The real story about jobs: There are fewer and fewer being created!

This from Chart of the Day today. The chart below illustrates the percent increase in the number of jobs for every decade since the 1940s (the data goes back to 1939). It is definitely a shock to see the chart and to contemplate what it means to Americans unemployed and those that worry about their current jobs. Today's chart illustrates that up until this millennium, the number of jobs at the end of a decade has always been at least 20% greater than 10 years prior. During the last decade, not only was that 20% plus growth not achieved, the decade actually ended with less jobs than when it began. This negative job growth is particularly noteworthy due to the fact that the US population had increased by 10% in addition to a significant increase in global wealth during the same time frame. With one year down in the current decade (see gray column), today's chart illustrates that job growth is positive albeit only slightly so. If job growth during the current decade were to increase at the same pace as what occurred during the first year of this decade, the decade would end with an 8.7% gain in jobs (see gray dot). This is certainly better than the decade just passed, however, it is well off the 20% plus pace of decades past.
Let's be clear here, these were the Bush/Cheney years for the most part. They ruined this country for a long time and will go down in history as the worst President and Vice President in the history of the U.S. I am really glad they are gone. But the effects of what they have done to us will last for decades.

Where did the vitriol start and who started it? UPDATE

On this day of remembrance of all those who lost their lives unnecessarily in the attack on our nation at the World Trade Center, I gave thought to that time and how we were as a people. After the attack we came together as a nation, even though before 9/11 we were divided politically by the election of George W. Bush by the Supreme Court decision over Al Gore. It was a bitter pill for Democrats and some Independents to swallow and it lasted right up to 9/11. But then everything changed. We were all saddened by the loss of life and angry that we were attacked by terrorists. But there was now our President on the pile of debris from the fallen Towers telling the world we are going to get through this because we are Americans and we are a strong people and that we would find the people who did this and bring them to justice. It was a solemn moment in our history and we were all united as Americans right after that, maybe for the first time for many Americans, but I had seen it before. When President John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX, we were together then too. The best of the American spirit was shown then too and the outpouring of sadness we all felt and a tribute to the loss of our President and the fact we all knew then the world had changed for us. There were no Republicans and Democrats then. We were all Americans and we were a strong people and that we would find the people who did this and bring them to justice.

Here we are on the Anniversary of 9/11, a very solemn day, and what's on many American's hearts today. I'll tell you, it's idiocy about whether a pastor in Florida will burn the Holy Book of Muslims or not. And, whether the Imam in NY will move his plans for building a Community center, which will contain a mosque, 2 blocks away from the site of the Twin Towers. The Republicans have been connecting the two separate issues even though the Pastor in Fl had not. But then, he finally got there message that there is a connection as Palin, Boehner, and Gingrich have been trying to connect those dots for the weak minded among us for the past week. It's a disgrace. First there is no comparison. Burning anyone's Holy Book is weak minded and not something a so called minister of God would do. But again, he had not connected these dots until these Republican leaders pointed it out to him.

Where do these nut jobs come from? They come from the shadows, where evil lurks all the time but is usually in check when there is balance of spirit and mind between people. But that spirit has been missing for a while now. I was trying to think when did it all change recently? I figured it out. It was when John McCain picked Sarah Palin, as his Vice Presidential candidate. She was not ready for prime time, or any time in my view, but here we are with her leading the whack jobs of the fringe of the Republican party and getting support from the other whack jobs of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and driving our country into madness. And the fools who listen to them get hyped up and do their bidding and think in the shadows about "coming out". And every once in a while one comes out ie. the Pastor in Florida.

But this vitriol started during the campaign for President and by the selection of Sarah Palin, by John McCain. John McCain, the same leader who said "Country first!" and has abandoned about everything he has stood for over his career as a Senator. The same John McCain who said he was a maverick and now said he wasn't a maverick. Make up your mind please, John. Now it was the perfect storm because opposing John McCain was Barack Obama. That helped bring out the racists among us. But you see Barack Obama, in my humble opinion, has done nothing to fuel this divisiveness. He was born from a white mother and a black father. So what? What's the big deal. Get over it and join the 21st Century. Most kids have. Many don't see color distinction, as their older parents do.

I am afraid we have lost that special moment when we were all together as Americans. But when I think about the meaning to me of 9/11, I wish we could go back to that moment in our hearts and stop this divisiveness. It is killing our country now. How you can help? Change your mindset. If you are still embracing the notion that our country is special and what it means to be an American. then you should think that if someone owns a piece of property and wants to develop it and build anything they want they should be allowed to as long as it follows local ordinances and laws. They have a right to build the Community Center and include a mosque in it if they so choose. We should be pleased we live in a country where we can express our religious freedoms in whatever way we want to as long as it doesn't do physical harm to others. By the way, people have been praying in the existing mosque there since 2009, just to set the record straight.

As for the whack job Pastor in Fl., it is a very difficult situation for sure. In this 24/7 news cycle with Social Networks bringing pictures and videos all around the world. One could make the case that he is endangering others and it is illegal, just like yelling Fire in a crowded theater. The world won't end if he does this and some may die too as General Petraeus has warned. But that will be on the Pastors head before God as well as those Republicans who have not condemned the possible act, Palin, Boehner and Gingrich. May God have mercy on their souls.

UPDATE: 10:20am PST

I don't know what has happened by the Florida Pastor has decided that God has spoken to him and that he will not burn any Holy Books now or ever. Hallelujah! He has seen the light. One must be grateful for little steps of progress when they come. Amen! Now if the political leaders of Palin, Boehner and Gingrich can see the light, maybe this will be a memorable 9/11 where something good comes out of it.

Gates interview about President Obama: A comparison made without every saying a single negative word about President Bush

So in the news from yesterday was an interview with Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. Here is some of the comments from the interview on working for President Obama:

"He is very analytical," Gates told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King. "He is very deliberate about the way he goes through things. He wants to understand everything. He delves very deeply into these issues."

Gates, who previously worked for 27 years in the CIA under six presidents, was the first defense secretary to be asked to remain in office by a newly-elected president when Obama kept him on.

The Pentagon chief was diplomatic when comparing Obama to other former occupants of the Oval Office.

"I'm not going to get into comparing the different presidents, Gates said. “I very much enjoy working for this one."

Now if you want to get the answer to the question, how is President Obama compared to George W. Bush, the answer is staring you in the face. Here's how I would speak for Gates were he to speak the words himself:

He is NOT analytical. He shoots from the hip about the way he goes through things. He could CARE LESS about understanding everything. He NEVER delves into these issues. I Hated working for Bush!

Need I say more? :)

The prognosis for the Economy and Unemployment

The Sunday news talk shows had Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Larry Summers as featured guests. What was most evident from both of their conversations was that we have a long time before a real recovery takes place. For example, Geithner said unemployment would "ease" in the second half of next year. Geithner also said that extending unemployment benefits again is something the administration and Congress are going to "look very carefully at as the end of this year approaches." Well, to me that means two things: First, unemployment will rise for a full year from today and with it so will unemployment benefits, not just for the additional 13 weeks being contemplated now. Currently the unemployed are eligible for a total of 79 weeks of unemployment. Add a minimum of 13 additional weeks and you get 92 weeks of paid absence from a job. My God, that is almost 2 years! And those without jobs have at least another year of looking for a job before things look better for them. Consider what these means for the possibility of even more foreclosures.

Everyone believes the Consumer is not spending today but has increased savings. This also says there is most likely systemic changes in the patterns of Consumers behaviors that may be generational in duration. I can imagine a smaller footprint spending form the Consumer and a larger footprint needed by Corporations or Government to pick up that slack to help increase GDP. I saw a formula for GDP this morning while pursuing the Blog articles which said that GDP=C+I+G+(Trade Surplus or Deficit) where C is Consumer spending, I is for investments and G is government spending. You can see from the equation that the biggest part of GDP is going to come from Government (or us) and we are borrowing from the future of our children, kids and grandchildren and dooming them to less of a life to pursue the American Dream than any other generation of the past except from the Great Depression years. How can we look ourselves in the mirror and allow this to happen, you ask? Easy, as this generation of "What's in it for me" Americans, we don't really look in the mirror much and do the self reflection thing very well. We are so focused on ourselves, we have lost morality and sold our souls to the average bidder. Boy, the last 8 plus years have surely screwed up this country so badly, we may never recover. So when you hear the "good news" on better GDP, remember it is the Government spending driving it, not business and not the Consumer for the next few years. Don't be fooled that things are looking better. Make sure you look at the Unemployment rate and keep looking at the number of Home Foreclosures and Business and personal bankruptcies.

The seeds of our destruction were sown many years ago and most likely back in the Reagan Administration, (See the chart below from ZFacts.com with a great article that goes along with the chart) where Federal Deficits had new meaning. Ever since then, we have been going out of control. Twenty out of the past 26 years since 1982 when Reagan was President, Republicans have been in control of the Presidency. You will notice on the chart below, it was Clinton who actually turned this trend around only to be reversed again by George W. Bush.