The 'Real' Jobless Rate: 17.5% Of Workers Are Unemployed

"As experts debate the potential speed of the US recovery, one figure looms large but is often overlooked: nearly 1 in 5 Americans is either out of work or under-employed.

According to the government's broadest measure of unemployment, some 17.5 percent are either without a job entirely or underemployed. The so-called U-6 number is at the highest rate since becoming an official labor statistic in 1994.

The number dwarfs the statistic most people pay attention to—the U-3 rate—which most recently showed unemployment at 10.2 percent for October, the highest it has been since June 1983."

Maybe since CNBC finally realized this reality it might mean that other "mainstream" media outlets will admit it also. Nah, probably not. They're not smart enough.....

Republicans are Smart, Democrats are Dumb

Gosh, I love that title (link to a posting on the Chicago Observer).

"But Democrats are dumb. Too dumb to understand that despite holding the presidency and both houses, they are only strong if they stay united—but they don’t. Power exerts a centrifugal force on these Dumbocrats, spinning them all off in different directions."

My heart is sad

My friend Joe Rago died on Friday. Everyone who knew Joe understood how much he loved his family, the law and politics. Everyone knew he was a staunch conservative Republican who loved this country, but maybe they didn't know what a wonderful and gentle man he really was. I loved having conversations with him and seeing that twinkle in his eye, his smile, and hearing about how much he loved the law. He graciously offered to come and speak to my classes (when I taught college) and shared his experience and passion for the U.S. Constitution with young people who really had never experienced anyone like him until that time. When he left my students would ask me if he was really as nice a person as he seemed, if he really loved the law and this country as much as he said and I'd just smile and tell them everything about Joe was real--he was a real American patriot, and a darned good lawyer--both as a prosecutor and a defense attorney who helped so many people who needed an aggressive advocate. Joe was all that and more.

Every time I'd think of Joe I'd pray for him and his family. Joe loved his wife so very much and bragged about his kids. His face would light up when he spoke about them.

When I'd see Joe at political meetings and we'd often walk out after them very frustrated by the lack of progress we knew was attainable. We'd talk for a long time about the direction we wanted to see our country, our state, our county and our local leaders take. He and I were usually in agreement, sometimes angry, sometimes really angry, but never - never doubting that we'd always be Republicans and always support the party we knew would always be better than anything the donkeys (and we thought they were asses) could ever do. Joe was a class act who marched in parades, held the American flag, and showed his love of country every day. Joe wrote my daughter an incredible letter of recommendation for his law school alma mater (nope, she didn't get in there, but not for lack of effort on his part), and when she was accepted at other schools he was the first to congratulate me and tell me that she would do well and would make a great lawyer.

Joe was taken by pancreatic cancer, but he wasn't a victim of it. Nothing about Joe said "victim." Nope, he was a happy guy.  I'll miss him, and the world is a sadder place because he won't be around to share that smile and that laugh (it was great). Please say a prayer for him and for his family. He'd like that.

Click here for Joe's obituary. Please consider contributing to a fund for his children's education c/o Fifth Third Bank in Geneva, Illinois. Information is available @ 630/232-8233.

More evidence piles on every day

Poorest Town In Illinois Suffers In Recession
Read the story by clicking HERE

"Mayor Sam Payton puts it this way: "I'd say we're the forgotten community."

Payton says the unemployment rate is 46 percent and the median income is just half the statewide figure. Payton says his goal right now is to create jobs in a place where businesses don't seem to want to come, and the young people mostly want to leave."

So Illinois (my home state)--the majority of people in this state voted for No-bama. Hey Pembroke--how's that hope and change working for you? Just remember who's been in charge of this state (Demon-crats) and what party (Demon-crats) has bankrupted us. 

Isn't it time to recognize how really screwed up things are? Try the first step of the 12 step program--RECOGNIZE WE HAVE A PROBLEM. Once you do that you'll be on the REAL road to recovery. Let's RID OURSELVES of Demon-crats and start digging ourselves out of this GIGANTIC hole we're in.

More real info on the great DEBT (stimulus) plan

"So no matter how convoluted and fanciful the “jobs created or saved” numbers get, we just have to remember what the point used to be, and realize how far short we’ve fallen. And whose fault that really is."

You know the "stimulus jobs" BS is really BS when even in liberal Massachusetts they're saying so

"While Massachusetts recipients of federal stimulus money collectively report 12,374 jobs saved or created, a Globe review shows that number is wildly exaggerated. Organizations that received stimulus money miscounted jobs, filed erroneous figures, or claimed jobs for work that has not yet started."

Read the story here: Stimulus job boost in state exaggerated, review finds

“There were no jobs created. It was just shuffling around of the funds,’’ said Susan Kelly, director of property management for Boston Land Co., which reported retaining 26 jobs with $2.7 million in rental subsidies for its affordable housing developments in Waltham. “It’s hard to figure out if you did the paperwork right. We never asked for this.’’

Foster betrayed his district--AGAIN

How they voted on this PIECE OF TRASH takeover of the health care business. 

NOTE: BILL FOSTER voted YES--Bill, it's absolutely time for you to go. TAKE NOTE: we hope you've enjoyed your time in Congress, because you won't be there after the next full election.

No-bama owns it now

Jobless rate tops 10 pct. for first time since '83: Unemployment rate tops 10 percent for first time since 1983; 190,000 jobs lost in October 

Jobless Rate Jumps To 10.2%

Ok Barry, you own it now. 

• Stop blaming everyone els
• Man up
• Take responsibility
• Admit blame
• STOP SPENDING
• Cut taxes and stop trying to penalize business

But he won't. The man-child the idiot masses elected as president will continue to screw up America. 

Enough said

Thanks Karen for the picture....

Have the demon-crats (and other evil liberals) learned anything?

Gay marriage repealed in Maine

GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ

House health bill totals $1.2 trillion

Lessons from the 2009 election results (YA GOTTA READ MICHAEL BARONE'S COLUMN)

Oh my, it's fun to watch them to watch them self-destruct. A couple weeks ago while we were in Austin, Texas we took a couple hours and toured the Texas State Capitol. While going through the Senate and House chambers (galleries) we encountered a couple from New Jersey. I commented that our (Illinois) chambers were much more "techno" than Texas. The couple said they'd never been to their capitol (and they weren't spring chickens). Now I found that really stupid on their part (but maybe a lot of people have never been to their state capitols--and I find THAT stupid), but I let that go and commented, "Don't worry, soon you'll have a new governor and you can go visit then." Whoa, they got snitty with me and kind of stomped off while saying, "We hope not. We love our governor." HA HA HA HA HA. I guess his taxing, corrupt, drug dealing campaign worker, egotistical, smarmy, "I can buy anything" ways just weren't popular with the majority of the voters. Hurray for New Jersey voters. And hurray for Virginia voters also who chose a common sense CONSERVATIVE for their new governor.

Now maybe Illinois can have the courage to pick a conservative Republican on our election day!