Thank goodness the economy's all better, because now I can get a real job.
I called my father tonight to wish him a happy birthday. Mom is a crazy upstate republican. Dad used to be a democrat in the 70s, but I guess enough years with mom, their local Gannett paper, and Fox News Channel have worn him down. Seriously, he believes all that sh*t in the paper and on TV. He's a very trusting soul, and not a critical thinker.
Anyway, he was SO happy to tell his son, the lawyer who has been un-employed and under-employed for the last year, that businesses are hiring. Like sudden lightening, the economy now has near Hulk-like strength. Hell, just today it was announced that, due to revised numbers, we've had 3 months of non-stop, go-go job growth. I'm not kidding, this was in the New York Times.
After quoting (i) a Bank of America Analyst, (ii) the President speaking in the South, (iii) the Chair of the President's Economic Advisors, and (iv) the President again, the article continues:
The recent job gains have already complicated life for Democrats, who have made the severe job losses a centerpiece of their political message. On the campaign trail yesterday, however, they continued to attack Mr. Bush's record on the economy.
Everybody's getting a job, basically. Except maybe for those oddball alien beings called "Democrats," who, according to the Times, appear to be living on another planet at the moment. Planet Jobless.
I told my father that I'll believe it when I see it myself. That stopped him talking for a second. Like he hadn't considered that the news might actually relate to the real world. You see, he's retired and doesn't know other people who are unemployed or underemployed. Just me, the goofball in NYC.
Through the magic of Google--and it is magic-- I'm quickly able to find the exact opposite story from the newspaper of record. I just about fell off my chair when I found it in the NY Post, of all places:
October job cuts jumped a stunning 125 percent over September for the largest month of firings in a year - ending a five-month streak of job improvements.
Companies announced in October that they would eliminate 171,874 jobs, says a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks layoffs.
It was the highest monthly firings since October 2002, when 176,010 job cuts were announced.
For the third consecutive year, planned job cuts have surpassed the 1 million mark, reaching 1,043,954 announced cuts last month, the report said.
The October surge ended a streak of five consecutive months of below-100,000 layoffs. The lowest figure during the five-month period was in June, with 59,715 job cuts.
Whaaaa? Record job LOSSES? But this sounds closer to my reality. I have many friends out of work. Also, I read the other day that consumer spending, except for housing, is way, way down, unlike last year. Also, the Times is talking about economic numbers that are being spun by this White House like cotton candy at a carneval. The Post is citing a private company that tracks this stuff all the time.
Before you quickly decide that I'm completely clueless, I really do understand that there is a certain irrational element to the economy. It's largely about perception. With the stock market, it's ALL about perception.
The problem with all of this pumping up of the employment numbers by the Administratoin is that people are HUNGRY for this king of good news and are READY, WILLING, AND ABLE to believe it, even if it doesn't conform to reality. Unfortunately, the reality is that there has been NO HIRING. In fact, there has been RECORD FIRING. This goes beyond mere perception or cheerleading by the New York Times. It seems like the Times editors are stovepiping information about the economy directly from the Bush Administration. Maybe it's because the Times editors desperately wants to believe it. Hell, I want to believe it. But that's not true.
The Times should know better, and I suspect they do. After all, I was able to figure it out and I'm an idiot.
They should know better becuase it's merely the politicizing of the economy. It's fairly obvious that the Democrats are not the only ones running for the White House next year. The Republicans have a stake in this as well and it's a much larger stake than the Democrats: they stand to lose face. I'd be really glad if they did, but it's a long shot. When people go to the voting booth next fall, what will they remember?
Businesses are hiring again.
Is it any wonder that many well-meaning people in this country, like my father, really must believe the things this Administration says. Why? Otherwise, it makes no earthly sense what's happening to this country. None.
It's the same reason people think Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11. They want to believe with all their hearts that our government is doing the right thing.
Theoria posted an excellent entry in her diary today. The money shot for me was:
This why I hate Mr. Bush. All over the country, there are well-meaning folks like the old lady. There are also people like the pastor and his little friend, who'd gouge their own eyes out before they'd admit what is true. Moral Opacity.
I couldn't agree more.
