Economic Facts By Numbers

The Labor Department's report released on January 9, 2008 is another sad reminder that the economy is still suffering with no end in sight.  The unemployment rate in December jumped to 7.2%, up from 6.8% in November, the highest in 16 years.  The economy lost 524,000 jobs in December and employers are also cutting workers hours and forcing some into part time work.  The average work week in December fell to 33.3 hours, the lowest on record since 1964.

 

For all of 2008 the economy lost 2.6 million jobs, the most since 1945 and job losses occurred in every month in 2008.  The recession is in its second year and is the longest in 25 years.  During George Bush's 8 years in office only 3 million new jobs were created.  That's an average of 1.5 million jobs per term.  His father's administration created 2.5 million new jobs in his only term in office. 

 

When it comes to a sustained economy and job creation the numbers prove "trickle down economics" that the last 3 republican Presidents embraced has been a failure.  Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 served a total of 20 years that produced a total of 21.6 million new jobs.  By contrast, President Clinton in only 8 years produced a total of 22.7 million new jobs.  President Clinton had a true economic plan to sustain the economy, job creation and balance the budget.  His administration accomplished all that with out one republican vote.

 

Make no mistake the lack of a true economic and fiscal policy and the massive debt created by those 3 republican Presidents is the number one reason the economy is where it is today.  The facts tell the story and Mr. Bush's failure to properly use the record surpluses that he inherited from the Clinton administration was a tragic mistake by a President who governed by ideology.

A Time Warp Of Republican Conservatives

Republican neocons have already forgotten the American people spoke with their voice and vote when in November rejected conservatives in favor of Barack Obama.  Their Republican President is leaving office with 73% of the people rejecting the policies of Mr. Bush.

 

Now comes Republican Senator David Vitter in a report published by the New Orleans Times Picayune written by Jonathon Tilove of Washington bureau that Vitter has unleashed an onslaught of legislation filing 34 bills and resolutions on the first day the new 111th congress convened. 

 

Some of his filings are: Abortion, public prayer, stem cell research, a constitutional amendment to protect the American flag.  As usual these are the divisive issues that divide our country and is typical of Republicans trying to divide the people.  A few people burn the flag every few years in protest and for that Vitter thinks the constitution needs to be changed.  Our flag has stood the test of time for over 200 years but Vitter is once again showing how phony conservatives are.

 

The republicans in congress will continue to do their phony thing but can never change the fact that the democrats are the only party who have a record of balancing the federal budget, paying down debt, creating a sound economy and sustained job creation, low unemployment and real tax cuts for the middle class.

 

The American people showed their wisdom when they voted for Obama in November and sent a loud voice they want change.  Senator Vitter's legislation and resolutions represents not only the status quo but a lack of character and wisdom in falling to recognize the real problems the country faces.

President Elect Obama's Choices For Intelligence

Leon Panetta, former member of Congress, White House Chief of Staff under President Clinton and U.S. Army veteran has been chosen by Obama as the next Director of CIA.  Retired Adm. Dennis Blair has been chosen to be the next Director of Intelligence.  These two men are not a product of the intelligence community and that is good.  They do have great management skills and that is what our intelligence services need at the present time.

 

The CIA came into being during President Truman's administration and was prior known as the OSS.  The CIA was an intelligence gathering agency with no operational duties under Truman.  Eisenhower and other Presidents that followed let CIA get into operations and that is when the intelligence community got out of control.

 

Over the years congress has had to investigate their wrong doings and found CIA to be involved in illegal activities and out of control.  Iraq's so called WMD and the Iran Contra affair should still be fresh in the peoples mind.  The director of CIA during the Warren Commission investigation failed to turn over to that committee documents that were important to their investigation.

 

Mr. Panetta and Mr. Blair will have an opportunity to manage American intelligence and make sure the gathering of intelligence is in line with the President's foreign policy and the standards that make America and its people strong.  Panetta and Blair need to make sure intelligence is not manipulated to reach a predetermined outcome.

 

America should never again have a President and an intelligence community that manipulate intelligence to push a Presidents ideology that commits our men and women in uniform to any action that is unnecessary.  Congress should approve both nominations.