The loss of 36,000 jobs in February is better than expected but it's still miserable. 26,000 were lost in January, according to the government's revised figures. And the "underemployment" rate -- including jobless workers who have given up looking for work and part-time workers who want full time jobs -- rose from 16.5% in January to 16.8% in February, offsetting some of January's gains.
And don't blame it mostly on the weather. Although the surveys on which the report is based were done in mid-February during winter snowstorms in the east, the major impact of bad weather was on hours worked, not the numbers of jobs. If you had a job in February but were snowed in, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported you as having a job.
This complicates the president's final push for health care reform. With employers still shedding jobs and consumer confidence down, Americans are worried first and foremost about paying their bills. Because most people aren't aware of how much of their paychecks are being eaten up by rising health care costs, but can easily be persuaded they'll be paying more to cover those who don't have health insurance under any new health plan, the continuing bad news on the jobs front makes it harder for the president to make his health-care sale.
The bad news on jobs also allows economic illiterates (and scoundrels who know better) to continue to claim the stimulus is failing and what's needed is less government rather than more, including not only a smaller "jobs bill" but less or no health care reform.
In politics as in economics and love, timing is everything. Obama can't wait much longer if he wants to convince wavering and worried conservative Democrats to join him in a last ditch 51-vote reconciliation measure to get health care through the Senate. We're already in the gravitational pull of November's mid-term elections. But the economy is taking a longer time to turn around than anyone expected, and telling Americans the jobs numbers are getting worse more slowly isn't exactly reassuring.
One small political consolation is the worst job numbers continue to be on the coasts and the old rust belt where Democrats are relatively safer, and the best numbers in the midwest and mountain states and south where Democrats are weakest. So at least Blue Dog Democrats who are under the most pressure from their conservative constituents on health care aren't grappling with the biggest job losses.
Another is that all across the nation, the people being hit worst by this continuing jobs recession/depression are poor and the lower-middle class who Republicans are trying to court. They're in greatest danger of losing health care coverage if they haven't lost it already, and in greatest need for subsidies to allow them and their families to afford it. Wavering and worried congressional Dems should be reaching out to them.
Americans desperately need health care reform. They also desperately need jobs. Even if it's difficult for many to make the connection, it's still possible for the nation to try to do two important things at the same time. We need a big jobs bill -- including especially extended unemployment insurance, aid to hard-hit states and cities -- and we need health care reform. The sooner we do the former and get the economy moving into positive job numbers again, the more quickly and easily we can afford the latter. The big question is whether the president can make the case.
Cross-posted from RobertReich.org
Our US congress created environmental and economic "free trade" laws caused US companies to cease manufacturing things in the USA for US consumption, and relocate US factories and US jobs to other nations.
David http://wyld-about-money.blogspot.com/
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Notice that nowhere does Robert Reich try to sell this dog of a "healthcare reform" bill.
Single payer universal health care and we need it now. Not in 2013 or later, as the bills currently being considered start to begin, but take even more years to be fully implemented.
Our battle has just begun.
We need more Tiers and/or more weeks added to existing Tiers.
Neither H.R.4691 or H.R.4213 will help the 15 million unemployed who have already exhausted all Tiers.
WE NEED EVERYONE'S HELP to get more Tiers added and/or more weeks added to existing Tiers.
Please keep calling and emailing your congressmen and senators to finish the job.
I suggest increasing existing Tiers to 26 weeks each.
And, those who exhaust all Tiers should be able to get food stamps AND cash assistance even if they don't have any kids, when applying for public assistance.
Go to the following links and modify your closings as I have or in any way you see fit.
Links automatically send emails to Prez, V-Prez, your Senators and Rep.
http://capwiz.com/iamaw/issues/alert/?alertid=14697101
Your Closing:
Increase existing Tiers to 26 weeks each. Sincerely,
http://capwiz.com/iamaw/issues/alert/?alertid=14697026
Your Closing:
And cash assistance for those without kids. Sincerely,
My e-mail messages were sent to:
President Barack Obama (D)
Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D)
Senator George LeMieux (R-FL)
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL 25th)
in their offices so they will understand that the 1,000 polls against 300 million is
not accurate,nor representitive of AMERICA.For those that are against it please
write also,but WAIT UNTIL YOU LOOSE YOUR HEALTHCARE AND JOB,also
those who went to the doctor,and he prescribed a procedure or medication,but
the INSURANCE company denied payment and you had to pay for it yourself.Also
fight against it while your just graduated unemployed child is diagnosed with an
illiness,but cannot get treatment because he made 21 and was dropped from your
insurance and you sit and watch him/her DIE.YES,THOSE AGAINST THIS BILL
SOUND OFF AND WATCH IT FAIL,THEN WATCH THE SUFFERING BEGIN IN YOUR
LIFE!