John Burton is entirely right, and the far right radical revolutionaries (a four-word synonym for "fascists") need to be called out for what they are.

The question is not only if you're better off today than 4 yrs. ago but do you want the debt collectors and repo agents hassling and chasing you around again day and night for the next 4 yrs. if Barack Obama is reelected. I THINK NOOOOOOOOT. We need Mitt Romney to SHOW US THE MONEY so we could pay off our bills.

Oh look. Another troll. Yawn.

It's too bad Democrats can't take their own side in a fight. Really, really too bad. And stupid. Because Rove is a fan of Goebbels.

That is so f...ing beautiful! Still chuckling. Any odds that will actually make it into an Obama ad? Don't democrat want to lose 'gracefully' rather than play by the repubs' rules? Would make for another David Brooks moment where 'the incivility of Obama is a disgrace' can be the topic of unending conversation.

It's true, but hardly wonderful, like being the tallest of the seven dwarfs. Please refer to the chart....

http://marketblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/percent-job-losses-post-recession.png?w=540&h=352

That chart would look a lot better without the massive loss of public sector jobs. The GOP has eradicated almost 600K public sector jobs, whereas under the administrations of Reagan and W they not only held on to public sector jobs they added almost a million new ones.

http://marketblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/percent-job-losses-post-recession.png?w=540&h=352

Re: #2.2

The chart referred to is just a part of the picture.

This chart shows just how severe the Great Recession was.

It shows how the rate of recovery for the 1990 and 2001 recessions were compared to the other ones displayed on the chart.

Why were these recoveries slower - anyone know?

Also note that the rate of recovery (the slope of the line) for the 2001 and the 2007 recessions are very similar.

Here is a more complete picture:

Chart Book: The Legacy of the Great Recession

The United States went through its longest, and by most measures worst economic recession since the Great Depression between December 2007 and June 2009. This chartbook will document the course of the economy following that recession against the background of how deep a hole the recession created – and how much deeper that hole would have been without the financial stabilization and fiscal stimulus policies enacted in late 2008 and early 2009.

Regarding unemployment (Note: these figures are for private sector):

Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (National)

www.bls.gov

search for "CES0500000001"

G.W.Bush

January 2000 = 110,210,000

January 2001 = 111,631,000 - Note: jobs were added in 2000 1,421,000

Low point was July 2003 = 108,232,000 - loss of 3,399,000

June 2005 = 111, 844,000 - back to where we were January 2001 4yrs 6 mos

Jobs were added - to January 2008, then were flushed down the toilet.

Obama

Great Recession started December 2007

January 2008 = 115,647,000

January 2009 = 110,985,000 - NOTE: loss of 4,662,000 in 2008

Low point was February 2010 = 106,773,000 - additional loss of 4,212

April 2012 = 110,956,000 - back to where we were in January 2009 - 3 yrs 4 mos

Preliminary July 2012 = 111,317,000

-----------------------------------

We were half-way down the "Jobs hole" when President Obama took office and we kept falling.

We are halfway out of the hole but the distance we have climbed is farther than we climbed when led by G.W.Bush and it didn't take us as long.

bad link in my 2nd post.

let's try that again... http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/ezra-klein/StandingArt/gov%20employment%20four%20recessions.png?uuid=uf7gPrP6EeGBuV3_cCjgZg

and the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/public-sector-austerity-in-one-graph/2012/06/11/gJQAv89NVV_blog.html

Re: #2.5

Nice graphs! :)

The 2008 recession (actually started in December 2007) line shows the dramatic spike for the 2010 census.

HERE'S OBAMA'S RECORD ON JOBS IN A NUTSHELL:

2008 to present jobs created 4 million (Gross)

(- MINUS)

2008 to present jobs lost 5 million (Gross)

Net jobs gain = negative -1 million (loss)

Note: (This after wasting $6T in only 4 yrs.) Yes, this is one hell of an impressive record !!!

Nitwit sindee,

Obama was sworn into office on Jan. 21 2009, so your 2008 figures are bull@!$%#, just like the rest of your post.

Yes, the problem is always the ambitions. Good boys gone bad.....But that's kind of the problem. Conquest is a lot more appealing to the power-seekers and control freaks than civil service.

Here's the comment I meant in reply to Luz. The problem with the "if only" is that power seekers, control freaks and (particularly with Goebbels) those devoid of conscience get no joy out of being mere civil servants or good managers of their own country. Oh, and then there's the fact that they got rid of a few of those country's citizens along the way on that path to prosperity.

Germany became one of the most powerful countries in the world based on an economic policy.

You need to re-read your history. What you just listed as "facts" about the Nazis are the opposite of facts. I suggest you start with "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich."

Maybe he was patient zero with Teaheimers. Poor gipper, back with his monkey..

And is Rham running for President of the United States?

No?

Then either stay on topic or STFU.

Donna, so, your criteria is that everything posted has to be about either Romney or Obama?

What part of...

"Anything to add? Consider this an open thread."

...did you not understand? Your maturity level is so evident in most of your posts. I can get "snarky," too, and not resort to foul language or name calling.

Blob,

so your criteria is to post an article that has absolutely no bearing on the subject at hand?

What part of

You are an ignorant troll here to offer straw man arguments in some lame attempt at dissing Obama

don't you understand?

Your maturity level is lower than what you accuse mine of being. And get "snarky" @!$%#. I will call you out on your bull@!$%# every time you post.

I stand on pretty solid footing. Two Democrat State Senators from Chicago seem to agree with me, that Rahm Emmanuel is relevant now and even to Obama and the DNC Convention:

Not everyone was thrilled about the mayor’s decision to cut the convention trip short.

“We can easily dismiss this as mere politics, but it’s important politics. There are major things at stake here,” said State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago).

“Mayor Emanuel is more than a figure in Chicago. He’s a national figure. His presence here is important.” Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) added, “He was in the Clinton White House. He was the chief of staff to the President. He’s the best witness to the successes of Obama. He’s the one who can answer the misstatements of the Republicans about whether we’re better off than we were four years ago. More than just being the mayor, he’s a national figure.”

What evidence, other than your opinion, do you have that my post is off "topic?" As usually, I expect you to reply with some sort of insult, dismissive comment, and maybe even name calling...I eagerly await your "mature" response.

You stand on no "solid footing."

Bottom line: Rham is not running for President of the United States.

Rham has a job that he needs to tend to.

Your "evidence" is, once again, pure bull@!$%# and has nothing to do with this election other than you trying to put forth a lame straw man argument in a desperate attempt at trying to say something negative about Obama.

And you will pull anything out of your ass to do so.

But no one is buying what you are selling.

Other than to blanks or other random trolls on this site, your "opinion" mean nothing. They just show you to be a desperate troll who is off topic and out of his mind.

Donna,

ALL the posts below were from Steve's post above and have NOTHING to do with the election.

* Two American service members were killed in an insurgent attack in Afghanistan on Saturday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said.

Additional details on the Pakistani bombing Tricia noted earlier

Wildfires: "A wildfire in the Angeles National Forest that forced the evacuation of thousands of visitors has grown another 500 acres and additional firefighting resources have been requested

And finally

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread

This post is called "Monday's Mini Report" NOT Monday's Election report OK?

You are getting way too defensive about nothing. Anyone that does not agree 100% with you or brings up anything slightly negative about a Democrat you pipe up - usually very rudely - and YOU try to deflect whatever the topic is. What is your effing deal? You are a good example of a left wing nut. You really are.

Oh, and I agree with RobDon on Emanual. He inherited a big hole in the city's budget from the previous Democratic Mayor (Daley) and is cutting corners everywhere including the schools.

Skippy,

blob's posts are as irrelevant as yours are.

And pointing out the fact that blob will post anything, no matter how off topic, relevant, or even dishonest is not being defensive. It is calling out a troll for what he/she/it is: a troll engaging in troll like behaviors.

And I could care less if you or blob don't agree with me.

And I will continue to "pipe up" in any manner that I see fit. And I could care less if you, blob, or anyone else finds it rude.

I call it exactly as I see it. Which is: you, blob, and blanks are right wing trolls.

And you blob and blanks are perfect examples of ignorant right wing trolls. You guys really are.

Whatever Donna,

You have no intelligent response most of the time. You just call people names. I assume you are not yet in high school. If you have no response to RobDon's comment on the Mayor of Chicago, then why even respond? It is an "open thread" as Steve states whether you believe it or not. His comment was NOT off topic since ANYTHING can be a topic:

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread

Maybe you do not know what "open thread" means.

Whatever is right, Skippy.

You and blob have over inflated egos that blinds you to the fact that you both are right wing trolls.

And your ASSumptions are pure projection there little boy.

And blob's comment was off topic and quite irrelevant, just like your posts.

Maybe you do not know what "being a troll" means.

Skip, thanks for the comments.

Look, I'm sure Donna is a likeable person and is even sincere. Unfortunately, here her passion blinds her ability to respond reasonably (IMHO). The lack of a constructive dialog is something that is becoming more and more common on this blog.

You two need to get a room. Seriously.

And I could care less if you find me likeable, sincere, or anything else for that matter.

And I could care less if you think of my dialogue, or if it doesn't live up to your high troll standards.

And what is becoming more and more common on this blog are trolls like you, skippy and blanks coming on this thread with all of your bull@!$%#.

Are we better off than we were four years ago ?.. Well lets review , the car manufacturing companies in america were on the brink of extinction , the stock market was in the dumps , the national GDP average was actually contracting , the U.S. economy was losing about 700,000 jobs a month , millions of middle class americans lost over 1 trillion dollars in retirement savings , the banking sector had to resort to corporate welfare (Government Bailouts) to survive ?...

And we as a nation were looking at another great depression !...

So yes four years ago , we as an Economic power were actually pretty f**ked !...

now we are just f**ked , But hopefully Barack Obama will STOP talking about what happened in the past four years and he will START discusing with the American people what his economic recovery plan WILL DO for this nation in the next four years.

Its obvious that the economic recovery in the United States will take time , no matter who is elected president in 2012 , yet , if Mitt Romney or Barack Obama , if elected decide to implement the same economic recovery that europe has implemented consisting of DRACONIAN federal cuts to entitlements and AUSTERITY measures while at the sametime rewarding the 1% super rich of this country by extending the bush tax cuts , then I can guarantee we will witness the same riots and clashes with police all over this nation like the ones that have taken place in Eurozone member states like Greece..

It is up to Barack Obama this week to come to the American people with a detailed Economic Recovery plan that will ilustrate how he will go about trying to jump start the U.S. Economy without sinking us into a DOUBLE DIP recession...

If all he talks about is the same B.S. of making education affordable , green energy independence etc. etc. without mentioning Infrastructure repair , without mentioning grants for displaced unemployed workers who need to get retraining , without mentioning a plan to bring to an END , the housing and foreclosure disaster that is part of what has made the U.S. Economic recovery so ANEMIC , BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA will lose his re-election bid and MITT ROMNEY will become the next president of these United States come january 2013...

BARACK OBAMA better come prepared , even if he has to use the teleprompters , because his speech this week at the D.N.C. will become one of the main components in my opinion , of what the American people will use to judge if Barack Obama deserves a second term in office...

Just found my answer; http://www.measuringworth.com/usgdp/