Money and Business

Jump Shot

Here’s an example of the due diligence given to the economy and jobs by the administration . . .

Jump Shot

From Fox Business:

Payrolls increased by 88,000 last month following a revised 268,000 gain in February, with the disappointing report following two others this week that also cast a negative view on the labor market.

“We can now add the monthly employment report to the growing list of data points that simply haven’t met expectations,” Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG LLC in New York, said in emailed comments.

After falling 171 points, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) recovered the lions share of its losses to end at 14,565.25, down 0.3% for the session and 0.1% for the week.

Cartoon via The Patriot Post.

Gas Prices

Gas Prices

When we have to make the obligatory trip back to the old homestead in The People’s Republik, we try and plan such that we only need to buy fuel once while we’re there. This recent trip worked out OK in that we bought only once there and at the “best” price available in the area. Still, the Arco (cheap) price is between thirty and fifty cents per gallon more than we pay in Arizona. Mostly (I’m certain), thanks to the enviro-nutty tax on fuel out there. Still, fuel prices are going up everywhere according to the plan of the idiots in Congress and elsewhere.

Note the eighteen cent differential between Arco and Chevron located on the same intersection in Torrance, CA. Click on the image to enlarge.

Family Entrepreneur

Pro 2A Tees

Damsel’s nephew has a little business going where he applies his graphic arts training to creating custom designs for his clients. As a sideline, he started making custom T shirts, many with pro-second amendment messages. I got these images of just two of many Pro 2A designs from his facebook page, TB Creative Designs. Click on the image to enlarge.

I’ve known this kid since he was literally a knee-high. Glad to see him doing well in spite of the dour economical picture.

The Truth About The Economy Is In The Numbers

going-down.jpgIf the president intends to run on his record, he has a lot of numbers that his campaign is going to try and hide from you (or blame Bush, I suppose).

The Economic Collapse itemized seventy numbers that don’t look good for the president or congress this fall. The list is published in its entirety on YOLOhub.com. This is only a partial list of the many interesting, but disappointing, numbers affecting today’s economy.

This is the first dozen numerical factoids of the compiled list. You can read all of them by clicking on the link below.

Via YOLOhub:

$3.59 – When Barack Obama entered the White House, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $1.85. Today, it is$3.59.

22 – It is hard to believe, but today the poverty rate for children living in the United States is a whopping 22 percent.

23 – According to U.S. Representative Betty Sutton, an average of 23 manufacturing facilities permanently shut down in the United States every single day during 2010.

30 – Back in 2007, about 10 percent of all unemployed Americans had been out of work for 52 weeks or longer. Today, that number is above 30 percent.

32 – The amount of money that the federal government gives directly to Americans has increased by 32 percent since Barack Obama entered the White House.

35 – U.S. housing prices are now down a total of 35 percent from the peak of the housing bubble.

40 – The official U.S. unemployment rate has been above 8 percent for 40 months in a row.

42 – According to one survey, 42 percent of all American workers are currently living paycheck to paycheck.

48 – Shockingly, at this point 48 percent of all Americans are either considered to be “low income” or are living in poverty.

49 – Today, an astounding 49.1 percent of all Americans live in a home where at least one person receives benefits from the government.

53 – Last year, an astounding 53 percent of all U.S. college graduates under the age of 25 were either unemployed or underemployed.

60 – According to a recent Gallup poll, only 60 percent of all Americans say that they have enough money to live comfortably.