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A Shadow World

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by The Leftist Review.com

T he headlines will tell you the economy added 195,000 jobs this month. While this is actually true, it's not factually true. The civilian labor force added 177,000 workers during June as the numbers counted as unemployed rose by 17,000. Last June, there were 12,701,000 Americans counted as officially unemployed, but through governmental sleight of hand, in twelve months that number was reduced to 11,777,000, and that could be considered a marginal improvement, only.

Not In the Labor Force, June 2012 -- 88,006,000

Not In the Labor Force, June 2013 -- 89,717,000

So these ballyhooed jobs, are they in high-tech or manufacturing? Are these jobs offering affordable health insurance or a bright future? The short answer is, no, no way, fat chance. The group of Americans whose job prospects rose in June was teenagers, teenagers without high school diplomas. It's important to point out the best way to hide the reprehensible jobs numbers is to parse them into small bits. Last month, unemployment for teenagers ages 16 to 19 was 24.5%; the month before it was 24.1%; and this month, a remarkable improvement, down to just 24%. So this explains, after our economy has made this profound turn around in unemployment for teenage boys age 16 to 19, their unemployment rate last June was 23.7%

Basically, the economy added 149,000 men over age 16, to push lawn mowers and drive weed-eaters. According to the government there were 35,592,000 men aged 16 and up "Not in Labor Force" this month. One year ago, that number was 33,909,000, an increase of over 1,600,000 men. For women age 16 and up, the problem is even more daunting, as 80,000 women have disappeared from the work force in a single year. The number of women age 16 and up counted as "Not in the Labor Force" is now 1,262,000, significantly higher than last June. The number of women unemployed is down, but the number finding employment is also down. Between June of last year and June of this year, 749,000 American women found employment, while nearly twice that many disappeared from the workforce.

The U-6 unemployment figure for June is down from 15.1% to 14.6%. Now add in several millions of the disappeared and uncounted and clearly unemployment is up!

The number of hours worked per week (33.7) is flat and has been flat for a solid year. In manufacturing, goods-producing and construction, the number of hours worked is down! The retail trade hours worked is also down and there can be only one answer to the question: why are retail workers working fewer hours?

People without money can't buy things!

Officially unemployed -- 11,777,000

Part-time for economic reasons -- 8,226,000

Slack work or business conditions -- 5,193,000

Could only find Part-time work -- 2,652,000

Marginally attached to the work force -- 2,582,000

Discouraged workers -- 1,027,000

There are 31,457,000 unemployed, under-employed, abandoned and ignored Americans -- 31,457,000 Americans trying to pay the rent and feed the kids; trying desperately to keep a raggedy car running to make the job interview, hoping they won't notice the worn clothes. The headlines will tell you the economy expanded, but this economy expanded only misery. One hundred thousand more discouraged American workers this June than last, a 30% increase in the total number of discouraged workers.

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I who am I? Born at the pinnacle of American prosperity to parents raised during the last great depression. I was the youngest child of the youngest children born almost between the generations and that in fact clouds and obscures who it is that (more...)
 

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