I wonder how Kerry will downplay this good news:
.S. companies are gearing up to create jobs at rates not seen since the height of the 1990s boom, a survey released on Tuesday showed, adding to evidence that job growth will keep the U.S. economic recovery rolling.
Following two months of strong government payroll reports, the survey is a boon to President Bush in the run-up to elections and will likely confirm expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise U.S. interest rates at the end of June as it moves to beat off emerging inflation.
Thirty percent of polled U.S. employers plan to add to their payrolls in the July to September period, the survey by Manpower Inc. showed. That is up from 20 percent a year earlier and 28 percent in the April to June period.
The survey hit its highest level of 35 percent in 2000, powered by the Internet-fueled boom.
Far fewer companies now plan to lay off employees, the survey showed, making the net year-over-year increase in employers planning to create jobs the largest in the history of the Manpower survey, which was started in 1976.
*** Update ***
Kimmitt states:
We can start even vaguely thinking about calling it a “boom” when Bush is not the first President since Hoover to preside over a net job loss.
How about this, Kimmitt. How about we count job creation from the time Bush’s first exonomic policy was cast until now? Or are you going to demand that the Clinton/Gore recession be Bush’s possession despite all the facts?
For the record, I think Presidents get too much blame and too much credit for the economy, but it is you guys playing this game. Seems to me it would be fair to judge the efect of Bush’s actual policies, which did not ake effect for a good bit after he took office.
Marble
Here in Tampa I heard on the radio this morning that the state wide average for employee growth is 33%.
But honestly, did Bush really help that much? I’ve always been lead to believe that the economy is cyclic and that each president will enjoy their share of ups and downs.
Still, I hope my new business takes off. The environment is really good for me right now.
Jay G
How will Kerry downplay it? He won’t have to downplay it – the media will bury the story *AND* not call Kerry a liar when he STILL claims the economy is bad.
jeff
“But, all the jobs are burger-flipping jobs”.
That’s my guess for the spin, anyway.
HH
Bill Schneider of CNN admitted that the economic boom is not being reported and characterized it as a “little secret.”
M. Murcek
Problem for the media and Kerry is, they can’t stifle all the person to person communications along the lines of “I haven’t seen my husband in a month, he’s working so much overtime…” “I went to the store, but they were all sold out…” and so forth.
Dean
It’s been remarked elsewhere that one reason why people might not feel that the economy is on the upswing has been the rise in oil prices.
First, people aren’t stupid. They understand that rising oil prices will domino through the system.
Second, when it costs $30 to fill your tank (or more!), you know that your wallet’s being stretched.
So, OPEC raising production, and gas prices falling, is likely to further redound to the benefit of the party in power (in this case, the GOP).
Kimmitt
We can start even vaguely thinking about calling it a “boom” when Bush is not the first President since Hoover to preside over a net job loss.
Terry
Kimmitt’s comment ripped directly from the DNC standard talking point’s memo sounds like something one might expect to hear from one who just snapped out of a long period of aphasia.
shark
Kimmitt, the Bush economy is now producing jobs at sucbh a clip as to produce MORE jobs than John Kerry proposed to create in his plan.
So why should we vote for Kerry? Obviously he sets the bar too low…
willyb
Inherited Clinton’s recession;
9/11 and its aftermath;
Enron, Worldcom, etc., and Sarbanes-Oxley;
The daily talking down of the economy by Democrats and their buddies in press.
It will be truly amazing if Bush doesn’t preside over the biggest job losses in the last 10,000 years of recorded history ;]
Andrew J. Lazarus
As I explained earlier, Shark, you have confused instantaneous rate change with average. We could not possibly maintain the current instantaneous change for four years. Bush has yet to make good on any of his promises about total job growth.
Now, are you into real numbers, or stupid-ass talking points?
Ricky
That line of reasoning worked well during the ’02 elections, Kimmitt.
BTW, loved your entry where you opined that the pledge of allegiance is a victory for theocrats. How very mainstream…
shark
I don’t know Andrew, are you into reality, or is your head still in the stupid-ass sixties?
Ricky
The real numbers are looking pretty darn good.
Andrew, are you really going to blame Bush for the job losses that occurred due to 9/11 (such as mine, which I lost within 2 weeks of the attacks)?
How driven by logic and a zeal for numbers/policy is that, as opposed to partisan sniping & blaming Bush for the airline layoffs due to the industry tanking out of travel fear & terrorism?
Aphasia
“little secret” indeed.
I haven’t seen my husband in over a year-he’s in f’ing Iraq.
little secret–sure
Nearing one thousand dead.
“the numbers are looking darn good”…fools. Sad, out-of-it fools.
Aphasia
Sorry. ” the REAL numbers are looking PRETTY darn good.”
Yeah. Right.
Terry
It looks as though another nutjob named, “Aphasia,” has joined in the discussion. Also probably on a pass from the loony bin.
Aphasia
Terry! You’re brilliant!
willyb
“little secret–sure
Nearing one thousand dead.
“the numbers are looking darn good”…fools. Sad, out-of-it fools.”
What’s your point? By the way, the dead in this war are at least 3,000 higher. Since you are so with-it, what would you propose. Sit around and wait for them to show up on U.S. soil before we start to go after them?
Aphasia
What would you propose? Jumping into action-or reading to third graders about a pet goat for eleven minuites?
willyb
“What would you propose? Jumping into action-or reading to third graders about a pet goat for eleven minuites?”
Huh? I’m starting to wonder if Terry is right about you. Do you have a point to make about your 1,000 dead comment, or this like a zen blog you’re building here?
Aphasia
“Do you have a point to make about your 1’000 dead comment,(?) or is this like a zen blogZZZZzzzzzzzzz?
Aphasia
Our proud leader, GW Bush is sunk. He is turning out to be the Jimmy Carter of his generation.
poster Terry could be a nutjob recently released from St Elizabeth’s. Delightful…but beware!
jeff
If you go to Oliver’s site, you’ll see that i was right with my burger-flipping prediction.
He uses “fry cook”, but it’s close enough for me to give myself a pat on the back.
Kimmitt
I know that it’s gauche among conservatives, but let’s try holding Bush to his word. He promised that his tax cuts would create 5.5 million jobs, starting in July of 2003. His number was only off by about three million so far.
Slartibartfast
Kimmitt apparently has a great deal more trouble with the distinction between “promised” and “projected” than I do with metaphor.
Kimmitt
Fair enough, but Bush obviously endorsed the projection.
Slartibartfast
And? I project that by the end of this year, we’re going to be out of debt (mortgage aside). This doesn’t mean my wife will divorce me if that doesn’t happen. And I have much more direct role in making that happen than Bush does in job creation, which you well know. Or ought to.
Kimmitt
I’m just saying — if I ran a company that borrowed $500 billion on the premise that it would have a certain effect, and then it didn’t, then I would be rightfully fired.
Kimmitt
On further thought, if my name happened to be “Bush,” I’d be much less likely to be fired. Which is what appears to be happening now.
Maybe I should change my last name and see if that does the trick. I’m tired of working for a living anyway.
Dean
Kimmitt:
Exactly what kind of economics are you studying?
Being a student hardly counts as “working for a living.”
And I take it that the dot-com boom (and bust) which was part of the Clinton economic boom has escaped your attention? Or did all the promised programs, new business models, etc., wind up w/ people fired and lots of folks going to jail?
Kimmitt
‘Being a student hardly counts as “working for a living.”‘
You know, it’s hardly unheard-of for someone to graduate with a Bachelor’s, go work in the real world for a while to build up money, then go back to school — with the intent of eventually working again.
And you’re trying to change the subject — Bush justified his tax cuts by saying they would create a certain number of jobs, and they haven’t.