Saturday, October 04, 2014

Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.9%


The national unemployment rate for August was 5.9%, which is the lowest overall unemployment since July of 2008 before the crash.  248,000 jobs were added last month.  However there are still three million longtime unemployed for over six months.  The unemployment for whites is 5.1% but the unemployment for Blacks is 11%.   35,000 jobs were added in the retail sector, which is good.  Construction is doing well. What is completely strange about the good unemployment news is that- - like with health care- - good news is completely dismissed.  There was a thing on KOCE last night where people in Colorado didn’t like this Republican candidate for governor, Gardner guy’s stance of the social issues- - and Udall, Democrat seeking reelection - - is reminding women that the Republicans are extreme on women’s issues because it worked four years ago in another statewide Colorado race.  But now Gardner is responding “Oh- - we Republicans have flip flopped now on social issues.  We’re for over the counter birth control pills.  Udall should get with the times.  Besides- - - even though our state is a full point below the national average in unemployment- which itself is down- - we know there is a lot of discontent with the economy in Colorado-- - - so if you don’t like the economy over the past six years- - vote for me”.   This would presume that Governor Udall somehow is wholly responsible for the bad economy or the loss of purchasing power over the last six years.  I’ve heard logic like this before from the TV talking heads- - and it completely baffles me how good economic news can be dismissed by the republicans running for office.  They are perfectly willing to blame President Obama and the democrats by association for bad economic news- - but none of the credit for good news.   Ed Schultz reminds us that if they were as forgiving of accumulated student debt as they were forthcoming with the TARP funds for the big financial institutions you'd see all sorts of growth in this economy.  I'm not suggesting they go anywhere near that far.  But certainly cutting interest rates in half would be a good thing, and if per chance they could make that interest rate cut retroactive, that would be even better.

In terms of Republicans running- - it was pointed out that the ghosts from the past are all for a hike in the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.  Keep in mind to get back to where we were in 1968, or 46 years ago we would have to go to at least $10.40.    Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlente of Minisota are for a minimum wage hike as are Phyllis Schlaffley and Rick Santorum.  There was a strange roundtable on “Hardball” saying “Given the political climate of the party now it would be impossible for someone as liberal as Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush to ever get nominated again”.  Now we hear Lindsey Graham is running.   Mitt Romney has gone from ten or twelve “No”s in a denial latter in January- - to last month saying that running again was a definite possibility.  Barbra Bush says “America doesn’t want any more bushes in the white house” but George W stated recently that his brother (secretly) wants to run for President.  But as it was pointed out - - three centrists running in a party of Looney Tunes is probably too many.

This is Saturday October 4, 2014 and the third day of this extreme heat wave.  Yesterday on October 3rd of 1987 they say it got up to 108 that weekend, and that would have been a Saturday.  No need to tell you the problems with Frank Olson were “heating up” that weekend.  But with those events in mind, I could say I felt betrayed by Pastor Mark and my brother for being “in communacado” during this period, but pastor Don also.  I had sent Pastor Don a letter expressing my concerns about recent relations with housemates and notably Frank, and Pastor Don just blew me off that Sunday at church, and I’m not sure why.  October 4th is also the 44th anniversary, we are reminded by “rewind” on KNX, of Janis Joplin’s death in1970.  I always know Hendrix’s death date, but was more fuzzy on hers.  I have had contact with neither of them in the afterlife, if you’re wondering.  Nancy Bell gave me my lone cigarette of the day so far around six this morning with a Phlly, she claims she wasn’t want back, or even monetary payment.  Yesterday in the morning there was a great sunrise with blotchy firey clouds, but I knew if I got my camera and came all the way up and down stairs- it would be gone by then.  I got my anti-biotic from Christian at the med room- - and this is the first one.  The Lamisil seems also to be kicking in with my fungal infection, and I hope the two medications don’t interact adversely with each other.   I sat in the front room briefly before heading out for the store and I got a dollar coffee from that other lady. We had Raison Bran for breakfast followed by a fried egg and toast and butter and jelly.   On the Chris Matthews show there was raised the question in Parliament whether the fourth ISIS beheadings was influencing war policy.  Unquestionably the ISIS beheadings are very much shaping our bombing policy.  I highly doubt that were it not for these four beheadings of two Brits and two Americans we would be over there now.  I thought ISIS had already beheaded two Brits and not just one- - so it’s another case of “early warming” or my “knowledge of something” preceded the actual fact of it.  Rocky Mountain Mike from the Stephanie show’s latest song is “E-Bo-L-A” “Bo-la” as an Ebola parody.  They say now that major quarantines have an “inconsistent” record of effectiveness.  Sean Hannity states that the Primary purpose of the center for disease control is to contain NOT the disease but to prevent widespread panic.  I hope to God that Sean is wrong in this assertion.  We are in money green for this file.  Bill is continuing his practice of remaining out of the room for long periods.

Sarah was the one who took me and I reminded her not to make that right on Katella but to cross the street first.  The lady said I didn’t have to sign in.  It was hotter in the office than it was outside at that time.  There was much less of a Santa Ana wind today- - - and again the dawn was quite cool.  I had a deep cleaning this time on the left side of my mouth with anesthesia.  Then Dr Bowie did that filling- - but even now that tooth still feels “irregular”.  Dr Bowie said that filling could well break again, which wasn’t encouraging.  She did some kind of “dental irrigation”.  The hygienist put medicine on my now cleaner gums to kill germs.  I was prescribed Tylenol No 3 for pain, and also an anti-biotic for infection, which is something I had been concerned about.  I finished up about a quarter after ten but wasn’t picked up by Sarah till ten after eleven.  I did a “sliding two hundred dollar fleece” I won, not that it proves anything.  In the van were Bruce and Lisha and Vince and one other person.  Sarah was taking them to Shakey’s Pizza on Harbor just north of Ball.  But she got out of the van and left me there to stew in the hot air for ten minutes or longer and I wondered what was up.  I complained to her and Sarah didn’t take that complaint very well.  Then we went to that Scott Thayer medical building north of Euclid and Crescent.  That one has outdoor elevators or something, like a high security place.  Phyllis was waiting there in the hot sun and she too complained to Sarah.  Sarah went into an even longer dialog.  The thing is – Sarah said to save meals for Me and Phyllis- - but only one meal was saved and Phyllis was eating it meaning the burrito and soup.  The only things I got were mixed melon and a cup of coffee.  Phyllis kindly gave me almost all of her burrito, and also her soup, which I was happy to have.  On the plus side I was still numb three hours later- - but would have been even number two hours later at the regular lunch hour.  Then we came home and I finally got to rinse my mouth out because they are so tight these days- - they don’t even give you mouthwash when you’re done, and I had used up my mouthwash here yesterday- - after a frenzy of ten days of steady usage.  John Black now remembers clearly that it was Teresa who conked him over the head with a poker- - and Christine and Teresa are going to have a bitch on bitch confrontation.  Victor gave E J some money he had “earned” and reminded E J that Stephano was going to move heaven and earth to keep him from accessing Di Mira funds.  I went out and got two cups of iced tea in the courtyard.  I guessed that it was in the high nineties out.

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