MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, March 29th 2024 - 07:45 UTC

 

 

US unemployment drops to 4.3%, but hourly earnings remain flat

Sunday, August 6th 2017 - 11:58 UTC
Full article 25 comments

The United States economy added a solid 209,000 jobs in July, exceeding economists’ estimates as the labor market shows few signs of slowing down. The unemployment rate last month fell to 4.3% from 4.4%, the Labor Department reported on Friday. Read full article

Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules
  • Captain Poppy

    And the Commander In Idiots takes credit for what is and what has been happening for 72 continuing months, for expansions what were settled 24 months ago.
    He is the only leader of ANYTHING I have ever seen that is NEVER wrong or NEVER made or makes mistakes. The USA can hardly wait for the day that you resign or get impeached, either will do.

    Aug 06th, 2017 - 12:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    CP: try explaining to reekie how such economic matters are the result of many prior years. And how Trump won handily because the opposition put up a widely despised, deceitful, arrogant, dishonest, elitist criminal incompetent who could make CFK look almost saintly.

    Aug 06th, 2017 - 04:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    Zero surprise that Trump is now ready to claim success from the same statistics he denied under Obama. How lucky for him that he was preceded by a competent president and has no heavy inheritance to worry about, eh, Marti?

    But I have a question for ML. Imagine an alternate universe where the candidates for the presidency of Argentina are CFK and Hillary Clinton. Clinton is reasonably close to Macri politically so this does make some sense. Who would you vote for? Anyone else who wants to is welcome to reply as well.

    Aug 06th, 2017 - 08:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    REF: “hourly earnings remain flat”:
    - Remaining “flat” is better than NO earnings at all!
    - The problem is that the situation is about to worsen when the bubble of the “imaginary progress” bursts.

    Aug 09th, 2017 - 11:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    True, but I hope you are wrong about the progress being a bubble. There's no doubt there are real problems in the US economy, we don't want them getting any worse.

    I still don't understand Marti's extreme hatred of Hilary Clinton. Sure she lacks charisma, but that's hardly the most important attribute for a president, and she was otherwise a boringly mainstream candidate, not at all like Trump who has obvious resemblances to CFK (even noted by the woman herself).

    Aug 09th, 2017 - 10:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    This may help you, tree. It's from the very-left NYT and dated May 2016. Title: “Why is Clinton Disliked” (you could have probably googled that yourself, but it's frankly surprising that anyone with average reading comprehension who was awake last year does not understand just how detested and detestable Hillary was).

    “In the New York Times/CBS News poll, 60 percent of respondents said Clinton does not share their values. Sixty-four percent said she is not honest or trustworthy. ”

    Sounds a lot like CFK to me.

    Another, from US News and World Report, March 2016:

    ”Clinton, who has long been a polarizing figure in American politics, comes in with the third-highest negative rating (52 percent). Second place went to former President George H.W. Bush, the year he was running for re-election in the midst of a recession (and after he violated his “no new taxes” pledge). That puts Clinton in the number two most-negative position among non-incumbents seeking the presidency. “

    Sure sounds like CFK to me.

    other

    ”This Is How Badly America Didn’t Want Hillary Clinton to Be President: America preferred the most hated candidate in history to her”

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 01:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    REF: “I hope you are wrong about the progress being a bubble”: I hope so too but the President's Bluffs are very likely to start showing adverse effects on the policies, economy, etc. which ultimately WILL burst the bubble.

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 09:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    @ML
    No, that doesn't help at all. Your quotes show that people hate her, but they don't say why. And nothing I could Google would explain why YOU hate her. How is she worse than Obama, or Bush II, or her husband?

    Also you are not an American. Honestly, I would have thought that living in Latin America would give you a sense of proportion about truly bad leaders, and you'd reserve your venom for people like Chavez. It doesn't surprise me that you dislike Clinton, only that you feel so strongly about her.

    @ :o))
    Depends if the growth in the US is really a bubble. If it's not then any uncertainty might just cause it to slow down or stop for a while. Plus Trump hasn't really done much yet, and with all his Wall St advisors is unlikely to rock the boat too much on the economy.

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 10:59 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    Tree, if you don't understand the “why” then you didn't read the material, or perhaps don't like to read at all. There is a wealth of published analysis on why HRC was a very much disliked option, with the polls and the whys. (As far as Chávez and Maduro, it's hardly necessary to indulge the obvious and express disdain, unless you're running with the sort of crowd that insists that lung cancer is A Good Thing or that Pol Pot should have won the Peace Prize).

    We'll give you some more help.

    The Atlantic (leftist): “ Why Voters Hate Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump ” ( “is not trustworthy” takes the prize).

    Slate (leftist): “The Hillary Haters -- Few figures in American political life have inspired such deep and decades-long contempt....” ( “.....even a few people who reluctantly voted for Clinton in the Democratic primary but who nevertheless say they can’t stand her. Most of them described a venal cynic....”)

    Arbitrary note: ”Hillary Clinton is perhaps the least popular Democratic presidential candidate of all time. And according to a new Morning Consult report, voters’ dislike can be boiled down to one word: trust. According to the study, almost half (47 percent) of voters who have an unfavorable view of Clinton don’t think she is trustworthy and almost four in 10 voters (39 percent) say she is corrupt....”

    (Still sounds like CFK to me)

    And on and on for thousands of similar pages. How curious that you did not bother to review what the American left wrote about its own.

    There are some people whose only purpose in life is to provide the foundation needed to present an object of loathing.

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 02:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    No, I didn't read it, because I'm asking you for your reasons and you are not the American left. Why is she any worse or less trustworthy than any other recent candidate? The hatred she inspires seems way out of proportion to her misdeeds, and this quote: “There are some people whose only purpose in life is to provide the foundation needed to present an object of loathing,” certainly makes it sound like an irrational hatred.

    “How curious that you did not bother to review what the American left wrote about its own.”

    Perhaps you might conclude from this that I am not very interested in Hilary Clinton, or in what the American left have to say?

    There is a big difference between Clinton and CFK, in that CFK was elected twice with a comfortable majority. Evidently the majority of people did think her trustworthy, unlike Clinton. On policies they have little in common since CFK is pretty left-wing, and in style Trump is much closer to CFK than Clinton. But you should answer my question! If you had to choose, which would you prefer running Argentina, Hilary Clinton or CFK?

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 03:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    Tree: “...the majority of people did think her [CFK] trustworthy, ...”

    Further evidence that you will never understand Argentina.

    Historically, and even today in this country, around a third of the residents will blindly follow a demagogue, no matter how thieving and corrupt and unscrupulous - perhaps even because of her being thieving and corrupt and unscrupulous - so long as the thieving and corruption can be dressed up to appear to be at least vaguely in the interests of that third, no matter how objectively damaging that may be to the overall good of the nation. There is no word for “trust” in the limited vocabulary of these people, and they consider mere kakistocracy to be too good for them.

    In the matter of HRC vs CFK, where both were clearly criminal, corrupt, underhanded, untrustworthy, and inimical to the promotion of decency in governance, we do not chose between evil and evil, between Stalin and Hitler, between Toshiaki Mukai and Tsuyoshi Noda, nor between HRC and CFK.

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 06:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    REF: “Depends if the growth in the US is really a bubble”:

    Call it by ANY name! If it's temporary, if it is speculative, if it is not “Steadily Aggressive”; the growth MAY burst like a bubble!

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 08:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    “we do not chose between evil and evil”

    I take it you do not vote at all then. Americans had to choose between Clinton and Trump, Argentines between Macri and CFK's chosen candidate Daniel Scioli. Brazilians have a diverse range of extremely corrupt politicians to vote for. We had the choice of the useless May or socialist Corbyn.

    Even CFK has not been convicted of a crime, and Clinton has not even been charged, and is not likely to be. I've seen no evidence that she is corrupt either, unlike the candidate who did win the election. And the idea that anyone who voted for Trump cares about trustworthiness, underhandedness or especially decency in government is laughably absurd.

    Thank you for answering, what you say confirms my impression that most of the hate for Clinton does not have a rational basis, and your attitude towards Clinton and Trump is very revealing in weighing up your hatred for CFK, too.

    PS. We choose Stalin as an ally.

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 08:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    Tree, Stalin wasn't convicted and punished for his crimes, either. Nor Castro. Nor Chávez. Nor many others in a sea of some of history's worst criminals. You seem to be confusing lack of a courtroom conviction with the separate realities of guilt and criminality. There are a great many crimes that go without prosecution and conviction, but that does not signify that the crimes were not committed. In both CFK and HRC there is among the cognoscenti little doubt about their criminality and guilt, but there is considerable doubt about their ever being brought to justice. As my american military friends like to say, rank has its privileges.

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 09:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    You're seriously comparing Stalin, who killed millions, with Clinton, who held some possibly classified emails on a private server?

    Trump said he would put her in jail, but he's done nothing. Does the 'cognoscenti' think that's because what she did wasn't actually actionable, or because Trump is colluding to let her off for her 'crimes'?

    And it's interesting to see that you are as doubtful as Enrique that CFK will ever be convicted. If her criminality was as blatant as people say then it shouldn't be hard to convict her, now that she is no longer President. If you are wrong about Clinton, perhaps you are also wrong about CFK.

    Aug 10th, 2017 - 10:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    Tree: “....doubtful as Enrique that CFK will ever be convicted. If her criminality was as blatant as people say then it shouldn't be hard to convict her,....”

    You truly, truly do not have the least understanding of Argentina. Nor do you make an honest attempt to do so.

    Too bad it isn't the polls that lead to convictions where convictions are due. News item, in Engrish:

    “Poll: Seven Out Of 10 Argentines Believe Cristina Kirchner Deserves Jail Time”

    A questionnaire by D’Alessio IROL and Berensztein has indicated that out of 500 Argentines polled, seven out of 10 believe that former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner deserves a jail sentence. The ex head of state currently faces four charges and is being prosecuted in the Future Dollars Case. An overwhelming 69 percent of people surveyed believe that a jail sentence is justified, while only 25 percent believe that imprisonment is unwarranted. The survey also polled participants on their political leanings. Out of all the participants who voted for Cambiemos (current President Mauricio’s Macri’s coalition), 95 percent believed the ex President ought to go to prison. On the other hand, among those who voted for the Victory Front (FpV) (Cristina Kirchner’s party) opinions were nearly evenly divided: 41 percent believed she should go to prison, while nearly 49 percent believed she should not.“

    (NB: ”Cognoscenti” is plural. The singular is cognoscente).

    Aug 11th, 2017 - 03:12 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    In the civilised countries we don't send people to jail based on public opinion. And civilised people think this is a good thing.

    Aug 11th, 2017 - 09:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Marti Llazo

    However, Tree, we note that there are certain nations that provide their political figures with immunity from prosecution for their many crimes, either formally or by simply, albeit quietly, employing the privilege of office to prevent charges being handed down. And certain of the self-styled civilised people apparently accept this as a good thing.

    Aug 11th, 2017 - 02:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    @DT: REF: “Trump said................................”:

    It's really impressive to note that there still are GROWN-UPs who still believe - BLINDLY - in Santa, Easter-Bunny, TRUMP and many other Fictitious Fairytale characters.

    Aug 11th, 2017 - 02:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    @Marti
    “And certain of the self-styled civilised people apparently accept this as a good thing.”
    Really? Can you name them?

    @ :o))
    LOL.

    I wish he was a fictitious character! However, IMO the most worrying thing is not Trump himself but how many people voted for him, both because of what it says about a lot of Americans' judgement and what it says about the state of the US economy and job market.

    Aug 11th, 2017 - 03:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    REF: “I wish he was a fictitious character”: He IS, because he is “pretending” to be a PRESIDENT instead of ACTING like one. What really is impressive, is not his bragging but the number of the retarded lot who actually BELIEVE in his rants! How can there be THAT many scumbags?

    Aug 11th, 2017 - 04:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    I assume ML's silence means he in fact cannot name anyone.

    @ :o))
    It's surely impossible that everyone who voted for Trump is a scumbag. While some of his hardcore supporters certainly seem scummy, people voted for him for different reasons. I don't understand why anyone would believe a word he says though, given his evident lack of interest in the truth.

    Aug 13th, 2017 - 12:03 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • :o))

    @DT:
    scumbags - not EVERYONE of course but a VAST number - a majority perhaps AND his presidency has indeed become a reality show - in REALITY!

    Aug 13th, 2017 - 11:03 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • DemonTree

    “his presidency has indeed become a reality show - in REALITY!”

    That's so true. If his presidency was a show on Netflix instead of real life it would be very entertaining, but everyone would be complaining about how implausible and unrealistic it was!

    Aug 14th, 2017 - 01:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Captain Poppy

    Speaking of Netflix DT. I used to watch House of Cards. This season opened a few months ago and I saw the first episode and have yet to watch it again. It lost it's luster and appeal knowing that I am living in a real show that is fit for a Netflix series. However, at least Underwood possessed intelligence.
    34% is the new Gallup poll ratings.........there is a pool or if and when he dives under 30% and we all assume that is when the GOP will openly feed on him.......maybe this fall/winter.

    Aug 15th, 2017 - 05:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!