U.S. unemployment rate hits a five-year high

The only number we need to know at this point is how many days left before the total disaster of GW leaves office.

The Shrub is the best at destroying anything the common working man has. Thanks King Shrub for all you've done.

The Shrub is the best at destroying anything the common working man has. Thanks King Shrub for all you've done.

McCain said his tax cuts will "create jobs" ... you mean the same way that Bush's did?

There needs to be a long term element to drive the economy today. We had agriculture, then industry then service now what? Maybe the government can rebuilt the infrastructure in this country and push alternative means of energy as a stimulus. Create jobs, create wealth and reduce the tax burden and debt.

Exactly, Geno, the economy needs a basic drive, and that drive is green jobs.

People..the unemployment rate is 15% EASY. You are forgetting about the folks "off the board".

) adults that still live at home w/ parents aged 18-60. Because of this neo con economy people by the millions have been forced to move in with relatives. MANY of these do not work. Do not get unemployment etc.

)People like me, 47 and a retired teamster. I will not work w/o a contract or low pay. I saved every dime and don't have to work. Since the neo cons got in office I buy little, hide my money (like the millionaires!) and will not support these anti American, anti middle class, anti worker NEO CONS.
And will not give a DIME to their phony war..

PEOPLE GET THE GOVERNMENT THEY DESERVE

ONLY ONE PARTY WORSE THAN THE DEMS....

Here in Atlanta, Georgia there are approximately 50,000 illegal Latinos employed in various industries. I happen to work in Landscaping business and finding it very difficult every day to keep my head above water because of the competition coming from those that hire illegals. This is just one city of the thousands that are employing these people. I wonder what the numbers would be if those jobs were filled by Americans. I cannot drive by a government work site such as; highway construction, new school construction etc. without seeing more than one half the work force Latino. We need to secure those borders and get our people back to work.

I was on unemployment a few years back - my 26 weeks came and went - I was unemployed for 11 months (2003-04) Once my benefits stopped I was no longer a part of the percentage. There are millions like that.

Stop whining, its all in your head!

We as a people need to start a new car company that only make hybrid cars that can get 100 miles to the gallon, low cost and bad credit no problem, just turn your old car in and destroy the gas guzzlers. It may not solve all the problems but it sure would help, all these cars made in America.

if you think this is bad, wait and see what happen if McCain wins. he is for everything bush has ask for. they are selling America. wake up people. what part of george and john do you not understand ???
I did see Sarah carrying her little baby that needs special care around to make us feel she is a good mother. a good mother would be at home taking care of that Child.

Don't worry be happy people. Sarah Palin said that she and Senator McCain will cut taxes and stimulate the economy, it will all be better in January! Trust them.

Palin is OK. She is being groomed for 2012. Maybe run for the Senate in 2010. She would make a better candidate than John. The GOP needs a new look other than old white guys.

Here is an except from the bureau of labor. Even though unemplyment went up, so did business productivity; but not in durable goods manufacturing. This outta tell you something.

Productivity and Costs, Second Quarter 2008 Revised

Internet address: USDL 08-1251
Historical, technical TRANSMISSION OF THIS information: (202) 691-5606 MATERIAL IS EMBARGOED
Current data: (202) 691-5200 UNTIL 8:30 A.M. EDT,
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008.

PRODUCTIVITY AND COSTS Second Quarter 2008, Revised

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor today reported revised productivity data--as measured by output per hour of all persons--for the second quarter of 2008. The seasonally adjusted annual rates of productivity change in the second quarter were:

4.3 percent in the business sector and 4.3 percent in the nonfarm business sector.

In both sectors, the second-quarter productivity gains were larger than the preliminary estimates reported on August 8.

In manufacturing, the revised productivity changes in the second quarter were:

-2.2 percent in manufacturing, -4.5 percent in durable goods manufacturing, and 0.2 percent in nondurable goods manufacturing.

These are U. S. Department of Labor Statistics. They don't deal in specifics, only percentages...they look at the overall "big picture" of the economy. What they are saying is that the economy is ailing. The economy is getting worse. More jobs are being lost/eliminated than are being created. The overall situation looks even worse than they had projected.

Where is it happening? It is happening everywhere...in every major employment sector in the United States. Even if summergal isn't (yet) feeling the pinch, the majority of Americans are.

As for why it is happening, the first and most logical place to look would be the policies of the Republican administration that seems hell-bent on bankrupting this economy in order to keep their corporate government fat and happy (and let's not overlook their determination to keep the war machine well-oiled).

What summergal doesn't seem concerned or curious about is what can be done to fix it. Waiting for more excuses and rationalizations (when they even bother to offer them) from a failed administration is one approach...we could keep listening to the plentiful speeches about why we need to continue to watch our standard of living bottom out while big energy companies rake in record profits.

Or we could vote this administration out in November. We could refuse to accept another four years of watching our nations prosperity - along with our rights - being sucked up by the Republicans and sent to Iraq. Rather than voting for more of the same failed policies that the Republicans are clinging to, we could vote for a different approach from a different administration. This is the option I choose. What about you?

US companies who have overseas operations can use those figures in there productivity reports. Lower wages, more output, higher productivity ratios.

They is nothing the Rep. can do that the Dem. are not a part of. They control Washington at the present time, and if Obama gets into office, he says he will reduce taxes. What a joke!!

Our taxes are what fund all these programs like unemployment insurance. If he reduces taxes, whose is he talking about. Sure as hell is not going to be the man on the street!!

He is as rich as any Rep. and so are all his friends!! His "friends" will get the tax breaks, we will not get a tax break, we will have to pay more, because in order to keep all our government programs working we need more taxes not less!!

Any "man on the street" knows that. Obama is not working for the ordinary man like the liberal press would have us believe, he is working for himself and his rich friends.

It' a good thing both Bush and McCain are saying the US economy is in great shape (sarcasm).

It's not just about job losses, look at the stock market. My wife and I have lost money in investments.
The two generally go hand in hand. A McCaine presidency will make these numbers worse, you can't embrace Bush's policy and think it's going to work at some point. Bush's policies are proved to be disastrous. McCaine has no clue how the economy works and when he had Phil Graham to help him with it, he only called Americans, Whiners.

Since the New Deal, Republicans have been on the wrong side of every issue of concern to ordinary Americans; Social Security, the war in Vietnam, Iraq, equal rights, civil liberties, church- state separation, consumer issues, public education, reproductive freedom, national health care, labor issues, gun policy, campaign-finance reform, the environment
and tax fairness. No political party could remain so consistently wrong by accident.
The only rational conclusion is that, despite their cynical "family values" propaganda, the Republican Party is a criminal conspiracy to betray the interests of the American people
in favor of plutocratic and corporate interests, and absolutist religious groups.

Unemployment 75,000 a month, Housing Market $0, National Debt 1Trillion and growing, John McCain for President, Priceless...because we can't afford another Republican President!

Why does everyone say the last 8 years was Bad. The first 4 years of Bush was very productive (He even got re-elected). Every since the Iraq war I'v seen Democrats take controll of the Congress and than stall the American Goverment for the last 2 years to make the Country very unstable. For the last 2 years we have been controlled by Congress and it's failures. The "DO NOTHING CONGRESS" is democrate controlled and now we want to Hand the Predidentcy to the Democrats also. This doesn't sound Good.

This is a republican recession aggravated by a republican war brought on by a belligerent republican foreign policy. The democrats do not have a veto proof majority contrary to the republican lie machine. Face it, republicans, you blew it. If you really had the good of the country at heart you would just step aside.