Arianna appeared on CNN's "The Situation Room" Friday evening to discuss the dire unemployment numbers released earlier in the day.
"The most important thing is really to change the national conversation to jobs, away from the deficit and tax cuts," she told host Wolf Blitzer. "They need to come to terms with just how serious the jobs crisis is, and really, they have the power to convince the public that we need to throw everything against the wall to create jobs."
WATCH:
Democratic Senators who opposed Baucus's bill today:
Russ Feingold (Wis.)
Joe Manchin (W.Va.)
Ben Nelson (Neb.)
Jim Webb (Va.)
Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.)
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact_opinion.html
http://www.joemanchinwv.com/pages/contact
http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm/pages/contact
http://webb.senate.gov/contact.cfm
http://lieberman.senate.gov/index.cfm/contact/email-me-about-an-issue
Russ Feingold (Wis.)
Joe Manchin (W.Va.)
Ben Nelson (Neb.)
Jim Webb (Va.)
Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.)
Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.)
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact_opinion.html
http://www.joemanchinwv.com/pages/contact
http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm/pages/contact
http://webb.senate.gov/contact.cfm
http://lieberman.senate.gov/index.cfm/contact/email-me-about-an-issue
http://durbin.senate.gov/
Annualized Growth Rates
Clinton
1993 to 1996 Real GDP = 3.44%
1993 to 1996 Real GDP per capita = 2.22%
1997 to 2000 Real GDP = 4.44%
1997 to 2000 Real GDP per capita = 3.26%
1993 to 2000 Real GDP = 4.01%
1993 to 2000 Real GDP per capita = 2.81%
Bush
2001 to 2004 Real GDP = 2.62%
2001 to 2004 Real GDP per capita = 1.68%
2005 to 2008 Real GDP = 1.75%
2005 to 2008 Real GDP per capita = 0.79%
2001 to 2008 Real GDP = 2.31%
2001 to 2008 Real GDP per capita = 1.36%””
The U.S. economy lost 8.4 million jobs in the Great Recession, which was not caused by politicians. There is a natural business cycle at work. The recession actually began in 2007 and has been in recovery for over a year, but the hiring didn't really start until January of this year. In 2010, private employers are on track to create one million new jobs. That's a lot of jobs! But at the current pace of about 50,000 jobs added per month on average, it will take nearly ten years to re-generate all the jobs we lost during the Great Recession.
Against that backdrop, the unemployment rate will continue to rise, and so will job creation. A growing economy will add jobs and as it improves, more people - formerly discouraged workers and others laid-off return the workforce. I wouldn't be surprised if unemployed rose to over 10% in the next several months.
Congress and Obama can do very little to affect the business cycle, but because we Americans seem to associate just about everything into politics, we're missing the bigger picture. Neither Democrats or Republicans have any solutions to the real problem - our inability to manage the transition into a fully globalized economy. Neither party is making education better or more affordable, confronting China's inflexible exchange rate policies or encouraging a culture of achievement.
www.LieMerchants.com
www.JViser.blogspot.com
That said, the business cycle is already in an upswing. The U.S. economy is now producing more than its pre-recesssionary high with 7 million fewer workers. That can't continue, employers are going to have to increase their pace of hiring. Make no mistake, it will take a long time to regenerate the jobs lost in the Great Recession, but Congress (Republican or Democrat) or Obama can't do much to slow it down or speed it up. We give government way too much credit for its ability to "manage" a relatively free-market system.
Here's the real policy issue - the lost jobs in construction, mortgage banking and real estate are not coming back. The economy is taking off, but the sectors driving growth in this upcycle are different than the ones generating growth before the Great Recession. If the government really wants to help out, it can provide funds for securing retraining and higher education so that former construction workers can transition into the growing sectors (i.e., healthcare and manufacturing).
Then she should admonish the CLAWBACK the bail out trillioins and RESTORE GLASS-STEAGALL!
For many many months, the Administration and Congress, hasn't been able to find the switch to turn on the laser. Let's hope the Pub's can find the switch that the Dem's are still unable to find.
Unbelievable.
Focusing on jobs (mainstreet) of course, should be his primary concern, and smart people like Elizabeth Warren who speak our voice, should have equal time in accessing the president's ear.
When the stimulus money which hired teachers in our state runs out, coupled with continued tax losses in our state coffers, we are soon heading for monumental cuts in teaching jobs, police protection, and fire protection. We haven't seen anything yet!
Jobs
WHY ON EARTH WOULD WE WANT TO BORROW MONEY TO INCREASE THE DEFICIT ?
Sir, use your common sense !
Screw the Bush Tax Cuts and EXTEND THE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS INSTEAD.
We don't need the Bush Tax Cuts,
We don't want the Bush Tax Cuts,
We can't afford the Bush Tax Cuts.
So, Mr. President, do the responsible thing - LET THE BUSH TAX CUTS EXPIRE.
Use some of the savings for extending unemployment benefits and reducing the retirement age to 62 to make room for the younger generation to enter the work force.
DO THE RIGHT THING, SIR.
Step Up or Step Aside.
You can't live on Social Security checks; never were meant to.
It's up to each individual to plan and save for retirement;
it's not the government's responsibility.
If the math works out, 60 would be ok too.