From: krw on
On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 11:23:20 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodboat(a)yahoo.com wrote:

>On Jul 6, 5:57�pm, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>> On Jul 6, 4:25�pm, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>
>> > On Jul 6, 7:37 am, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>
>> > > On Jul 6, 6:53 am, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>> > > > Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>
>
>> > > > At least FDR got something tangible, some infrastructure,
>> > > > however much it cost him. �We still use some of it today. �Barack's
>> > > > money is gone, with nothing to show for it.
>>
>> > > > > - you've got 10% unemployment, not 25%.
>>
>> > > > It's 18%, actually.
>>
>> > > According to whose web-site?
>>
>> > Obama's.
>>
>> > >http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.htm
>>
>> > > says 9.5%. This has to be the "official" figure.
>>
>> > > I'm sure that you can find some right-wing nit wit who has counted
>> > > everybody who isn't actually working - as in sick, retired or getting
>> > > an education - as unemployed, but it is ratehr difficult to compare
>> > > their "unemployment" level with historical numbers.
>>
>> > The number you cite doesn't count people who've given up--we had
>> > 652,000 of those *last month*. �(That's why unemployment's "down", the
>> > "progress" the President touted last week.) �It's the for-dummies
>> > number.
>>
>> > Your figure counts scientists mowing lawns part-time or selling
>> > newspapers on street corners as "employed."
>>
>> > So, the number of people who want full-time work but can't find it is
>> > ~18%. �Or maybe 17%--I haven't added it up recently.
>>
>> In other words, you can find people in the statistics whom you think
>> ought to be counted as unemployed, and if I went to the trouble of
>> trawling through the statistics and trying to duplicate your anti-
>> Obama mind-set I might be able to recreate your 18% unemployent
>> figure.
>>
>> Not of figure that tells us much about the current state of the
>> economy, because we can't easily go back and perform the same
>> conjuring trick on earlier statistics
>>
>> > You can confirm these and more at the right-wing Obama
>> > administration's BLS website. �Your link, for starters, and
>>
>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
>>
>> > and
>>
>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm
>>
>> In other words, the 18% comes out of your fertile imagination, lightly
>> constrained by the official numbers. If a republican were in power,
>> your prejudices would work differently.
>
>No, actually it's an official government figure; I just explained to
>you how it's calculated.

It's called the "U6" (unemployed looking for work + unemployed no longer
looking - "discouraged" + underemployed). The normally reported "survey"
numbers are known as the "U3".

>Like with the money supply's M1, M2, & M3, the government publishes a
>number of stats on unemployment. You cited the "for dummies" number,
>the number the President uses when he says 652,000 people--in one
>month--giving up entirely and dropping out of the work force is a good
>thing.

U1 through U6 are defined about half way down:
http://www.search.com/reference/Unemployment

>So, wait a minute, if they all quit looking, everyone will be
>employed! Hooray! You've solved it! Better, job-hunting should be
>banned! It's un-American!

makes U3 look good, but U6 won't look so great.

>Meanwhile I added it up for your convenience, but you yourself can
>find that (and all the various official unemployment measures) from
>official .gov sources if you look. You might have to dig--this
>administration doesn't put them front and center. Bad for business,
>you know.

Kinda like M3?
From: John Larkin on
On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:46:20 -0500, "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz"
<krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:

>On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 11:23:20 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodboat(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>
>>On Jul 6, 5:57�pm, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>> On Jul 6, 4:25�pm, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>
>>> > On Jul 6, 7:37 am, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> > > On Jul 6, 6:53 am, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>> > > > Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> > > > At least FDR got something tangible, some infrastructure,
>>> > > > however much it cost him. �We still use some of it today. �Barack's
>>> > > > money is gone, with nothing to show for it.
>>>
>>> > > > > - you've got 10% unemployment, not 25%.
>>>
>>> > > > It's 18%, actually.
>>>
>>> > > According to whose web-site?
>>>
>>> > Obama's.
>>>
>>> > >http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.htm
>>>
>>> > > says 9.5%. This has to be the "official" figure.
>>>
>>> > > I'm sure that you can find some right-wing nit wit who has counted
>>> > > everybody who isn't actually working - as in sick, retired or getting
>>> > > an education - as unemployed, but it is ratehr difficult to compare
>>> > > their "unemployment" level with historical numbers.
>>>
>>> > The number you cite doesn't count people who've given up--we had
>>> > 652,000 of those *last month*. �(That's why unemployment's "down", the
>>> > "progress" the President touted last week.) �It's the for-dummies
>>> > number.
>>>
>>> > Your figure counts scientists mowing lawns part-time or selling
>>> > newspapers on street corners as "employed."
>>>
>>> > So, the number of people who want full-time work but can't find it is
>>> > ~18%. �Or maybe 17%--I haven't added it up recently.
>>>
>>> In other words, you can find people in the statistics whom you think
>>> ought to be counted as unemployed, and if I went to the trouble of
>>> trawling through the statistics and trying to duplicate your anti-
>>> Obama mind-set I might be able to recreate your 18% unemployent
>>> figure.
>>>
>>> Not of figure that tells us much about the current state of the
>>> economy, because we can't easily go back and perform the same
>>> conjuring trick on earlier statistics
>>>
>>> > You can confirm these and more at the right-wing Obama
>>> > administration's BLS website. �Your link, for starters, and
>>>
>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
>>>
>>> > and
>>>
>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm
>>>
>>> In other words, the 18% comes out of your fertile imagination, lightly
>>> constrained by the official numbers. If a republican were in power,
>>> your prejudices would work differently.
>>
>>No, actually it's an official government figure; I just explained to
>>you how it's calculated.
>
>It's called the "U6" (unemployed looking for work + unemployed no longer
>looking - "discouraged" + underemployed). The normally reported "survey"
>numbers are known as the "U3".
>
>>Like with the money supply's M1, M2, & M3, the government publishes a
>>number of stats on unemployment. You cited the "for dummies" number,
>>the number the President uses when he says 652,000 people--in one
>>month--giving up entirely and dropping out of the work force is a good
>>thing.
>
>U1 through U6 are defined about half way down:
>http://www.search.com/reference/Unemployment
>
>>So, wait a minute, if they all quit looking, everyone will be
>>employed! Hooray! You've solved it! Better, job-hunting should be
>>banned! It's un-American!
>
>makes U3 look good, but U6 won't look so great.


U7: fraction of population who could work but who aren't working.

U8: fraction of population that isn't working.

U9: Like U8, but exclude government employees as "working."


U9 is the one that really matters, of course.

John


From: krw on
On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:01:24 -0700, John Larkin
<jjlarkin(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:46:20 -0500, "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz"
><krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 11:23:20 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodboat(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>
>>>On Jul 6, 5:57�pm, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>> On Jul 6, 4:25�pm, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>> > On Jul 6, 7:37 am, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> > > On Jul 6, 6:53 am, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>> > > > Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> > > > At least FDR got something tangible, some infrastructure,
>>>> > > > however much it cost him. �We still use some of it today. �Barack's
>>>> > > > money is gone, with nothing to show for it.
>>>>
>>>> > > > > - you've got 10% unemployment, not 25%.
>>>>
>>>> > > > It's 18%, actually.
>>>>
>>>> > > According to whose web-site?
>>>>
>>>> > Obama's.
>>>>
>>>> > >http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.htm
>>>>
>>>> > > says 9.5%. This has to be the "official" figure.
>>>>
>>>> > > I'm sure that you can find some right-wing nit wit who has counted
>>>> > > everybody who isn't actually working - as in sick, retired or getting
>>>> > > an education - as unemployed, but it is ratehr difficult to compare
>>>> > > their "unemployment" level with historical numbers.
>>>>
>>>> > The number you cite doesn't count people who've given up--we had
>>>> > 652,000 of those *last month*. �(That's why unemployment's "down", the
>>>> > "progress" the President touted last week.) �It's the for-dummies
>>>> > number.
>>>>
>>>> > Your figure counts scientists mowing lawns part-time or selling
>>>> > newspapers on street corners as "employed."
>>>>
>>>> > So, the number of people who want full-time work but can't find it is
>>>> > ~18%. �Or maybe 17%--I haven't added it up recently.
>>>>
>>>> In other words, you can find people in the statistics whom you think
>>>> ought to be counted as unemployed, and if I went to the trouble of
>>>> trawling through the statistics and trying to duplicate your anti-
>>>> Obama mind-set I might be able to recreate your 18% unemployent
>>>> figure.
>>>>
>>>> Not of figure that tells us much about the current state of the
>>>> economy, because we can't easily go back and perform the same
>>>> conjuring trick on earlier statistics
>>>>
>>>> > You can confirm these and more at the right-wing Obama
>>>> > administration's BLS website. �Your link, for starters, and
>>>>
>>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
>>>>
>>>> > and
>>>>
>>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm
>>>>
>>>> In other words, the 18% comes out of your fertile imagination, lightly
>>>> constrained by the official numbers. If a republican were in power,
>>>> your prejudices would work differently.
>>>
>>>No, actually it's an official government figure; I just explained to
>>>you how it's calculated.
>>
>>It's called the "U6" (unemployed looking for work + unemployed no longer
>>looking - "discouraged" + underemployed). The normally reported "survey"
>>numbers are known as the "U3".
>>
>>>Like with the money supply's M1, M2, & M3, the government publishes a
>>>number of stats on unemployment. You cited the "for dummies" number,
>>>the number the President uses when he says 652,000 people--in one
>>>month--giving up entirely and dropping out of the work force is a good
>>>thing.
>>
>>U1 through U6 are defined about half way down:
>>http://www.search.com/reference/Unemployment
>>
>>>So, wait a minute, if they all quit looking, everyone will be
>>>employed! Hooray! You've solved it! Better, job-hunting should be
>>>banned! It's un-American!
>>
>>makes U3 look good, but U6 won't look so great.
>
>
>U7: fraction of population who could work but who aren't working.
>
>U8: fraction of population that isn't working.
>
>U9: Like U8, but exclude government employees as "working."
>
>
>U9 is the one that really matters, of course.

As long as it doesn't include those who don't want employment (retired, stay
at home mothers, etc.).
From: John Larkin on
On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:13:02 -0500, "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz"
<krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:

>On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:01:24 -0700, John Larkin
><jjlarkin(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:46:20 -0500, "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz"
>><krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 11:23:20 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodboat(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Jul 6, 5:57�pm, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>>> On Jul 6, 4:25�pm, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> > On Jul 6, 7:37 am, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> > > On Jul 6, 6:53 am, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>>> > > > Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> > > > At least FDR got something tangible, some infrastructure,
>>>>> > > > however much it cost him. �We still use some of it today. �Barack's
>>>>> > > > money is gone, with nothing to show for it.
>>>>>
>>>>> > > > > - you've got 10% unemployment, not 25%.
>>>>>
>>>>> > > > It's 18%, actually.
>>>>>
>>>>> > > According to whose web-site?
>>>>>
>>>>> > Obama's.
>>>>>
>>>>> > >http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.htm
>>>>>
>>>>> > > says 9.5%. This has to be the "official" figure.
>>>>>
>>>>> > > I'm sure that you can find some right-wing nit wit who has counted
>>>>> > > everybody who isn't actually working - as in sick, retired or getting
>>>>> > > an education - as unemployed, but it is ratehr difficult to compare
>>>>> > > their "unemployment" level with historical numbers.
>>>>>
>>>>> > The number you cite doesn't count people who've given up--we had
>>>>> > 652,000 of those *last month*. �(That's why unemployment's "down", the
>>>>> > "progress" the President touted last week.) �It's the for-dummies
>>>>> > number.
>>>>>
>>>>> > Your figure counts scientists mowing lawns part-time or selling
>>>>> > newspapers on street corners as "employed."
>>>>>
>>>>> > So, the number of people who want full-time work but can't find it is
>>>>> > ~18%. �Or maybe 17%--I haven't added it up recently.
>>>>>
>>>>> In other words, you can find people in the statistics whom you think
>>>>> ought to be counted as unemployed, and if I went to the trouble of
>>>>> trawling through the statistics and trying to duplicate your anti-
>>>>> Obama mind-set I might be able to recreate your 18% unemployent
>>>>> figure.
>>>>>
>>>>> Not of figure that tells us much about the current state of the
>>>>> economy, because we can't easily go back and perform the same
>>>>> conjuring trick on earlier statistics
>>>>>
>>>>> > You can confirm these and more at the right-wing Obama
>>>>> > administration's BLS website. �Your link, for starters, and
>>>>>
>>>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
>>>>>
>>>>> > and
>>>>>
>>>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm
>>>>>
>>>>> In other words, the 18% comes out of your fertile imagination, lightly
>>>>> constrained by the official numbers. If a republican were in power,
>>>>> your prejudices would work differently.
>>>>
>>>>No, actually it's an official government figure; I just explained to
>>>>you how it's calculated.
>>>
>>>It's called the "U6" (unemployed looking for work + unemployed no longer
>>>looking - "discouraged" + underemployed). The normally reported "survey"
>>>numbers are known as the "U3".
>>>
>>>>Like with the money supply's M1, M2, & M3, the government publishes a
>>>>number of stats on unemployment. You cited the "for dummies" number,
>>>>the number the President uses when he says 652,000 people--in one
>>>>month--giving up entirely and dropping out of the work force is a good
>>>>thing.
>>>
>>>U1 through U6 are defined about half way down:
>>>http://www.search.com/reference/Unemployment
>>>
>>>>So, wait a minute, if they all quit looking, everyone will be
>>>>employed! Hooray! You've solved it! Better, job-hunting should be
>>>>banned! It's un-American!
>>>
>>>makes U3 look good, but U6 won't look so great.
>>
>>
>>U7: fraction of population who could work but who aren't working.
>>
>>U8: fraction of population that isn't working.
>>
>>U9: Like U8, but exclude government employees as "working."
>>
>>
>>U9 is the one that really matters, of course.
>
>As long as it doesn't include those who don't want employment (retired, stay
>at home mothers, etc.).

What matters is the net fraction of the population that is actually
doing productive work. Retired people, kids, students, people who
choose not to work, stay-home mothers, government types... all consume
food, housing, health care, and other stuff and don't produce any.
It's got to come from the output of the people who do work, namely the
1-U9 fraction of the population.

John


From: krw on
On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:14:29 -0700, John Larkin
<jjlarkin(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:13:02 -0500, "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz"
><krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:01:24 -0700, John Larkin
>><jjlarkin(a)highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:46:20 -0500, "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz"
>>><krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 11:23:20 -0700 (PDT), dagmargoodboat(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On Jul 6, 5:57�pm, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>>>> On Jul 6, 4:25�pm, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > On Jul 6, 7:37 am, Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > > On Jul 6, 6:53 am, dagmargoodb...(a)yahoo.com wrote:
>>>>>> > > > Bill Sloman <bill.slo...(a)ieee.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> > > > At least FDR got something tangible, some infrastructure,
>>>>>> > > > however much it cost him. �We still use some of it today. �Barack's
>>>>>> > > > money is gone, with nothing to show for it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > > > > - you've got 10% unemployment, not 25%.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > > > It's 18%, actually.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > > According to whose web-site?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > Obama's.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > >http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jec.htm
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > > says 9.5%. This has to be the "official" figure.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > > I'm sure that you can find some right-wing nit wit who has counted
>>>>>> > > everybody who isn't actually working - as in sick, retired or getting
>>>>>> > > an education - as unemployed, but it is ratehr difficult to compare
>>>>>> > > their "unemployment" level with historical numbers.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > The number you cite doesn't count people who've given up--we had
>>>>>> > 652,000 of those *last month*. �(That's why unemployment's "down", the
>>>>>> > "progress" the President touted last week.) �It's the for-dummies
>>>>>> > number.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > Your figure counts scientists mowing lawns part-time or selling
>>>>>> > newspapers on street corners as "employed."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > So, the number of people who want full-time work but can't find it is
>>>>>> > ~18%. �Or maybe 17%--I haven't added it up recently.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In other words, you can find people in the statistics whom you think
>>>>>> ought to be counted as unemployed, and if I went to the trouble of
>>>>>> trawling through the statistics and trying to duplicate your anti-
>>>>>> Obama mind-set I might be able to recreate your 18% unemployent
>>>>>> figure.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Not of figure that tells us much about the current state of the
>>>>>> economy, because we can't easily go back and perform the same
>>>>>> conjuring trick on earlier statistics
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > You can confirm these and more at the right-wing Obama
>>>>>> > administration's BLS website. �Your link, for starters, and
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > and
>>>>>>
>>>>>> > �http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In other words, the 18% comes out of your fertile imagination, lightly
>>>>>> constrained by the official numbers. If a republican were in power,
>>>>>> your prejudices would work differently.
>>>>>
>>>>>No, actually it's an official government figure; I just explained to
>>>>>you how it's calculated.
>>>>
>>>>It's called the "U6" (unemployed looking for work + unemployed no longer
>>>>looking - "discouraged" + underemployed). The normally reported "survey"
>>>>numbers are known as the "U3".
>>>>
>>>>>Like with the money supply's M1, M2, & M3, the government publishes a
>>>>>number of stats on unemployment. You cited the "for dummies" number,
>>>>>the number the President uses when he says 652,000 people--in one
>>>>>month--giving up entirely and dropping out of the work force is a good
>>>>>thing.
>>>>
>>>>U1 through U6 are defined about half way down:
>>>>http://www.search.com/reference/Unemployment
>>>>
>>>>>So, wait a minute, if they all quit looking, everyone will be
>>>>>employed! Hooray! You've solved it! Better, job-hunting should be
>>>>>banned! It's un-American!
>>>>
>>>>makes U3 look good, but U6 won't look so great.
>>>
>>>
>>>U7: fraction of population who could work but who aren't working.
>>>
>>>U8: fraction of population that isn't working.
>>>
>>>U9: Like U8, but exclude government employees as "working."
>>>
>>>
>>>U9 is the one that really matters, of course.
>>
>>As long as it doesn't include those who don't want employment (retired, stay
>>at home mothers, etc.).
>
>What matters is the net fraction of the population that is actually
>doing productive work. Retired people, kids, students, people who
>choose not to work, stay-home mothers, government types... all consume
>food, housing, health care, and other stuff and don't produce any.

Bzzzt! Wrong answer. Retirees have investments which certainly do produce.
Stay at home moms produce the next producers.

>It's got to come from the output of the people who do work, namely the
>1-U9 fraction of the population.

Nope. It only comes out of the rest of the population if they're getting
welfare.