The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think

[MacMagus]

> The unemployment rate is LOWER than it was from 1980-1996.

STF for my post on "Pollyanna Creep."

The way that the unemployment rate is calculated has changed.

If figured in the manner that it was in the 1980's, unemployment would be around 12% now. It's MUCH higher than it was in the 1980's and 1990's.

[RgrF]

[quote MacMagus]> The unemployment rate is LOWER than it was from 1980-1996.

STF for my post on "Pollyanna Creep."

The way that the unemployment rate is calculated has changed.

If figured in the manner that it was in the 1980's, unemployment would be around 12% now. It's MUCH higher than it was in the 1980's and 1990's.
The people who use charts that are useless without correlation to methodology of statistical input have no interest in truth.

They are after supporting a political point of view; it won't matter to them what you point out, they'll disregard it.

[SDGuy]

[quote MacMagus]> The unemployment rate is LOWER than it was from 1980-1996.

STF for my post on "Pollyanna Creep."

The way that the unemployment rate is calculated has changed.

If figured in the manner that it was in the 1980's, unemployment would be around 12% now. It's MUCH higher than it was in the 1980's and 1990's.
From the linked article in YOUR post:



No matter how it's measured, the unemployment rate today is LOWER than it was through about 1997. I thought the 1990s are looked upon now as being a great time for the economy.

It's just like I said. People are whiny. A higher unemployment rate (than what we now have) 12 years ago seemed GREAT to people, a lower unemployment rate today (than what it was 12 years ago) is viewed as THE END OF THE WORLD...

[MacMagus]

> No matter how it's measured, the unemployment rate today is LOWER than it was through about 1997.

You seem to have ignored the chart that you claim to refer to.

Perhaps the text is too small for you.

Also, you've changed the date that you're using as a reference. Why did you do that?

[the_poochies]

Of course, in 1984, you could still find a job that provided health benefits, a modest retirement package and a relative amount of job security.

Now, we're gonna have two classes of Americans: those who move huge sums of money around with a computer and those who work at Wal-Mart.

[JoeH]

They have also stopped putting out a couple statistics that might be even more important with the changes in the type of jobs available over the last couple decades. The first, listing the number of "discouraged workers", kept track of how many persons had been looking for a job for more than a year or had stopped looking. They are not counted as "uneployed". Second, how many persons fall into the "underemployed" category? Those would be all the part-timers who would rather be working full-time. Or persons without benefits, but working an equivalent number of hours to full.

[SDGuy]

[quote MacMagus]> No matter how it's measured, the unemployment rate today is LOWER than it was through about 1997.
You seem to have ignored the chart that you claim to refer to. WTF? Are you looking at the chart. Just to be clear we're talking about the same thing. When the squiggly colored line on the chart is closer to the top of it, it represents a HIGHER number. When it is closer to the bottom of the chart, it represents a LOWER number. When

[quote MacMagus]Perhaps the text is too small for you.

Also, you've changed the date that you're using as a reference. Why did you do that? I assume you're being facetious and not insulting. That small chart is from YOUR posting. I was eyeballing it. For everyone's benefit, here it is, enlarged with a easy-to-see yellow line added. I think 1997 was a pretty good guess off of the original chart. It's also just as I said - the unemployment rate NOW, no matter how it's being measured, is lower than it was up until sometime in 1997 - according to YOUR OWN CHART.

[OWC Jamie]

One way to gauge the economy is watch the pleasure boat market.

Brunswick's closing thier 13th plant in July of this year.
The Newbury SC plant built Sea Pro, Palmetto, and Laguna boats.



The middle class doesn't need discretionary income.

[Lux Interior]

[quote billb]One way to gauge the economy is watch the pleasure boat market.
My boat has been for sale for a year now. No interest.

[kap]

We are DOOMed!!!


Ok. Some of us are surviving somehow.