with all the focus on the economy and jobs, the latest monthly jobs report IS breaking news..good, bad, or indifferent. I guarantee you it gets a zillion comments here ,meaning people care about it..and it brings clicks and advertising revenue to the web site.

No one said 9% was "WOW", unless you are reading a different article. :)

Look at all the worried Republicans, now that the umemployment rate dropped.

And, no thanks to them, as they have tried and tried to prevent this from happening.

Did you see, they flip flopped on spending and jobs? They want to keep military spending to keep jobs.

Nice try Republicans it's not working.

I think that the 80 Thousand families that now have some measure of income, dignity, and security do say..."WOW what an improvement!".

Rather than belittle positive results, I believe we would all be better served if efforts were directed toward additional efforts to move the country forward. Passing major portions of the AJA would be a good start.

Uh Jeff...I know it's really, really hard to take any good news if you're a Republican, but isn't the constant 'sky is still falling routine' getting a bit tiring? (and try to keep up...it takes more than a simple majority to pass anything in the Senate...that means the party of no is not as irrelevant to the process of getting anything passed as you claim).

The GOP hates any good economic news. They want to see our country fail.

In case you were wondering, it's "breaking news" on foxnews.com right now, too. And pretty much everywhere else.

On the subject of the Senate, if you don't realize what Republlicans have done to reject absolutely every step that Democratic-controlled Senate could take to improve the economy, you're obviously either delusional or uninformed. Take yesterday, for instance. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced a jobs bill that would have brought $60 billion to improve infrastructure across the country, creating jobs and promoting private investment in construction. It was filibustered by Republicans.

That's just yesterday, too. Look at the political headlines since 2009 and you'll find the exact same thing in almost every case. The Senate right now, because of incessant Republican filibustering, is where legislative progress goes to die.

And it's not like the Republican-controlled House is exactly doing much to help things out, either. One week off for every two weeks worked? I'm glad to see that we're paying Congress' salaries for a reason! A non-binding resolution (also this week, in case you're interested) to re-re-re-re-declare that "In God We Trust" is our nation's motto? Jobs, jobs, jobs, baby!

Partisan comments are fine. Ignorant, uninformed comments are annoying and detract from what would be a constructive political discourse.

Same people that reported a week ago that unless job creation reached 150000 it would not effect employment rate.

Jeff:

The last Jobs package PASSED in the Senate 51-49 but the Democrats require 60 votes to defeat a filibuster. So your definition of "control of the Senate" is up for interpretation. Under these circumstances, I would argue that the Republicans control both the House and the Senate in that they can ensure no legislation makes it to the President's desk. After the 2012 elections, perhaps the President will have a more cooperative group to work with.

Despite this, I can tell you are disappointed with the rate of recovery.

Whoever thinks that one party is responsible for our economic predicament is the problem. We keep electing these losers that are only interested in their own skin. What a freak show this has become.

Jeff, the senate can't pass anything that isn't ratified by congress which is controlled by the tea party. Sorry this is such bad economic news for you. As for the senate, I don't consider Ben Nelson or Lieberman to be democrats (in name only) and they rountinly vote republican positions.

Okay Obama Bashers... let's get your take on this one... I can't wait to see how you try to take credit for this one, accuss Obama of posturing for votes, or any other crap you try to spew.

GOOD NEWS is good news.

I'm glad were gaining jobs. However as the article said we needed twice as many to drop it a .1. But drop it did. Does that mean more people just gave up and dropped out of the job market or their unemployment ran out and they are not counted?

The REAL number they should be reporting is how many TOTAL Americans are working FULL Time. The last time I figured it out there are LESS than 2 million working full time as in Feb 2009. With kids graduatin from school and legal and illegal immigration you would think we would have had to CREATED 3 or 4 million jobs to stay even. Something isn't right.

Also a % of Americans of working age who are working would be illuminating. Last I heard it was less than one half.

For you CLOWNS who believe it's all about the Donkey and da Elephant, 60 minutes had a good interview with Pelosie Botox and da Boner. I already knew it but they showed/asked questions that demonstrated that both these corrupt clowns made tens if not hundreds of millions in their inside business deals and IPO using their position of knowledge and power. LOL!

There are 15 bills passed by the House sitting in the Senate which Harry Reid will not let come to a vote. Yet all we hear is about stimulus 2 which is just a repeat of a failed plan. Reid needs to bring these bills up and let them pass or fail.

There are 15 bills passed by the House sitting in the Senate which Harry Reid will not let come to a vote. Yet all we hear is about stimulus 2 which is just a repeat of a failed plan. Reid needs to bring these bills up and let them pass or fail.

I think everyone needs to quit complaining about the unemployment rate and do what Cain suggests we all do...'roll up your sleeves (like he did) and go out and find a job.' If I were a Republican, I'd choose Sarah Palin over this idiot. Umm, actually, I'd choose neither.

Anyone stupid enough to think unemplyment is even remotely close to 9% is a fool. Anyone stupid enough to think inflation is anywhere near 4% is a dunce.

If we measured CPI (Consumer Price Index; how they MEASURE INFLATION NOW since they disregarded M1 money supply) as we did in the Great Depression (in order to compare apples to apples), the CPI would have inflation at above 9%, not 4% like the government lies they are telling us by removing food and energy from the equation (the things the poor and middle class buy more than anything).

If we measured unemployment like we did in the Great Depression (to compare apples to apples), and included ALL the unemployed, not just those filing CURRENTLY (none of the 99ers are included unless they continue to file every week even though they aren't getting a check and have no hope of it...and who would waste their time?), then unemployment is about 20% and peaked at 22.7% so far.

The idea the bailouts saved us from the Great Depression is nonsense. The only reason there aren't bread lines are A) welfare, and more importantly B) FDR isn't in office causing food shortages. FDR subsidized food exports because he believed in the fallacy of the trade deficit (like most of you yahoos) and thought it was uber important to up exports and limit imports at any cost. He simultaneously killed millions of farm animals and razed millions of acres of crops to raise the price of food for producers' gain (to combat price deflation). Therefore, it became more profitable to export food than to sell it here, and partly because of the export subsidies and import tariffs and partly because he destroyed to much food and subsequently paid farmers not to grow so much food (the start of major food subsidies), we had a shortage of food. We don't have bread and soup lines simply because Obama is NOT as stupid as FDR on economics (not that he isn't stupid, he's just not AS stupid).

So, while you say "we need unemployment to drop to 7.4% to get Obama re-elected", you need to realize that means according to the old measurement of CPI and inflation...not these made up cooked numbers they lie to you about on your liar's box (TV). He couldn't get to an ACTUAL 7.4% rate without an act of God at this point, so forget it.

I wish you Obama ball huggers would read some economics, not just false prophets of economics like that moron/sophist Krugman, and that total liar Reich. They change the measurements of unemployment and inflation and say "look, it's down, we averted a second Great Depression"...yeah and I'm 72 feet tall because I changed inches to feet..F off.

You fake liberals make me ashamed of my country. You support a fascist, like Bush, who is warmongering around the world. He replaces troops in Iraq with Z Corporation (formerly Blackwater) private contractors and you fall for it when they say we are "leaving Iraq" or "scaling down". You sheep! He inherited 3 armed conflicts (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq), and by the end of just his first 4 years he will have us in AT LEAST 7 armed conflicts (Iraq outsourced and privatized, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Uganda). He tortures people, he assassinates American citizens without trial (including the man's sixteen year old son in a separate purposeful attack), he attacks medical marijuana clinics at a HIGHER RATE in 4 years than Bush did in 8 years, and the list goes on and on. You fake progressives, you fake liberals, you're no less sophistic and traitors to your country than the moron conservatives. WTF is wrong in your heads?!

In the end you'll lose to some BS neocon (not that Obama isn't a neocon himself, obviously), and cry how the election was fixed...they're all fixed, you dumbies!You let the media tell you the only anti-war candidate, the only anti-drug war candidate, the only candidate who predicted the economic collapse detail for striking detail and therefore can fix it was "extreme", "fringe", "crazy", etc. You let it happen, you allowed yourselves to be brainwashed, and gave them the manufactured consent necessary to perpetuate this murderous killing machine of economic rape and plunder. You did it to yourselves...with your willful ignorance and dogmatism.

If you don't wake up, join the rest of awakened Blue Republicans (Ron Paul Democrats), and support Ron Paul, you're a part of the problem...and worse, the delusion being spun for the masses leading us to full on fascism. Sleep tight, sheep.

Go back to sleep...

I'll be the one to protect you from,

Your enemies and your choices son,

One in the same I must isolate you,

Isolate and save you from yourselves,

Go back to sleep...counting bodies like sheep to rhythm of the war drum.

Four more years! Of ignorance is strength, war is peace, and slavery is freedom.

Four more yours of May all your interventions be "humanitarian"!

Four more years of pay-to-play politics, power, and influence.

Four more years of legalized bribery and served corporate interests.

Vote for Tweedle-Dum or Tweedle-Dee,

And a framework of debate narrowed for you courtesy,

Of the ultra-rich and a media that filters,

Out any voice that challenges their power,

Like Nader bounced in Boston by State-Troopers,

Because he don't speak for oil-tycoons and bankers!

Aww Yeah!

Whose pursuit of happiness and liberty,

Demands a rhetoric of fear to be,

The litmus test for viable heirs to the phony drug-wars , the trumped-up rogue-states , the permanence of a war-economy???!!!

I feel less hopeless and less human...

..and you all should too.

Nine percent unemployment means that 91% of us have jobs! (BTW - here in Northern Virginia, the unemployment rate is more like 3% because of the high tech and defense jobs...which require skills and background checks.)

The economy needs to expand at an annual rate of at least 2.5 percent over a sustained period and consistently add 150,000 jobs to keep unemployment from rising.

The sun rises everyday, reaches its zenith, then sets; but we, on the other hand, have adopted an economic system that calls for growth, growth, and more growth. Is such a system sustainable or even possible?

Just wondering.

I feel less hopeful and less human*

Well put, PI. Maybe this country will wake up, people will actually vote, and we'll all stop voting for the same old bs. One by one the population will get it. Hopefully when the majority does it won't be too late.

What does it say about the rest of the world when the largest economy can't produce jobs..

Everyone from tin-buck-two comes here and our children go to battle because there's nothing here and they don't get those hand-outs !There's a crime taking place !

Read my long comment above yours, dumbies...we don't have 9% unemployemnt. Stop listening to the propaganda and THINK. We have 19% unemployment if we measured according the way they did in the Great Depression. Calling inches feet don't make me 72 feet tall!

"The debt crisis, which has rattled global financial markets and pushed consumer confidence to recession levels, remains far from being resolved, and investors are keeping a close eye on developments in Greece."

We have a severe debt crisis here, and all Obama wants to do is;

1 - Raise taxes in a recession.

2 - Spend the money on union jobs.

How about applying any tax increases to the 'debt crisis' instead of just more wasteful government spending?????????????????

As a business owner, who talks to many other owners, I can tell you that we are excited that the Republicans are doing what they're doing. Most business people can't wait for the elections next year so this country can get going again. All you lefties must realize that any job growth that has happened since the elections of 2010 is a direct result of the change of Congress. A change in the right direction. The shellacking must continue.

LEAN FORWARD - this won't hurt a bit

SUCKERS....If we look at the way unemployment has always been calculated then it is 18% today.... Go to BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS . GOV....They still show the way they used during the GREAT DEPPRESION...ITS 18% TODAY

machinehead "The Democrats' "jobs" plan is a farce, and it's a good thing it didn't pass...People, especially leftists, have a hard time understanding that spending BILLIONS of Dollars on creating GOVERNMENT jobs is NOT ANY ANSWER. Every-single government job, project, or program has to be funded with money taken FROM tax paying workers and the businesses that hire them. Government jobs are therefore NOT the kinds of jobs that build the economy, they are only a burden on it."

Indeed. It takes the income taxes from about 46 middle income taxpayers to pay the salary and benefits of just ONE new federal employee.

When they drag out Diane Swonk and Mark Zandi, you the know the report is not good. Those two look at economics through rose-colored glasses. Also, a few months ago BAC was going to lay off thousands. Does anyone know if these layoffs have started?

These reports hinting at recovery are starting to look like the reports on the Iranian hostage crisis. If they just let our people go before the election ... (then Carter will get elected).

What I find amusing these days is that even with the "Good-for-nothing, Do-nothing" Republicans blocking every and all attempts to get Americans back to work and America prospering... Obama still manages to get unemployment down a point at a time and I read statements from you "so-called Americans" who are very distraught even angered at the idea of Recovery under this President… Whys That? Does your “Party” mean more to you than your “Country”?

Jeff-803009 - I would be more than happy to teach you about “Filibusters” because you obviously know nothing about them....how they work to stop legislation from even making it to the floor for debate in which the other side needs 60 votes or a 3/5^th majority to break it (Democrats don’t have that majority). To sum it up, Republicans used the Cloture vote 112 times from 07-08 and if you would like to discuss the Senate – 2009-10 filibuster motion was filed 136 times, with 91 votes on cloture, where cloture was invoked 63 times – what was the aim – STOP any and all Economic Recovery – and you call yourselves “Patriots” - : ( - you may also want to learn what that word means as well - i'm sure it doesn't mean that you throw your country under the bus to win an election!!!!

Bill-857242 "These reports hinting at recovery are starting to look like the reports on the Iranian hostage crisis. If they just let our people go before the election ... (then Carter will get elected)."

Obama's recent rambling about how 'the American worker has lost their competitive edge', implying that Americans are just not what they used to be, reminded me of Carter's 'malaise' speech, where he tried to blame the people instead of his policies for the 'Misery Index' he created.

For those unfamiliar with the 'Misery Index', it was the combination of the Inflation plus the Unemployment Rates. It got as high as 21.98% under Carter in his last year (1980). Fortunately, he was voted out and Reagan turned things around a few years later.

ScottW

You do remember the democrats, namely Barney Frank, who blocked the housing reform, don't you? That was one of the most damaging things that has happened to our country. The things that the republicans are blocking with this administration are good for our country. It is all in how you look at things. Open your eyes.

You call then "Good for nothing, Do nothing", I call them my elected officials doing the job I sent them there to do. Remember, it was a "shellacking". How soon some people forget what this country really wants.

As usual, Obama and the Dims want to funnel hundreds of billion of dollars to their union cronies and call it a "jobs bill".

They know dam* well that a government-funded "job" only lasts as long as does the government funding. The REAL reason that they want this Stimulus II bill passed is so that the union bosses can re-direct millions of taxpayer dollars back to the DemocRATS campaign coffers.

Harry Reid won't even allow a DISCUSSION, much less a VOTE, on the 15 Republican bills that Congress has passed which WOULD spur growth in the private sector.

He can't have even a glimpse of those proposals getting out or the liberal media wh0res giving Obama cover would be forced to actually address the TRUTH instead of just parrotting Obama's LIES.

ProIndepence, good post above. Forgot about FDR destroying crops and killing animals while Americans starved during the Great Depression to prop up commodity prices.

Wow MSNBC finally found a new word...."hints" that seems pretty safe. LOL!

Any improvement in the economy is due to all who have voted down the so called "Jobs" bill. See, things can improve if we stop following the failed policies the President is copying from the past.

LEAN FORWARD - this won't hurt a bit

More like, BEND OVER - I'm going to enjoy this way more than you.

JH-479998 - the difference between you and me is I get angered when my representatives do nothing - you praise them– I should also note, that when Frank did that – I was a Republican. Lets see… Frank blocked that bill…the Republicans have blocked every attempt to get people back to work and have engaged in cuts that cost jobs putting more people on the street… you have to ask yourself one question…What would you be saying right now if the Democrats were the Obstructionists?

It's interesting that the left-supporting media talked DOWN the economy for the last several years under Bush , hoping that a bad economy would help the Democrats (it helped the Democrats take over Congress in 2006). After about 3 years of bad-mouthing the economy, it actually did turn down at the end of 2007.

Now the media is trying to talk UP the economy, despite the miserable performance by Obama and his policies.

Gee, I wonder if there's some media BIAS at work here?

Roy: On what planet did the recession begin when OBAMA took office? No wonder you think there's media bias. You apparantly just woke up. (did you just hear about the 2 wars Bush began and kept off the deficit reports or about the near collapse of the financial markets, or were you asleep when all that was going on too?)

Scott, the Democrats are the obstructionists, there are 15 bills waiting in the Democratically controlled Senate. And Harry Reid is stitting on them, he won't allow anything that will help the economy, and be a Republican idea.

"The government revised August and September's figures to show 102,000 more jobs were created than previously reported".

So much for the right-wingers here always complaining about the "true" revisions will always show the jobs gains were overstated. Fact is, revisions are up and down but the conservatives on these feeds are just on here to parrot the right-wing and try to spin everything to support the GOP/teabaggers. No honesty out of a single right-winger. Now, they say everything good happening is a result of the 2010 election and everything bad is a result of Democrats. It's a pathetic group supporting a pizza seller at this stage.

Roy Wilson, add Pa Rep Kanjorski, besides stating the Rep Gov candidate should be put infront of a wall and shot. He claimed that the TARP had to be passed because on 18 Sept 08 550 BILLION was taken out of the FED on a run in two hours. So if this DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN isn't lying or delusional, big money collapsed the ecnomy staring in Sept 08 to be the Oct surprise. Reseach this for me and let me know what ya think. LOL!

ScottW

It just goes back to how you think about the direction of our country. I look at it like it hasn't been good since 2007. The democrats screamed about how bad things were and if we elected them in 2006 they would fix everything. We did our part, they failed at their part. We elected republicans in a major shellacking in 2010 and things are looking better. You can say the republicans are doing nothing but you are being dishonest. The democrat Senate is doing nothing. The House has sent many bills to the "do nothing" Senate. You should call them the "obstructionists", they are the ones you should be angry with. Shouldn't they be willing to work with the other side? You know, the other side that shellacked them for their do nothing past 4 years. The representatives that we elected in 2010 are doing exactly what the majority that elected them want them to do.

So your question about what I would say if the democrats were the obstructionists right now. I'm saying it. You and I just don't agree. I am a conservative, you probably aren't.

JH, Pelosi had about 300 bills that languished in the Republican filibuster led senate when she was in charge. The reason Republican bills have languished is because their ideas suck.

It takes the income taxes from about 46 middle income taxpayers to pay the salary and benefits of just ONE new federal employee.

It takes about 46,000 middle income taxpayers to make up for the income taxes lost from one of the 1% not paying their fair share.

I am a strong believer that it is better for the economy for the congress to do nothing than to try and "fix" it.

We elected republicans in a major shellacking in 2010 and things are looking better.

What planet are YOU living on?

AP-1414066 "Roy: On what planet did the recession begin when OBAMA took office? No wonder you think there's media bias. You apparantly just woke up. (did you just hear about the 2 wars Bush began and kept off the deficit reports"

I clearly stated that the recession started at the end of 2007 (when Bush was in office). It appears that you may need some remedial reading classes.

Also, you apparently don't understand how the financial affairs of the government works, because the full cost of the wars WAS included in Bush's Deficits.

Republicans are supposedly blocking everything Obama wants and the economy is supposedly improving. You can't have it both ways.

I would like to know if these are just seasonal jobs or are they permanent, are we talking McDonald's or McDonald Douglas.

Mac-101

The recession started (according to the economic 'experts') in December 2007.

The 'collapse' started in September 2008, and you will get different opinions on the cause, but most agree that the root cause was because of the sub-prime mortgage fiasco.

My personal opinion is that it was caused by the Federal government trying to force lenders to make loans to unqualified borrowers so the 'poor' could 'realize the American dream of home ownership'. So if you want to look for who was responsible, just look at the politicians that were pushing that agenda.

Incidentally, who was one of the lead attorneys in suing large lenders to force them to make sub-prime mortgages? None other than Barack Obama - Just look at the records that the media conveniently ignores and you will find that it's true. Here's a link;

http://www.mediacircus.com/2008/10/obama-sued-citibank-under-cra-to-force-it-to-make-bad-loans/

Obviously, there were a lot of groups that were complicit in the collapse, including 'smart' MBAs on Wall Street, and the Credit Reporting agencies (especially Standard & Poors - giving AAA ratings to junk bonds), but the real 'root cause' was the ridiculous loose lending policies of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac - encouraged by politicians. For a 'chronology' of the events, I will put them in my next post to avoid being too lengthy.

For those who want to blame the Bush Administration for lack of concern over the Sub-Prime mortgage crisis until it was too late, consider this:

2001 April (Only 3 months after Bush took office): The Bush Administration's FY02 budget declares that the size of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is "a potential problem," because "financial trouble of a large GSE (Government Sponsored Enterprise) could cause strong repercussions in financial markets, affecting Federally insured entities and economic activity." (2002 Budget Analytic Perspectives, pg. 142)

2002 May: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) calls for the disclosure and corporate governance principles contained in the President's 10-point plan for corporate responsibility to apply to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (OMB Prompt Letter to OFHEO, 5/29/02)

2003 February: The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) releases a report explaining that unexpected problems at a GSE could immediately spread into financial sectors beyond the housing market.

2003 September: Then-Treasury Secretary John Snow testifies before the House Financial Services Committee to recommend that Congress enact "legislation to create a new Federal agency to regulate and supervise the financial activities of our housing-related government sponsored enterprises" and set prudent and appropriate minimum capital adequacy requirements.

2003 September: Then-House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Barney Frank (D-MA) strongly disagrees with the Administration's assessment, saying "these two entities – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – are not facing any kind of financial crisis … The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing." (Stephen Labaton, "New Agency Proposed To Oversee Freddie Mac And Fannie Mae," The New York Times, 9/11/03)

2003 October: Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE) refuses to acknowledge any necessity for GSE reforms, saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." (Sen. Carper, Hearing of Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 10/16/03)

2003 November: Then-Council of the Economic Advisers (CEA) Chairman Greg Mankiw explains that any "legislation to reform GSE regulation should empower the new regulator with sufficient strength and credibility to reduce systemic risk." To reduce the potential for systemic instability, the regulator would have "broad authority to set both risk-based and minimum capital standards" and "receivership powers necessary to wind down the affairs of a troubled GSE." (N. Gregory Mankiw, Remarks At The Conference Of State Bank Supervisors State Banking Summit And Leadership, 11/6/03)

2004 February: The President's FY05 Budget again highlights the risk posed by the explosive growth of the GSEs and their low levels of required capital and calls for creation of a new, world-class regulator: "The Administration has determined that the safety and soundness regulators of the housing GSEs lack sufficient power and stature to meet their responsibilities, and therefore … should be replaced with a new strengthened regulator." (2005 Budget Analytic Perspectives, pg. 83)

2004 February: Then-CEA Chairman Mankiw cautions Congress to "not take [the financial market's] strength for granted." Again, the call from the Administration was to reduce this risk by "ensuring that the housing GSEs are overseen by an effective regulator." (N. Gregory Mankiw, Op-Ed, "Keeping Fannie And Freddie's House In Order," Financial Times, 2/24/04)

2004 April: Rep. Frank ignores the warnings, accusing the Administration of creating an "artificial issue." At a speech to the Mortgage Bankers Association conference, Rep. Frank said "people tend to pay their mortgages. I don't think we are in any remote danger here. This focus on receivership, I think, is intended to create fears that aren't there." ("Frank: GSE Failure A Phony Issue," American Banker, 4/21/04)

2004 June: Then-Treasury Deputy Secretary Samuel Bodman spotlights the risk posed by the GSEs and calls for reform, saying "We do not have a world-class system of supervision of the housing government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), even though the importance of the housing financial system that the GSEs serve demands the best in supervision to ensure the long-term vitality of that system. Therefore, the Administration has called for a new, first class, regulatory supervisor for the three housing GSEs: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banking System." (Samuel Bodman, House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Testimony, 6/16/04)

2005 April: Then-Secretary Snow repeats his call for GSE reform, saying "Events that have transpired since I testified before this Committee in 2003 reinforce concerns over the systemic risks posed by the GSEs and further highlight the need for real GSE reform to ensure that our housing finance system remains a strong and vibrant source of funding for expanding homeownership opportunities in America … Half-measures will only exacerbate the risks to our financial system." (Secretary John W. Snow, "Testimony Before The U.S. House Financial Services Committee," 4/13/05)

2005 July: Then-Minority Leader Harry Reid rejects legislation reforming GSEs, "while I favor improving oversight by our federal housing regulators to ensure safety and soundness, we cannot pass legislation that could limit Americans from owning homes and potentially harm our economy in the process." ("Dems Rip New Fannie Mae Regulatory Measure," United Press International, 7/28/05)

2007 August: President Bush emphatically calls on Congress to pass a reform package for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying "first things first when it comes to those two institutions. Congress needs to get them reformed, get them streamlined, get them focused, and then I will consider other options." (President George W. Bush, Press Conference, the White House, 8/9/07)

2007 August: Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Christopher Dodd ignores the President's warnings and calls on him to "immediately reconsider his ill-advised" position. (Eric Dash, "Fannie Mae's Offer To Help Ease Credit Squeeze Is Rejected, As Critics Complain Of Opportunism," The New York Times, 8/11/07)

2007 December: President Bush again warns Congress of the need to pass legislation reforming GSEs, saying "These institutions provide liquidity in the mortgage market that benefits millions of homeowners, and it is vital they operate safely and operate soundly. So I've called on Congress to pass legislation that strengthens independent regulation of the GSEs – and ensures they focus on their important housing mission. The GSE reform bill passed by the House earlier this year is a good start. But the Senate has not acted. And the United States Senate needs to pass this legislation soon." (President George W. Bush, Discusses Housing, the White House, 12/6/07)

2008 February: Assistant Treasury Secretary David Nason reiterates the urgency of reforms, saying "A new regulatory structure for the housing GSEs is essential if these entities are to continue to perform their public mission successfully." (David Nason, Testimony On Reforming GSE Regulation, Senate Committee On Banking, Housing And Urban Affairs, 2/7/08)

2008 March: President Bush calls on Congress to take action and "move forward with reforms on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They need to continue to modernize the FHA, as well as allow State housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to homeowners to refinance their mortgages." (President George W. Bush, Remarks To The Economic Club Of New York, New York, NY, 3/14/08)

2008 April: President Bush urges Congress to pass the much needed legislation and "modernize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [There are] constructive things Congress can do that will encourage the housing market to correct quickly by … helping people stay in their homes." (President George W. Bush, Meeting With Cabinet, the White House, 4/14/08)

2008 May: President Bush issues several pleas to Congress to pass legislation reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before the situation deteriorates further. "Americans are concerned about making their mortgage payments and keeping their homes. Yet Congress has failed to pass legislation I have repeatedly requested to modernize the Federal Housing Administration that will help more families stay in their homes, reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure they focus on their housing mission, and allow state housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to refinance sub-prime loans." (President George W. Bush, Radio Address, 5/3/08)

"[T]he government ought to be helping creditworthy people stay in their homes. And one way we can do that – and Congress is making progress on this – is the reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That reform will come with a strong, independent regulator." (President George W. Bush, Meeting With The Secretary Of The Treasury, the White House, 5/19/08)

"Congress needs to pass legislation to modernize the Federal Housing Administration, reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure they focus on their housing mission, and allow State housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to refinance subprime loans." (President George W. Bush, Radio Address, 5/31/08)

2008 June: As foreclosure rates continued to rise in the first quarter, the President once again asks Congress to take the necessary measures to address this challenge, saying "we need to pass legislation to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." (President George W. Bush, Remarks At Swearing In Ceremony For Secretary Of Housing And Urban Development, Washington, D.C., 6/6/08)

2008 July: Congress heeds the President's call for action and passes reform legislation for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as it becomes clear that the institutions are failing.

2008 September: Democrats in Congress forget their previous objections to GSE reforms, as Senator Dodd questions "why weren't we doing more, why did we wait almost a year before there were any significant steps taken to try to deal with this problem? … I have a lot of questions about where was the administration over the last eight years." (Dawn Kopecki, "Fannie Mae, Freddie 'House Of Cards' Prompts Takeover," Bloomberg, 9/9/08)

Congress had for years blocked attempts at stronger regulation and blocked reform of the Federal Housing Administration.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) criticized the President's warning saying: "these two entities - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - are not facing any kind of financial crisis ... The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing." (Stephen Labaton, "New Agency Proposed To Oversee Freddie Mac And Fannie Mae," New York Times, 9/11/03)

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Christopher Dodd also ignored the President's warnings and called on him to "immediately reconsider his ill-advised" position. (Eric Dash, "Fannie Mae's Offer To Help Ease Credit Squeeze Is Rejected, As Critics Complain Of Opportunism," New York Times, 8/11/07)

President Bush publicly called for GSE reform at least 17 times in 2008 alone before Congress acted. Unfortunately, these warnings went unheeded, as the President's repeated attempts to reform the supervision of these entities were thwarted by the legislative maneuvering of those who emphatically denied there were problems. Many prominent Democrats, including House Finance Chairman Barney Frank, opposed any legislation correcting the risks posed by GSEs.

Political contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac overwhelmingly supported Democratic officials - in particular members of Democratic leadership:

Since 1989, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) has received $165,400 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (Lindsay Renick Mayer, "Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Invest In Lawmakers," Center For Responsive Politics' "Capital Eye" Blog, www.opensecrets.org, 9/11/08)

Since 1989, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has received $77,000 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (Lindsay Renick Mayer, "Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Invest In Lawmakers," Center For Responsive Politics' "Capital Eye" Blog, www.opensecrets.org, 9/11/08)

Since 1989, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has received $56,250 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (Lindsay Renick Mayer, "Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Invest In Lawmakers," Center For Responsive Politics' "Capital Eye" Blog, www.opensecrets.org, 9/11/08)

Roy, don't confuse them with facts...LOL! Just as an aside, TEAM OBAMA said if we passed the stimulus, unemployment would not go over 8%, here we are 2 years after passing the bill still stuck at 9%. (Most of the 80,000 jobs were probably temp Christmas part time work - wait until January when they try to explain that all the new unemployment numbers were from the people after let go after the Christmas season...they don't bother to tell us that now though - they want to paint it like a massive hiring boon).

As an aside, Queen Nancy said today with out Obama's stimulus plan we would be at 14.9%...LMBO, maybe they need to get on the same page...regardless, she is a liar and not very good at it either! She can't get her facts straight with team Obama and even in her own head!!

“But I’ll tell you this,” said Pelosi, “if President Obama and the House congressional Democrats had not acted, we would be at 15 percent unemployment. Again, no consolation to those without a job, but an important point to make."

(My question is why make it then?)

At her Oct. 6 briefing, Pelosi said: “Without the Recovery Act and accompanying federal interventions, whether from the Fed or ‘Cash for Clunkers’ or other initiatives, this unemployment rate last year at the time of the election would’ve been 14.5 percent, not 9.5 percent.”

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/pelosi-without-obamas-stimulus-unemployment-would-now-be-15

She needs to be retired but her liberal cronies in San Fran won't let that happen...They are stuck with this POC and so are we....

well scottW - seems that the republican contolled house has passed about 15 bills that when sent to the senate, senator reid tabled them without even wanting to bring them up for debate. Just think scott one of those bills were for a FY2012 budget, a budget that should have been approved before Oct 1 2011.

Yes, yes we all know that the house budget plan wasn't perfect, but the democratically controlled senate has not even proposed an alternative to it. Per the US constitution the senate has the right to offer up amendments to any house passed bill sent to the senate.

Seems that the democrats are the obstructionists here. Obama is also an obstructionist when he has verbally and publicly committed to vetoing any republican plan that won't increase taxes on corporations and the top 2%

Look the Rep are not the only one not voting for the jobs bill there are quita few Dem's that are not voting for it either, I wonder why that is??? Also since most of you think it is the Rep being obstructionists that is preventing anything from getting passed, but it is also the Dem's that don't want the jobs bill. What about when Obama had both the House and Senate and still could not get anything passed. Try as you might it is not only the Rep that are not on board with this president, in fact there are many in his own party that think that he is no good for the country. So please quit trying to spin the lack Dem support on the jobs bill as only that of the Rep because that is just not the case.

Why are the opening comments collapsed, I see nothing wrong with them, considering some of the comments that are left alone

First, Congratulations to those 80,000 new workers. I know it changes your life somewhat for the better.

Second, Otherwise, this is a good number? What world is this that leaves 70,000 needed new jobs uncounted?80,000 new jobs lowers the unemployment rate? I don't think so. Even if an unrelated survey shows more people working so the number can improve, who is dumb enough to believe that, unless all those new uncounted jobs are unreported income jobs like mowing lawns.

This is the thickest wool blanket that's been used yet to cover our eyes since Bush said "The fundamentals are fine."

The last 2 months numbers adjusted up by 100,000? That's saying we are almost at normal hiring rates if the adjustment is to be believed. I don't see people getting jobs at that rate. Fill in the blanks as to what jobs they are.

BTW, I'm as liberal a voter as you could find so I'm not a Repub denying a good report.

Also, you apparently don't understand how the financial affairs of the government works, because the full cost of the wars WAS included in Bush's Deficits.

Roy, you're right, although Bush used supplemental spending to fund the wars. However, in 2001 the CBO projected a $874 Billion SURPLUS under Bush's budget. It turned out to be over a $400 Billion Deficit. Not the best track record.

I find it funny that they call it 80,000 "NEW" Jobs. When in reality, It's 80,000 Jobs where they had to relieve someone from their position during this Economic BS.

WHY don't they try hiring some of those people back? Probably because they make too much.

It's a buyers market out there. The employer will hire you, ONLY for the right price.

In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker states "It's just a matter of finding the person with the right skill set for each job". Well, then they shouldn't have let the previous person go, now should they? Idiot...

I agree with you about Fannie MAe and Freddie Mac being the major cause of the colapse combined with increasing gas prices.

However, research DEMOCRAT Pa Rep Kanjorski statement saying the TARP had to be inacted immediately because 500 BILLION was taken out of the FED in 2 hours on 18 Sept 08. If he is telling the truth, this is what pushed the economy over the cliff. Who manipulated the FED market that swiftly?

and progress at putting 14 million unemployed Americans back to work remains painfully slow.

==========================

14 million, my a@@. The figure is 26 million, which includes the those the government considers unemployed, those the government has dropped from the labor rolls even though they are unemployed, and the under employed. Those of you who seem to think 80,000 "new" jobs is great news need to wake up. The September numbers include 60,000 Verizon workers who went back to work after a strike. Those are really "new" jobs. Europe is engulfed in flames. Germany and France will not be able to continue to bail out other EU countries. The US, through the IMF, is throwing money away in Europe that is desperately needed here at home.

Welcome to the Ha Ha Hotel!!!!!!!!

Mac-101 "I agree with you about Fannie MAe and Freddie Mac being the major cause of the colapse combined with increasing gas prices....However, research DEMOCRAT Pa Rep Kanjorski statement saying the TARP had to be inacted immediately because 500 BILLION was taken out of the FED in 2 hours on 18 Sept 08."

That could well be true, but the TARP bailout is now 'old news', since all of the TARP funds loaned to the banks has been repaid, with a $10 Billion PROFIT for the taxpayers. Even Obama voted in favor of TARP.

The big story is did someone orchestrate 550 Billion taken out of the Fed trading in 2 hours to start the collapse that pushed the economy over the hill prior to the last presidential election? I never heard anyone other than this DEMOCRAT state this.

Jeff, 51 to 49 does not constitute a winning vote in the US Senate, so I guess you have not looked in a lo-o-o-ng time. It takes 60 votes to control the Senate, and Democrats come in all stripes who vote as they individually think, unlike the Republicans who follow the party line like the commies of the cold-war Kremlin. So Democrats need at least 62 to overcome the free-thinking Lieberman and Nelson. Show me a Republican who would support American interests over the Republican party.

GA Girl, Look up DEMOCRATIC Pa Representative Kanjorski. Besides him callin for the PA Gov candidate to be placed against the wall and shot. He is on U-Tube talking in front of C Span and declared that the TARP had to be approved because on 18 Sept 08 550 BILLION Dollars was taken out of the FED in a 2 hour run and that IS WHAT collapsed the system, or at least pushed it over the cliff.

So this ole Geezer iis either a lier or senile. Watch it and you choose. If he is correct, that means someone started in Sept the collapse that hit in OCT for the OCT surprise and swung the election. The only problem is the economy was a house of cards and collapsed. LOL!

Actually Ga. Girl, I really don't think either party is trying to destroy the country, they just have different ways in how to make things better. People like you are the problem.

Were all your special education difficult for you GA Girl???

I guess the press wont say it, but I will:

20 straight months of job gains.

http://therationalprogressive.com/cms/

Post man,Welee, you know your party is imploding and your brand will lie in the ashes. No longer do we have the flag draped statesman holding a Winchester, a baby and wad of money we have a gaggle of clowns crammed in a clown car holding a "I hate Obama but love the Elite sign." But take heart it appears that the loon fringe base of the party plan on running things for a while so the mascot change is probably fitting.

James, woohoo...unemployment still at 9 %...yeah, woohoo!!

GA Girl,

With you posts, I believe you are the lunatic fringe. Your obviously polarized view of politics is what makes people like you part of the problem. Hard liners from the left and right need to step back and take a long hard look at themselves and find real solutions to this nations problems.

The unemployment rate is a step in the right direction. The numbers will pick up a bit more with the holiday hires but I see and decline shortly thereafter. Just my 2cents.

Ga.girl, and what party do I belong too? I belong to the party of the people. Whats good for America whatever politician comes up with the Idea. I don't blindly follow anyone, what I do know is when someone is leading me astray. To tell me the way out of debt is to spend more, you will never convince me of that.

What's to like? We are still losing more jobs than we are creating. This is nothing to get excited about. We have 15 bills passed by the House which are in the Senate which Democrats won't vote on. Why won't Harry Reid vote on the GOP job creation bills?

Monrocsol - I think you mean the Democrats

"The October jobs gain was the fewest in four months"

... or were you just referring to the B.S. spin, which every American should detest?

You right whiners are just hypocrites. You bloody b1itch and moan about #Occupy supporters saying they should get off their arses and find a job and now you are b1tching that there aren't enough jobs being created to offset those lost... which is it dingbats? Are there jobs or not?

The easiest way to pi$$ off a Republican... use facts and logic...

LoneWolf-YellowDog you are correct don't confuse me with the facts my mine is made up. A Republican excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.

Republicans aren't going to like this? Actually in a twisted way you are correct! republicans like anyone else with half a brain that are still thinking independently in this country, know the economy always picks up during the Christmas holiday season and then declines shortly there after when those hired in their temporary jobs get laid off.

So I hate to burst anyone bubble but this is nothing more than business as usual for this time of year. Well that and the liberal media trying to help their failing POTUS look as good as possible while his policies and plans continue to fail one right after another. Look no further that Obama's latest attempt to con Congress out of $447 billion dollars under the disguise of a "JOBS Bill." Even the Democrats in the Senate are wise to to Obama's attempted cons by now and won't vote for it and this in spite of the fact that Obama and some of the Democrats are trying to put a spin on it to make it look like the fault of the Republicans in the Senate who, if anyone stopped to look, are in the MINORITY in the Senate and could block nothing if the Democrats really wanted it passed.

Besides if Obama's jobs bill was the only way to go , then why did Harry Reid want to change it

It is simple Bagger/Republicans and I will use a line your party has often touted to the left. If you don believe in America and Americans and the CAN DO SPIRIT that made this country the greatest on the planet then you sure as HELL shouldn't have any part in running it GOVERNMENT!! All you party know is NO well here is the question where that answer REALLY applies "Will and any Bagger congressperson be reelected to their seat in the next mid-term election: ANSWER: NO!!!!!

Ernie you talk like someone with a paper ass hole and no clue what is happing in this Country but thank God not everyone as stupid as you. Just get outside the rock you live under and you will see their are 10 millions people who disagree with you and your comments in reference to the JOB BILL that the republicans/tea-baggers keep voting down and also the democrats, but come 2012 they all will be caught up into this quick exist into the unemployed line, Rest sure President Obama will be sitting right where he is now.

Actually it is also the Dem that are holding up Obama's jobs bill not just the Rep's. See the Dem's don't like this bill anymore than the Rep's do. They are also starting to pull the support of Obama. They now see that is incompetence is not good for this country. Most of you say that it is Rep's that are being obstructionists when in fact Obama does not have Dem support for his jobs bill either. So please stop trying to pass the failure of this bill off on the Rep when in fact it is also the Dem's that don't want it. Further more where were all the bills that would help this country when the president had both the House and the Senate. See there were none the reason is simple there would not be anyone but the Dem's to blame. Why didn't the president put people back to work in the first two years why did he wait until election year to put a jobs bill forward. It is simple he is incompetent and does not no the first thing about leading. And no I am NOT a Rep.

Any good news seems to cause republican/Baggers knickers to get all in a bunch. I am calling the wedgie police immediately to assist.

When you are worried about a double dip recession, signs of growth, no matter how anemic, are good news.

The fact that some jobs are created even at the extreme focus of the Republicans to make our economy to fail at all cost...it's Superb news. Just think if the Republicans didn't block all the attempt by Obama and Democrats to help the economy...then you would see these 160K+ jobs and we would not be in this recession talks at all.

LOL Yay anemic growth! Pretty low bar wouldn't you say?

better than the Republicans "no bar" wouldn't you say? How's that 'let em eat cake' party working for ya?

AP - No. Anemic growth without wasting BILLIONS at the same time is better than the spendocrat destruction any day.

Pjam: I agree we should not waste billions...so getting out of Iraq and winding down Afghanistan is a GREAT idea...then we can begin fixing the tax code to catch the long list of corporate tax evaders (see yesterday's stories in the Washington Post about those paying zero or less than zero: many of them energy companies making billions in profits.) Now if we can get the Republicans to leave off their resolutions about "under God" and their obsession with getting birth control out of the hands of women for just a moment and refocus...we might be able to actually make real progress. But with or without the right wing nuts, this country is going to move forward.

AP-you are nothing more than a liberal flippant turd.

AP, how about the Dems in the Senate focusing on the Bills sent to them by the Repub House. Aren't you tired of going in circles.

The previous administration left with us losing 700,000 jobs per month. Now that jobs are being gained, the complaint is that we should not be grateful? I am grateful we are no longer losing 700,000 per month and are in fact gaining jobs. I guess some thought that losing 8 million jobs during the recession could be corrected in 5 minutes. Glass half full / half empty... I guess it depends on your outlook. If you want to see America get back on it's feet then all the areas that are showing signs of progress are good ones. If you want America to fail... You know what you can do.

would you say it ROSE from 9.1% to 9%? lol. Your comment is typical of obama hating lapdogs. :)

Ren: how predictable a response from the marginalized dittohead lemmings.

AP...Rush will make this look like terrible news with his mouth. Gotta wonder why ditto heads even listen to his drug addled rants. He is more worried about his next fix than the economy.

AP, if jobs report is true ,great news time will tell, if not so great I'm sure you will apologize to those you belittle.

And I might add Govt and seasonal jobs added.

The article said government SHED jobs.

Actually, according to the Dept. of Labor, there was a loss of 24,000 public sector jobs last month.

You're right about one thing, @ren...I didn't see the phrase "seasonally adjusted" in this article, which means that many of those jobs could be seasonal ramp-ups for the Christmas rush...

Seasonal jobs and minimum wage jobs?

Yep, both my kids picked up xmas jobs this past month...

"The October jobs gain was the fewest in four months"

You're right, a lot of these were obviously seasonal and it was still the fewest added jobs in 4 months. January is going to be brutal when they all vanish.

According to the BLS, "In October, private-sector employment increased by 104,000, with continued job growth in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, health care, and mining."

I can see where one could make the case that some jobs in business services or leisure services might be 'seasonal' but how could professional, healthcare or mining jobs be considered seasonal or holiday-related as you have implied? Who hires a doctor or pharmacist for the holiday season? How in the world could mining be considered seasonal?

Well said. Thank you. A case of telling the throngs what they want to hear.

I agree Mal'achi, They're making this report look better than it actually is. Those that ran out of benefits, are no longer being counted. Most of the jobs created in Texas have been minimum wage jobs. 1 in 15 are in poverty. China under cuts the USA on everything, and our over-paid rich politicians up in Washington are AWOL! You're all closer to that 1-15 poverty than you think.

China does not need foreign currency reserves; it needs domestic employment and it has decided that one way to get employment up is to keep resources at home.

China will now keep more and more high tech products made in China at home in China as its markets and standard of living rise.

China does not care what happens to American, or any other companies whose products are dependent on strategic raw materials under the control of China. You all should be very afraid of Chinas resource monopoly. China will bankrupt all companies like they did Solyndra, just by undercutting them!

ooohhh...the big bad media conspiracy again daring to report labor STATISTICS! How dare they??

Nikki: China knows what you apparantly don't. They are in the world market now in a big way. You do know our economy is still 5 times their size correct? And that their average highly SKILLED worker in the largest cities makes $10,000 a year? And that their poverty rates and aging population dwarf anything remotely akin to those in the US? Try to keep some perspective, especially about your belief that any stat that doesn't align with your preconceived notion must be propaganda.

Your average skilled worker is out of a job or soon to be.

Ok Jeff: let's do some math here...9 % unemployment means how many of us are working?? The recovery doesn't mean when YOU personally recover from your disconnection. (you better make that November of 2016...perhaps you'll find a candidate who can finish a complete sentence by that time.)

the biggest change 2012 will bring is a year more of foreclosed houses being cleared out. Unless whoever is there in 2012 has some magic about american labor rates and oversupply of housing, slow growth is going to continue.

Notice that the government shed 24,000 jobs, but the private sector added enough for a net gain of 80,000 jobs. Even Republicans have got to be happy about that -- we're slowly moving in the right direction.

Jeff you sound just like the sorry ass republicans/tea-baggers who find fault in everything this President does but offer nothing in return to help get the American people back to work. Also lets be honest,there are thousand of jobs out there and ready to be fill if the American people wasn't dumb as a box rock. The American people NEED to reeducated themselves to work in the 21th century job markets and forget about the old days because those days are goes and are not coming back. Also people need to understand that not everyone start out at $100,000 a year for instance the other day I was hiring for a position for my company and I inform this person that the job was full time and he would have to drive 60 miles around trip per-day, he stated HOW MUCH IS THE PAY? I inform him $23.30 per hour and he look at me and say, No! and walk out of my office. So you see how stupid you and others who made comments that its the President fault/Government.

AP, maybe Repubs. can't complete sentences but I bet they know how to pronounce corpsman. Mike , you run a business and can't type coherently, yeah.

Case Summary
Plaintiffs filed their class action lawsuit on July 6, 1994, alleging that Citibank had engaged in redlining practices in the Chicago metropolitan area in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), 15 U.S.C. 1691; the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601-3619; the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; and 42 U.S.C. 1981, 1982. Plaintiffs alleged that the Defendant-bank rejected loan applications of minority applicants while approving loan applications filed by white applicants with similar financial characteristics and credit histories. Plaintiffs sought injunctive relief, actual damages, and punitive damages.

Sorry, Roy. you make absolutely no point with your example (and that the case never even mentions the CRA). The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) didn't even apply to most of the sub-prime providers. Also, there was nothing in CRA or Federal guidelines that made underwriters do anything with respect to loan standards being lowered for ANYONE. Feddie and Fannie held only 20% of the sub-prime loans when the housing collapse happened. The government had nothing to do with the subprime loan standards or the housing collapse no matter how many ways you try to spin it. None. Nada.

But you try and try and try to make it political. You just can't accept the fact that greed alone caused the housing collapse and it was conservatives who never wanted to help homeowners keep those homes or help give a soft-landing to the crisis (it was a matter of "personal responsibility" the Republicans love to roll out - except when it comes to requiring people to get health insurance). As a result, the collapse led to the largest, longest and most severe financial crisis since the Great Depression. It only became political after it happened and because the Republicans just had to have a reason to blame someone beside themselves. And, because the Republicans want power and couldn't care less about the middle-class, we've spent the entire Obama Presidency (other than the 2 months the Democrats had a super majority) fighting back and forth among political parties.

Ok, here we go...every report for the next four months "doesn't count" because we'll have the holidays, then the after holidays push...then it won't count in the Spring because we're only gearing up for summer, than job numbers won't count in the summer because they're in the summer...do you folks every get tired of this sky is falling stuff?

Except that's not what the BLS report says. See here: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

AP, do you ever get tired of your propaganda.

Retailers were hiring for the Christmas holidays . . . in October???

Rick...

Yep...starts earlier every year. Began seeing Christmas displays in some stores in September.

Rick - The biggest shapping day is Black Friday, in NOVEMBER.

Most people daon't wait until December to shop for christmas, plus you have to train employees and weed out the losers who will quit after 2 weeks.

absoutelywrong: Why is a report on dept. of labor statistics "propaganda" just because it doesn't agree with your preconceived notions? Did you insist those stats were propaganda when they came out in the Bush years or were you fine with them then? You're entitled to your beliefs, not your own facts.

AP, facts say time will tell, why don't we just let this play out instead of the usual back and forth

AP ("Another Pinhead") - Thank you for referring to my opinions as "facts" because that is what they are. Unlike you I don't have my head so buried down in the sand that I can't see the facts that are right in front of me. Or do you believe everything you read as the facts that you only want to accept? Look between the lines, read more; this is all nothing but smoke & mirrors- the same game that's been played for over 3 years now.

I don't remember any of those in recent history. Maybe you can find a link to support your claim? all the headlines in the past few months I remember talked about holding steady at 9.1%

vermont - Is today's headline telling you that fewest number of jobs added in 4 months is actually an improvement, not disgusting enough?

"The October jobs gain was the fewest in four months"

The jobs added didn't lower the so-called "unemployment rate", expiring benefits did.

pjam, that's why it's important to read between the lines.

The jobs added didn't lower the so-called "unemployment rate", expiring benefits did.

And you can thank the Repub/Bagger congress for not extending those benefits!

Ga.girl how long would you like the benefits to last? Now where do we get the money to pay for those life long benefits?

You mean all those minimum wage jobs slick Rick touts or are you talking about the FEDERAL jobs responsible for the majority of the increase that only seem to count as REAL jobs when they're not called FEDERAL? Good luck with that one.

AP, even minimum wage jobs help your unemployment numbers ,so why are you bashing them?

Michael,

Your bias is blurring your vision.

Stop for a minute and really examine the entire situation. It's NOT Republican nor Democrat that have failed the American people. It's BOTH Democrat and Republican that have failed the PEOPLE. Politicians from BOTH parties are beholden to the same corporate and special interests.

They speak differently, but the end result of everything they say is; I'm in this for me and the hell with those of you suckers who voted for me. I have to bow down to the money that financed my (re)election campaign.

But Michael we aren't. Since the first stimulus we have lost a net 2.5 million jobs. The number of first time unemployment claims still is higher than the job creation. We are still losing jobs.

Gaining jobs under Obama?? We have lost 2.5 million jobs since he took office. Bush kept unemployment between 4-5 % despite 9/11

Yeah, Republican log jam, yet the Reid is holding up another part of the jobs bill again today.

XDM, excellent post, but I'm afraid it's lost here.

And take with Democratic Senate with you when you leave !!!

"The October jobs gain was the fewest in four months"

Yes, please go. Worst performance in 4 months... and during the month when season hiring begins no less.

This is mediocre news at best. Not good news. Many people have just fallen off the grid from being counted because their benefits have run out. But look at how Obama has capitalized on their misfortune by saying its a improvement. What a joker! When we reach 200,000 or more a month job creation and we have slowed dramatically the new jobs loses. Then we can say its good news. This is just Liberal media manipulation.

And after "Obammy" you want to be mistaken for an adult with something to say?

Exactly my point ...

Therm - Wasn't that during the beginning of a recession? You know, the one that ended 2 years ago?

One would think that being out of a recession for 2 years and after spending 2 TRILLION we would be doing a little better than this.

P.S.

We also liked the $500 million annual defict under Bush more than the $1.7 TRILLION annual deficit under Obama.

Gee Therm

Is LOOSING 400,000 per week BETTER then LOOSING 750,000 per month?? I DON"T THINK SO!!

Let's do the math. You can multiply can't you??

400,000 X 4 = 1,600,000

NOW ISN'T 1,600,000 BIGGER THAN 750,000???

Now take your time. Think hard!! Now what is your answer???

Therman ,why would you like that?

No real need to hire that many seasonals since the general public have little freaking money to buy anything with. So nice try but some of this must be real jobs but sorry to thwart your hope continued failing economic numbers. Just a program note the Bagger/Repubs might want to hedge their bets on tanking economy by actually passing some of the American Jobs Bill put forth by Obama. You know, just in case it rebounds enough to make an incumbent President nearly unbeatable. Without the the hedge the Baggers are only ensuring their own one term status.

Except that's not what the BLS report says. See here: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

this article is hardly obama boosting. Its pretty neutral overall, pointing out how slow things are. But I know you are a confirmed obama hater, so I guess any article that doesn't fit your perception of dumping on him gets this kind of comment.

Vermontguy ,now you know what the Republicans felt like during and after the Bush years, still going on.

in the long run, you are right. On any given month, the unemployment rate has enough variables and wiggle room that you can't correlate it exactly to the number. Frankly, a change by .1% is statistically meaningless, one way or another.

"Alf77" the rate could drop to 5% and the republicans would have something bad to say about it. Remember their hope is to tank the economy, any good news no matter how slight is bad for them. Sorry Mitch and the boys, I hope it keeps getting better for the sake of people that do need jobs!

Alf... yes 80,000 is good news... except for the other 400,000 plus that just applied for unemployment. Would that not STILL equate to a NET LOSS?

Frankly, I'm quite tired of the continual manipulation of the people by the Government.

Everyone needs to wake up and understand they are being manipulated by BOTH major parties. BOTH parties are ultimately beholden to the same corporate and special interests.

Hate to rain on the Democratic parade here but the unemployment rate is 9.08% not 9.0%. Your buddies in Washington are rounding down. To get the unemployment rate to 8.5% by Nov. 2012 we would need to create 200,000 new jobs every month until then. To reach 8.0%, we would need 250,000 new jobs per month for the next year. The stock market opened -100 pts on this jobs news. So spinning this as great news is whistling in the dark. Even Democratic economists had been forecasting over 100,000 new jobs.

hate to tell you but the unemployment rate in my area (NE) is 6.8%. The stock market jitters has everything to do with the ongoing drama in Greece and the ecnomic summit going on now in France (see, those with money have a little better understanding that the US isn't an island).

XDM, another good post. Mav stop with the BS that half the country wants the country to fail that's total nonsense.

well, you hear about layoffs in big chunks, but hiring is generally more onsy-twosies. There is hiring going on in the country (maybe not where you are I suppose). There are even job openings that can't be filled in certain specific areas, which is where we have a mismatch of people with skills they can't use and companies looking for people with other skills.

We can't get much hiring going on in Ohio because business is leaving our state along with the taxpayers. In all my years of living here I have never seen a more sad situation.

1 million taxpayers have left Ohio and 600,000 jobs yet the unions want to keep their 100% paid for heathcare and pensions. And they plan to vote out issue two that asked them to pay 10% of their pensions and 15% of their healthcare.

Because of the mass exit of taxpayers and college grads leaving the state, Ohio is doomed to the path of all tax takers and less tax payers. We've lost 2 electoral votes and that trend will continue downwards until Ohio is a permanent blue state with less and less citizens and a less of a bell weather state but a welfare state.

There are plenty of jobs in North Dakota ( I had 12 offers without submitting a resume'). No housing, want to live in a camper for a year or so?

Sand mines in Iowa and Wisconsin (damn dangerous work, 72 hours per week, no housing).

Those are just a couple that I have first hand knowledge. Also fairly certain midwest manufacturing is doing okay except they either pay low ($8.50), or they can't find trained workers. ($16).

According to some, a job is a job is a job, etc. If you earn less than the cost of living I'm thinking a job is hell a job is hell a job is hell, etc. If you can't afford transportation to work or child care, what good is a $8.00 per hour job?

Jim, it's a start till something better comes a long, I know I've done it, sitting there and complaining does nothing but make you bitter.