A Closer Look
Not to belabor the point, but the number of lucky people who got the new jobs created this month could all fit comfortably inside Wrigley Field in Chicago and watch a good series against San Diego next week, assuming they could slip away from work for a pleasant afternoon, a great Chicago tradition. What a picture it would make, all 32,000 of them -- with a good 7,000 seats to spare -- they could bring the kids!

Seriously, looking at the report again you notice something that looks very serious indeed: in the service sector (where most of the growth was) the retail trade number actually fell by 19,000 jobs. If consumers don't have the money to consume, retail stores can't add workers to service them. And manufacturers and wholesalers won't be hustling to get goods out to them either. Not good at all.

Even the "leisure and hospitality" sector fell for the first time by 2,000 jobs -- during the summer vacation season!

If Bush doesn't get pummelled by these numbers, the whore-press isn't doing the job.

For the past several years, it's been the swing states who have been hardest hit. Why they aren't just rising up with their pitchforks and clubs and marching toward Washington themselves is something I don't understand, but somehow they've gotten it into their heads that Bush is doing something right, when clearly it's just not working.

The big regional tables for July don't come out until August 20th. I'll be there, notebook in hand.

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:08 PM | | | Link |