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Insomniac’s Open Thread … And, Just In Case Anyone’s Interested

By Bronwyn on July 31, 2009 at 1:30 AM in Current Affairs

… in the White House or Congress:

May-June joblessness up in 90 pct of metro areas

Unemployment rates rose from May to June in 348 of more than 370 metro areas, according to an Associated Press analysis of Labor Department data released Wednesday.

Here are some of the “hottest” areas:

Michigan’s metro area of Detroit-Warren-Livonia posted the second-biggest monthly gain. The unemployment rate there climbed to 17.1 percent, a gain of 2.2 percentage points. [...]

Kokomo, Ind., suffered the biggest over-the-year gain in unemployment. Its rate rose to 19.2 percent in June, an increase of 11.8 percentage points from June 2008. Elkhart-Goshen had the second-largest gain. Its jobless rate of 16.8 percent was up 10 percentage points from last year. Monroe, Mich., the third-biggest gainer, registered an unemployment rate of 17.1 percent in June, up 8.6 percentage points from a year ago.

[...]

Indiana’s Elkhart-Goshen, which has been pounded by layoffs in the RV industry. Its jobless rate dropped to 16.8 percent in June, from 17.5 percent in May.

  • Cindy

    Is this the part where Obama says “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

  • Peggy Sue

    I’m one of your insomniacs, Bronwyn. As these numbers are a major reason. The employment numbers overall are awful and they’re being massaged on the national level by not counting the underemployed or the people who have just “given up.” By next month the folks on extended benefits will start falling off the cliff and not be included in the official count. But the suffering will be there nonetheless.

    There’s no way to put a happy face on this and a “jobless recovery” is an absolute crock. How in the hell can you have a recovery when 70% of the economy is based on consumer spending and you have these ever rising unemployment numbers? The States [more and more as time goes on] are facing hideous shortfalls, so state jobs are going to be cut. Small business is being squeezed into nonexistence. What does that mean? Layoffs and/or closed doors. Automatically, tax revenues are and will continue to plummet. Added to that is a monstrous and unsustainable debt, not mention the interest to service the debt.

    And what do we get?

    Smiley faces or green shoots or some other nonsense. Or people pointing to the Dow Jones average, which is absolutely rigged, but still they jump up and down with estatic fever and lie through their teeth.

    And then my husband wonders why I cannot sleep :0).

    We aren’t on the brink of the abyss. We pitched right over, screaming hallelujah on our way down.

    And this, I would argue, is the reason I cannot sleep. But I thank you for a space to rant. And weep.

    Hallelujah!

    • oowawa

      We aren’t on the brink of the abyss. We pitched right over, screaming hallelujah on our way down.

      LOL–Very entertaining post, Peggy Sue. I’m still humming “Don’t Fear the Reaper”–got that tune in my head. In addition to the fudged statistics (which will be revised downwards next month), the big fad on the financial pages nowadays is to call all of the horrible news “better than expected,” whereupon the stock market rallies–since many fools have been convinced The Titanic is sinking at a slightly slower rate. And so, as you suggest, “Hallelujah!” (glub glub}.

  • Seattle Moss

    Precisely why I bought American today!

    I might be conservative, but what I have been hearing from the right about boycotting GM or Chrysler because they got a bailout as a result of a world collapse that they did not cause
    Just makes me wonder how patriotic these purist’s really are. They certainly Don’t care about American jobs and are being demagogues just the same as the left.

    So people think Ford is better now…Wrong!
    Ford three years from now will still be saddled with debt and it will be their turn to be reinvented.

    So what did I do after hearing all this

    I went down to my Chrysler dealer and traded in my 300 and got one heck of a deal on a new Dodge Ram.
    Loyalty does mean something. Because I care about American and Canadian workers and manufacturer and have workers myself ,the good folks at Chrysler gave me an additional 15k off the 2009 Laramie price. Absolutely the best time to buy!
    They know that I bring them business and am a great spokesman for a great American car company.
    I looked around at the dealership where the same people worked as before. Nothing has changed except the quality and how easy it was to buy.
    I don’t just buy American for the great looking truck, but also for every little piece that it took to build it as that represents all the millions of jobs that depend on us.

    • Onofre’s arm

      Buying my ’02 Chevy 8.1 litre 4wd PU when there was zero interest after 9/11 was probably my best purchase ever. What a work horse! It has more than payed for itself in jobs and recreation than any vehicle than I can imagine. As individuals, we all know what best serves our purposes far more than some government dickweed. If the private interests and judgement of all consumers are honored, the economy will recover just fine. When the government(especially the Obama government) tries to manipulate the needs, desires, and natural forces of a consumer driven economy, it will be a dissaster. The best way we can recover financially as a country is for the GD government to get the flock out of the way. It’s that simple!

    • Senneth

      I, too, buy American as much as possible. But I think we are in a very difficult time, just like you said Peggy Sue. And instead of discussing the problems and looking for solutions, Congress incurs more and more unsustainable debt, and Barry has his beer night. Unbelievable!

      • Peggy Sue

        Seattle, it just makes me crazy when I hear all this happy talk and look at the numbers [that the government is actually producing but massaging at the same time].

        It is grossly unfair to the average citizen to set them up for what I see as a huge fall from that meme of “hope and change.”

        We’re headed for a disaster. The very least our Reps could do is prepare for the worst, while hoping for the best. But they don’t even have the balls that.

        Too much fear, I suspect, for the torches and pitchforks, which are likely to come to a theater near all of us.

        Drives me nuts! And truly does keep me awake at night.

        I have kids. I’m terrified for them.

    • Cindy

      Seattle—That’s a terrific testimony! There should be more patriots like you. Hubby and I buy only American, too.
      p.s. sorry about that 103 degrees up there. Mon Dieu!!

  • Peggy Sue

    Oops. My insomniac post was gobbled by the spam monster. Can it be rescued?

  • Onofre’s arm

    My last three postings have been zapped. Is there a good reason?

  • jbjd

    The web page for the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem mentions the $200m the U.S. is giving to the Palestinian Authority; a movie theater subsidized by the Consulate to provide entertainment for Palestinian children from Gaza and the West Bank, who are disadvantaged and displaced; and a commemorative gathering to celebrate the first State Department grant to the Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange. But there is not one mention of Israel. Go to Atlas Shrugs to connect to the Consulate web page, as well as the U.S. State Department to register your views.
    http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/07/us-state-department-jerusalem-for-islam.html

  • NomNomNom

    http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=102030&sectionid=351020202
    Jewish fundamentalists storm Al Aqsa mosque.

    • Docelder

      Nom, that is probably the most volatile and ominous story of the day.

      • NomNomNom

        yep and not one of the msm is covering it.
        earlier this week their digging under it is believed to have caused the death of another of the ancient pines

      • NomNomNom

        I think now this is a vast overstatement at the least/ hoax: I cannot find anyone else suggesting occupation of the mosque itself, only praying in the yards of the mosque. Surely, someone would be covering it, were there an occupation of the mosque??
        PCHR Weekly Report says: “At approximately 07:45 on Wednesday, 29 July 2009, some Jewish groups entered the yards of the al-Aqsa Mosques. At 09:30, at least 200 Israeli settlers, escorted by the Israeli police broke into the yards of the al-Aqsa Mosue. [sic] They conducted Jewish ceremonies in various areas in the yards. Such storm was unprecedented and it coincided with the anniversary of the destruction of the so-called temple. The settlers were allowed to enter the yards of the Holy Sanctuary in spite of the presence of many Palestinian civilians and in spite of prior warnings.”
        http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:7IrdV3q5ddIJ:www.pchrgaza.ps/files/W_report/English/2008/30-07-2009.htm+al+aqsa+mosque+july+29+2009&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

  • NomNomNom
  • tzada

    Dem memo plots message war on insurers

    House Democratic leaders have developed a coordinated strategy for attacking insurance companies to ward off attacks from opponents of their health care overhaul during the August break, according to a strategy memo obtained by The Hill.

    “Our message is simple. It is now being echoed by the White House,” said the memo sent to all Democratic members. “And it counters the Republican ‘government takeover’ message.”

    http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dem-memo-plots-message-war-on-insurers-2009-07-30.html

    Police called on retirees at senator’s LA
    office

    Police were called on a group of retirees who refused to leave Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s West Los Angeles office until she talked to them about health care reform.

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/30/state/n184320D61.DTL#ixzz0Mqn7zLOr

    • TexasMirth

      Police were called on a group of retirees who refused to leave Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s West Los Angeles office until she talked to them about health care reform.

      tzada, I heard this today but I didn’t believe it until I checked the story online. I am curious as to why their encounter with the police didn’t draw the ire of the media like the Gates’ incident. Hmmmm…I guess those seniors were probably getting rowdy and out of control demanding to speak to their senator. (The nerve!) Obviously, they deserved to have the police called, unlike that soft-spoken, genteel Professor Gates.

  • tzada

    Venezuela: ‘Freedom of expression must be limited’

    Venezuela’s top prosecutor insisted Thursday that freedom of expression in Venezuela “must be limited” and proposed legislation that would slap additional restrictions on the country’s news media.
    The new law would punish the owners of radio stations, television channels and newspapers that have attempted to “cause panic” and “disturb social peace,” Attorney General Luisa Ortega said.

    http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99P3IKO0&show_article=1

  • tzada

    Really good article on what we have to deal with.
    In other words we are stuck on Stop.

    Obama’s birth debate: It’s about loyalty

    The birth debate about Obama is real enough, but it is legally complicated, as analyzed by legal beagle Andrew McCarthy at National Review. No judge is going to question the Constitutional qualifications of an elected president. I’m sorry, but that’s the practical reality. The judge is going to follow stare decisis — the sheer weight of commitments that cannot be reversed without creating chaos. Once the political system of the United States, the voters, the media, and the politicians themselves are all committed to the proposition that Obama is president, trying to reverse it would mean riots in every city in the nation. At some point even debatable claims become irreversible. That is why Al Franken is now the US Senator from Minnesota, even if his election was corrupt and wrong. It’s water under the bridge. Leave it to history.

    http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/07/obamas_birth_debate_its_about.html

  • tzada

    We are all pretty good at troll detection, but this sheds some light on trolls that may fly under the radar.

    Caution: Trolls at Work

    “… a Troll is ‘an obnoxious creature bent on mischief and wickedness’ who lives in hiding under a bridge, ready to strike fear and chaos is the hearts of innocents passing by.”

    http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/07/caution_trolls_at_work.html

  • tzada

    URINE TEST
    (Whoever wrote this one deserves a HUGE pat on the back!)
    Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test to show I am clear of drugs, with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don’t have to pass a urine test. So here is my Question.
    Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?
    Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their rump –doing drugs, while I work. . . . Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?
    I guess we could title that program, ‘Urine or You’re Out’..
    Something has to change in this country — and soon!!!!!!!

    • http://noquarter foxyladi14

      that is a great idea,

    • NomNomNom

      lol, fantastic idea

  • cathnealon

    tzada
    You have no idea. I deal with people on welfare, Medicaid and disability all day long at our healthcare facility. I’ve been here for many, many years and although I’ve never done a statistical count–I have to say that over 60% are scamming the system meaning they’re not disabled, they’re not unable to work, and at least 40% are on disability or SSI because of a stint in rehab for drugs and alcohol–they also have a psychistrist’s signature that they are clinically depressed and bingo-they get benefits. And they present with blackberrie(which I can’t afford and I work) manicures, styled hair and clothes, diamond rings on their fingers, late model cars in the parking deck, you name it. So there you go, folks, the welfare state in the U.S. Now please know that there are people who need disability for ESRD,head trauma, paraplegics, failed surgeries, etc. I don’t mind paying for them but this other group needs to get off the couch and work like me.

    • http://deleted BuzzisbackLatte

      Yep. I’ve been there, too. I used to wonder who was smarter. Me, with my degrees, training, and job, or those who let everybody else pay for them, provide their kids with free lunches, and meanwhile they always had the latest technology at home…

  • TexasMirth

    Could someone please explain to me why we are still paying Obama’s auntie’s rent? Had George Bush had a relative living on welfare – the press would have had a heyday – and rightly so. Now, mum’s the word with President Obama’s aunt living in govt housing while in the U.S.illegally. The press ignores this completely. Cowards and hypocrits, the whole lot.

    • Cindy

      answer: George Bush is white.

  • NomNomNom

    http://www.prisonplanet.com/washington-post-swine-flu-vaccine-will-contain-mercury.html
    Swine flu vaccine to contain mercury

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14370
    and squalene based adjuvants which can cause autoimmune disease

    http://cryptogon.com/?p=9960
    but manufacturers cannot be sued

    http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/June-2009/Swine-Flu-Vaccine–Will-We-Have-A-Choice–by-Barba.aspx
    “States Enact Stronger Quarantine & No Free Assembly Laws

    In some states, like Massachusetts, public health doctors have persuaded legislators to quickly pass pandemic influenza legislation that will allow state officials to enter the homes and businesses without the approval of occupants; to investigate and quarantine individuals without their consent; to require licensed health care providers to give citizens vaccines and to ban the free assembly of citizens in the state.”

    Several countries are considering making or plan to make vaccination mandatory for all citizens (UK, France, all UAE students). As of yet, we’re not one of them.

  • http://link No_limits91

    Other public service programs like neighborhood baby clinics were systematically denied any funding. ,