Look at the numbers

[goodfellow]

Today the labor department released the latest employment figures.
Frankly, I was amazed. 32,000 new jobs created in the last month with a 5.6% unemployment rate.
In a country with 300 million people, 32,000 jobs is a drop in the bucket. Does the unemployment rate include the people who have exhausted their benifits and quit looking for work?
The present administration has reclassified fast food employment as manufacturing jobs (manufacturing burgers). What is the hourly rate of pay of the jobs that Bush has created?
We all need to ask the question....Are we better off now than 4 years ago?

[shes_history]

In response to the previous post - no, the unemployment rate does not inlcude those often out of a job that are not on unemployment and are no longer seeking a job - often referred to as discouraged workers.

And in response to the often posed question: are we better off now than we were four years ago? Well, in Buffalo, no. But I do not think that the blame can be pinned on George Bush or the federal government. Unfortunately, if things do not improve on the local level in Buffalo government, no matter who becomes president, no one will be better off.

While I do not agree with many of Bush's labor policies, I do not think that asking the rhetorical question "are we better off" answers any real questions. The fact of the matter is - in Buffalo, we have been able to answer no to that question for the past few decades. Closing steel mills, manufacterers moving overseas for cheaper labor, high taxes - things that have been occuring over the past 75 years - are the problems. A productive question to ask might be: what are some solutions to these old and destructive problems?

[buffnik]

Does the unemployment rate include the people who have exhausted their benifits and quit looking for work?

In the past, the unemployment rate has reflected those numbers. History are you certain that it no longer does? If so do you know when that changed?

[yokes]

Does the unemployment rate include the people who have exhausted their benifits and quit looking for work?

Technically if a person quits loooking for work they leave the labor force and are not counted. Details on those are here
not in Labor force

But the unemployment rate has no relation to those receiving unemployment insurance.

UE Calculations

[goodfellow]

While it is ture that this areas leaders have done nothing to stem the tide of this areas' poor performance in the past 20 yrs a great deal of the blame falls with the white house policy of encouraging employers to re-locate to China, India etc.
Job losses to Asia are occuring all over the country not only WNY.
I would be willing to bet that no one in this audience knows that the US no longer has a domestic manufacturer for train wheels.(and man hole covers)
Doesn't sound like a big deal at first, but what if we ever had to press our railways into service in the time of war.
This is the type of thing that is killing this country.

[WNYresident]

Way off base but how in all possibilty is it cheaper to make a manhole in china than in the states. It's a poured or stamped piece of steal. Is it government regulations which are hurting us or pure labor cost?

[shes_history]

Your point about job exportation is well taken however I guess what I am trying to get at is that although shipping jobs overseas is not a good thing by any stretch of the imagination, I also disagree that all cities are being effected to the same degree Buffalo is being effected. Why? I think high state taxes place the nail in the coffin on bringing manufactering business (and countless others to Buffalo) and other local policies that make it difficult for businesses to be profitable in the region. However there are some cities that seem to have adpated and changed to accomodate these changing times and are flourishing. In short, I do not think any administration is going to keep companies from sending jobs overseas for cheaper labor but is there a defense against this that we are overlooking? Is there some way to adapt? Or like WNY Resident said, should we look at the demands of our own labor force for answers?