How Did President Biden's Term In Office Compare With President Trump's First Term In Office Concerning The Economy.

 Let us check the facts and see.  If the media met its obligation to serve and inform the public, this commentary would not be necessary.  In fact, as of this writing the media continues to enable Trump's and the GOP lies on the economy.  Now that the Biden administration has come to an end, the following information is available on the economy.  

JOB CREATION:  The economy created over 16 million jobs during the Biden administration.  That number will be adjusted down somewhat like the Labor Department always does but will not change the facts materially.  During Trump's first term, the economy lost 2.7 million jobs.  During Trump's first 36 months in office (prior to the economic recession and (COVID)  job creation averaged 183,000 jobs per month.  During President Obama's last 36 months in office job creation averaged 225,000 per month.  And during President Biden's first 36 months in office (including (COVID) job creation averaged 388,000 jobs per month.  For the past 100 years, job creation under Democratic administrations can be described as robust.  Under the GOP it can be described as anemic.  Trump said he would create 25 million new jobs. 

UNEMPLOYMENT:  The unemployment rate was down 2.3% during Biden's term.  The rate was 6.3% the month he took office and 4% the month he left office.  The unemployment rate on Trump's watch increased 1.6%.  It was 4.7% the month he took office and 6.3% the month he left office.  Reagan is the only GOP President in the last 70 years that left office with a lower unemployment rate than when he took office.  Democratic administrations don't have that problem.  The unemployment rate on Biden's watch stayed in the 3% range for 27 straight months, the longest string since the 1960's.

THE NATONS GDP:   The Gross Domestic Product increased at an annual rate of 3.4% on President Biden's watch and increased 1% on President Trump's watch.

FEDERAL SPENDING:   Federal Spending in Biden's first three fiscal years (his last fiscal year will end 9/30/25) was up 14.7% compared to Trump's 4 fiscal years spending.  Federal spending in Trump's 4 fiscal years was up 43% compared to President Obama's last 4 fiscal years.  Federal spending hit a record of $6.8 trillion in Trump's last fiscal year.

DEFICIT SPENDING:   Total deficit spending in Biden's first three fiscal years was $4.7 trillion.  The CBO in December estimated the federal deficit at the end of Biden's last fiscal year which ends 9/30/25 would be $1.8 trillion.  Total deficit spending in Trump's four fiscal years was a record $7.5 trillion.  President Obama left the Trump administration a deficit of $666 billion when he took office, but Trump left Biden a federal deficit of $2.7 trillion when he left office.  Trump's third fiscal year federal deficit was $3.1 trillion, a record still standing.

CONSUMER SPENDING:  Consumer spending stayed strong during President Biden's term despite inflation because of wage increases that kept consumer spending moving ahead.  Consumer spending during Trump's term was a hit and a miss and produced a negative quarter of GDP in 2020.  Consumer spending represents 70% of the economy and consumers powered the economy forward on Biden's watch.

ECONOMIC RECESSION:   There was no economic recession on President Biden's watch.  The GOP and the negative voices were predicting one for the second quarter of 2023 and every quarter thereafter but it never took place.  There was an economic recession on Trump's watch that preceded COVID says the National Bureau of Economic Research, the official arbiter for the past 50 plus years.  NBER said it took place in February 2020 and ended the 10th straight year of economic expansion that began during the Obama Presidency.  

LAW AND ORDER:  The FBI reported crime was down the last three years on President Biden's watch and that the murder rate in 2024 would likely end with the lowest rate in the past two decades.  Crime was up the last 3 years on Trump's watch.  The worst mass murder gun violence deaths took place on Trump's watch in Las Vegas in 2017 when 58 people were killed.  President Biden accepted the results of the 2020 Presidential election.  Trump did not and sent his riot mob to the nation's capitol in an effort to over turn the 2020 election.  Trump also failed the test of a peaceful transfer of power to the newly elected President, Joe Biden.  Trump also claimed fraud in the elections, filed numerous law suits claiming fraud which every judge rejected.  

PRO BUSINESS AGENDA FOR THE ECONOMY:  The Small Business Association (SBA) reported there was a small business boom during President Biden's term.  A record 21+ million of new small business applications were filed with the government.  That the annual average record growth of filed and established business growth was 90% higher than under Trump, even pre pandemic.   Wages were up 19.6%.

President Biden's numbers on the economy are actually better in spite of the inflation that took place and also especially when one considers what Trump left to the Biden administration.  An economic recession, COVID, a federal deficit of $2.7 trillion, higher unemployment, etc., etc.  Tax cuts that robbed the federal government of needed revenue financed by deficit spending.  The beat goes on and on.  It is not a mystery that President Obama left a good and expanding economy to Trump when he took office and now President Biden left a good and sound economy to Trump for a second term.  Trump blew up President Obama's good numbers and now Trump will blow up Biden's good numbers.  There is no mystery!  Democrats are better at governing and it goes back the last 100 years.  Oh, and remember those Trump tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations that was supposed to Make America Great Again and prevent the economic collapse and recession from taking place.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note:  Numbers herein taken from The CBO, U.S. Labor Dept., Treasury Dept., Office of Managment and Budget and the Commerce Department.

 

 

Louisiana's GOP U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy's Vote Should Have Surprised No One.

 How can one not understand that the GOP'ers in congress are Trump's cowards, and that includes Senator Bill Cassidy?  Evidently, from an editorial column in question and answer form recently published in the Times Picayune by Stephanie Grace and Quin Hillyer they seemed not to know.  The subject was about the confirmation vote of RFK Jr. as Secretary of the federal government's Health and Human Services Department.   

Cassidy, a chairman of one of the Senate committees voted to confirm RFK Jr. as Secretary.  Cassidy, a doctor should have known better, but like the majority of the GOP, took the cowards way out and voted to confirm.  Taking the coward's way out and kissing Trump's ring was not unusual for Cassidy as the congressional record reports that Cassidy voted with Trump's agenda 89% of the time during Trump's first term.  

Cassidy was part of the GOP ditto heads when he voted for the GOP's fraud Health Care Plan when they controlled both houses of congress.  John McCain joined all the democrats to defeat that plan and save the Affordable Care Act which Cassidy and the GOP wanted to kill.  Does that sound like a good doctor, especially since the CBO said that the GOP health plan if passed would have thrown millions of people off the insured rolls.  Cassidy knew better at that time also, but was still a coward and voted as Trump's ditto head.

Cassidy's record of approving Trump's nominees and supporting his agenda was known long ago and was not going to change in Trump's second term.   He and the GOP in congress are just sitting on their hands watching Trump's attempt to destroy the federal government's functions.  In fact the GOP's leadership in congress remarked recently that the courts should take a back seat and not take up any suits filed against Trump for some of his recent illegal actions.  

It is clear to this writer that Trump, the convicted criminal and the cowardly GOP in congress, have no respect for the law, no self respect, no respect for their congressional duties to serve the public good, and allowed Trump to corrupt the GOP in congress.  It is another sad chapter in Louisiana politics.  Really, did Cassidy's yes vote on RFK Jr. surprise anyone???

The damage will show up along the way in time and it will be severe.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The City of New Orleans and a Safe Super Bowl Week.

 On February 9, the City of New Orleans hosted its 11th Super Bowl and like the previous 10 Super Bowls, the event went off smoothly and safe.  To top it off, Super Bowl week was a success and safe also.  Law enforcement did what it does best and what it has been doing for decades for large scale events, keeping the City and its people safe.  The negative voices tried their best to make it impossible because they would rather be negative about the City instead of talking about all the positive things that takes place in the City.  

New Orleans is still the destination of business, conventions, tourists and other venues that take place safely and promote the City.  The City is still growing with new business, hotels and along with Baton Rouge leads the state in job creation almost every year.  The media pays more attention to the negative voices than they do to the positive developments that occur every day.  

New Orleans can continue to grow and stay safe by making it a priority on a regular long term basis.  It should be a every day endeavor, that is how good plans are carried out.  Negative talk and so called tough talk will not get the job done.  Commitment is what is needed to solve problems.  Osama Bin-Laden was not brought to justice by tough talk.  He was brought to justice by a President who made his capture a top priority and worked at it until it took place.

So now, Mardi Gras is in full swing.  Another major event with hundreds of thousands of people in the streets and on the move.  Law enforcement will have its hands full once again and the people can help by being vigilant in their surroundings and their movements.  It is a yearly challenge and should always be a top priority to prepare for.  

Law enforcement has proved it can do the job, the real part is to have a steady policy that gives enforcement what is needed to do the job and keep in mind it is priority number one to keep property and life safe.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate for January 2025.

 The U.S. Labor Department reported that the economy created 143,000 jobs in January and that the unemployment rate came in at 4%, down from 4.1% in December.  It was the 48th straight month of positive job growth.  It was the final numbers of Biden's term in office.  The unemployment rate when Biden took office was 6.3%, so unemployment was down 2.3% during Biden's term in office.  It was up 1.6% during Trump's term in office.  It was 4.7% when he took office and 6.3% the month he left office.  Unemployment being up on Trump's watch was no surprise since only one GOP administration in the last 96 years has left office with a lower unemployment rate than when he took office, and that was the Reagan administration.  In other words, the GOP have a very poor record at creating jobs.

January's numbers were also better than the numbers for January 2021, the month Trump left office.  Only 49,000 jobs were created that month and the unemployment rate came in at 6.3%.  That was also the month Trump sent his riot mob to the nation's capitol to try and overturn the Presidential election of 2020 and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power.  In January 2025, President Biden made sure the peaceful transfer of power would take place for the newly elected President.

A soon to come Politidose commentary will recap the results of President Biden's term in office and compare that to the first term of President Trump.  The numbers should surprise no who keeps up with the facts and it was all predicted in Politidose commentary in December 2020 and January 2021, before Biden actually took office and the reasons why.  Just recently, the Feds, members of the business community and economist reported that Trump has inherited a strong economy, labor market and low unemployment that should keep the economy strong.

So, the Biden administration has come to an end on a positive note despite the negative voices of doom and gloom over the last 4 years.  The lying talk of recession, mass layoffs and higher unemployment never took place and to top it off, there were never any numbers over a period of time that pointed to those events taking place.  It was a complete betrayal of the people and the administration.  But during the whole period and for the past 10 years, Politidose told the real story in commentary.  So, stay tune to Politidose, your daily dose of political commentary.

This commentary written by Joe  Lorio  

Crime Plummeted In New Orleans In 2024.

 So says the NOPD's statistics released earlier in the new year.  The number of murders fell to one of the lowest levels since the 1970's and overall categories saw a decline as well.  It was the second straight decline that began in 2023. The reduction in the crime rates tracked what took place on the national level as crime was down on President Biden's watch his last three years in office.

The Louisiana GOP are miffed because the reductions took place long before Jeff Landry took office, his appointment of a crime commission and the station of the State Police in the French Quarter.  The GOP are noted for trying to take credit for the good things that take place on the democratic watch. 

Two years of good news is not enough, it needs to become a priority policy that can be repeated to improve over time and stay on a level that is not a threat to the City and its people.  The negative voices who would like to see the City fail will always be there with their doom and gloom predictions.  Good results will never satisfy them because that is all they have left and nothing new to offer.

The Super Bowl and Mardi Gras which is around the corner, will test our law enforcement officers once again, are expected to do a good job of protecting.  The past record has been a good one overall.  Now that the lies and misinformation given out by some elected officials about the terror attack on New Year's day has been refuted by the facts, our law enforcement officers can move beyond that and do what they do best.  Protect the City, property and life.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio