 U.S. jobs were lost over the 29 days. In other words, for those betting that a recession isn’t around the corner, the outlook is dim.


The New York Times:

Manufacturers and construction companies, reeling from the worst housing slump in decades, led the declines in payrolls. But the losses were spread across a broad range of businesses—including department stores, offices and retail outlets—putting increased pressure on consumers’ pocketbooks.

The unexpected decline raised anticipation on Wall Street that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates again later this month, perhaps by as much as a full percentage point, as the central bank scrambles to stave off a steep economic slowdown.

“I haven’t seen a job report this recessionary since the last recession,” said Jared Bernstein, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington. “This is a picture of a labor market becoming clearly infected by the contagion from the rest of the economy.”

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By Conservative Yankee, March 8, 2008 at 11:15 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Ted lives in HYANNISPORT (Mainland) Jackie lived on Martha’s Vineyard. The Citizens of The two resort Islands (Including Nantucket) petitioned the two US Senators against a wind farm. Ted just followed the wishes of his constitutes.  Although I am not particularly a fan of Ted, (especially re Kennedy/McCain) I do respect his work on behalf of his employers.

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By GW=MCHammered, March 8, 2008 at 4:29 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Hey, thanks for the insight, Gomer. Sorry for the abuse. That used to be unAmerican. Keep pointing straight. We’ll get this squared. And if any (forefather) Americans on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, or else, hold the balls of French truckers, this thing’s gotta turn and turn hard now.

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By Expat, March 8, 2008 at 12:19 am #

^ hell, why not drop the interest rate to 1%.  Where the hell are you getting 200 billion?  Oh yeah, I forgot; you own the printing presses.  We should all be scared to death.  If one steps back just a little bit, one will see the inmates are running the insane assylum, have been actually, for some time.  The only people who will have seen worse will be the people who lived through the gteat depression.  God help the next president for what he/she is inheriting.

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By desertdude, March 7, 2008 at 9:30 pm #

the President was touting home ownership and the jobs that were being produced. The jobs were all overseas not in America. How many people own a home now? Time for a clean sweep. Congress must go and new blood at the White House some one with compassiong for his countrymen. We had a great country and now we have a Nation ashamed by our leaders.

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By Conservative Yankee, March 7, 2008 at 8:56 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The jobs have been leaving since 73, the dollar has been dropping like a stone since 2000, the Stock market is at the level it was almost 8 years ago, and we’re selling our future to the Chinese and the Indians (note paper)

It’s a depression and I still have a good job!

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By cyrena, March 7, 2008 at 8:44 pm #

I’m with you DennisD, and I’ve been repeating this first line for 7 years now. It’s a ‘recession when…and a depression when…it’s YOU!

But, nobody was paying attention. And then, the article actually says THIS:

“....The unexpected decline….”

UNEXPECTED?????????????????????

Please. That’s like watching every single structure in on the block burn to the ground, and then saying that your own ‘unexpectedly’ caught on fire.

Geeze…

As for the $600.00, I don’t think most of us will even get that. Isn’t it only for those who earned enough to pay taxes last year? Now, since these job losses have been happening for years, that means that a whole bunch of folks are gonna be left off of the $300 or $600 list. Matter of fact, we’ll probably get a bill instead, to off-set the costs of what they have to give the rest of you.

At least..that’s been my experience. Hope ya’ll don’t have to wait on me to pay it though, before you get your money. It would be quicker and more productive to squeeze blood out of turnips.

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By DennisD, March 7, 2008 at 7:41 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

As the old saying implies - it’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job, it’s a depression when you lose yours.

The Fed should be dissolved along with Congress. The one thing we can be sure of is that NO one will be held accountable either in government or in business for the depression we are about to enter.

I can’t wait for the inevitable Bu$hism preceding the Bernanke firing “Nice job, Ben.” “As for the rest of you, just take the $600 and shut up - that’s all we could borrow from China to give you.”

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By GW=MCHammered, March 7, 2008 at 6:59 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

-by Mortgage Fund’s Blowup
What a shame. Explains why Bush has aged five years in the past year though.

But US wages are pathetic. Especially compared to prices. Help Wanted Ads are anorexic. Been that way for years now. We don’t need credit. We need our hard-earned wages back. American workers aren’t the most productive because they’re told to be. That’s abuse. Past due for worker backlash. National Strike time. Watch the French. They know how it’s done. Especially their truckers!

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By 1twenty1, March 7, 2008 at 5:42 pm #

If only the pain of job loss could be like that of the Citiwide exec. called to light today in House hearings on the morgage crisis on C-span.  His salary was 1 million a year.  When he got the axe for losing the company money, they gave him 10 million.  This country is sick!

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By A Warren, March 7, 2008 at 5:02 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

So, are they going to keep dropping the prime rate into negative numbers so that you can make money borrowing money?  Sounds absurd but so does dropping the prime yet again.  Does Bernenke not understand what that does to the dollar against other currencies not to mention what it does to the inflation rate?

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