Saturday, January 11, 2020

The U.S. Economy and Job Creation for December 2019

The U.S. Labor Department reported 145,000 jobs were created in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.5%.  It was the 111th straight month of positive job growth.  The December numbers were lower than expected, lower than last month and lower than December 2018.  Manufacturing lost over 10,000 jobs in December and continues to be in recession mode.

The Department also announced that 2.1 million jobs were created in 2019, the lowest since 2011 and that both October and November numbers were revised downward from earlier reports.  So job creation in the Trump administration continues its downward trend for Trump's first 35 months in office when compared to President Obama's last 35 months in office.  And at the end of Trump's first term in office job creation will lag considerably from President Obama's last term in office.

The  job numbers explain how democratic polices work best for America and the economy.  President Obama's stimulus of $700 billion for the economy that was passed by the democratic controlled congress soon after Obama was elected to deal with Bush's great recession has done more for the economy and job creation than the Trump/republican $1.5 trillion tax cuts that cost so much more and that was meant to benefit the wealthy and corporate America.  The  Obama stimulus was directed toward projects and programs that actually stimulated the economy and job creation.  Where as the Trump tax cuts simply represents a failed ideology and their commitment to the wealthy.

So in Trumps first 35 months in office a total of 6,400,000 jobs have been created.  In Obama's last 35 months in office 7,559,000 jobs were created.  And no matter how Trump and the republican party try to spin the economy, democratic administrations still perform best for the country and its people.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio


President Obama Actually Accomplished With Iran What President TrumpNow Says He Will Accomplish

The impeached President tried to talk tough again the other day when he proclaimed, "Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon as long as I am President."  Well, thanks to President Obama's policies Iran never had a nuclear weapon at any time in the 8 years Obama served as President.  So Trump inherited a nuclear weapons free Iran and the only question that remains is this:  Can Trump keep Iran that way and follow in President Obama's footsteps?

We also know President Obama never had to send additional U.S. troops to the middle east to guard against Iranian retaliation against our troops like Trump did this week and it should be noted how Trump's actions in the middle east this week was a mirror image of former President George W. Bush when he said Iran's attacks against American troops in Iraq was an imminent threat but could not articulate to congress what those threats were.  If that sounds familiar its because you heard President Bush say that Iraq had stockpiled WMD ready to use but Bush never offered proof of those WMD to congress or the public because they did not exist at any time during the Bush administration.

This March the war in Iraq over WMD that did not exist will enter its 18th year and American troops are still paying the ultimate price while an impeached President Trump's rhetoric continue to fan the flames of war.  The middle east was a safer place when President Obama left office than it is today.  History has yet to be written if the middle east will be a safer place when Trump leaves office.

When the Iran nuclear agreement was in effect on President Obama's watch Iran was not allowed to produce any nuclear material to weapons grade.  But they are in the process of doing that now since Trump walked away from the agreement.  And the irony of it all is the agreement was enforced by inspection, something Israel, Pakistan and India have never allowed.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio