Brent Nyitray
Fairlington Blade
Let the mutherfuker burn!
jnc4p
Kevin S. Willis
Michigoose
lmsinca
markinaustin
Arcanaut
novahockey
quarterback
ScottC
yellojktVital Statistics:
| Last | Change | Percent | |
| S&P Futures | 1334.5 | 11.8 | 0.89% |
| Eurostoxx Index | 2498.3 | 20.2 | 0.81% |
| Oil (WTI) | 96.86 | 0.5 | 0.52% |
| LIBOR | 0.527 | -0.004 | -0.68% |
| US Dollar Index (DXY) | 79.144 | 0.166 | 0.21% |
| 10 Year Govt Bond Yield | 1.90% | 0.08% |
Stocks are jumping on the payroll numbers. Nonfarm payrolls increased 243k vs 140k expectations and the unemployment rate dropped from 8.5% to 8.3%. The payroll estimates were 100k lower, so it is a substantial surprise. The good weather played a part in the number. 206,000 workers were unable to work due to bad weather, which 224,000 below the average for January. The SPUs jumped 12 points on the number. Bonds got clobbered, with the 10 year futures contract dropping 2 handles. The dollar rallied.
I had expected unemployment to stay steady or increase as the long-term unemployed re-enter the labor force. These numbers seem to imply the recently laid-off are finding jobs and the long-term unemployed still aren’t looking. The labor force participation rate has been steadily declining over the past 6 months, falling from 64.2% to 63.7%.
This report makes the bearish tone of the FOMC report even stranger. Given that the Fed’s view of the economy seemed at odds with the general economic indicators coming out of the government and the tone of business, I guess QEIII is coming whether you like it or not. The Fed is almost paying you to borrow money. Refinance your mortgage. When inflation returns you will look back at that 3.75% 30 year mortgage as the best financial decision you ever made.
Edit:
For those interested in where the financial markets see real estate pricing, Radar Logic (RPX) futures began trading yesterday on the CBOE Futures Exchange. The Radar Logic index measures the price of real estate nationally using a complicated algorithm (much different than Case-Schiller). The index number represents the price per square foot. The following chart shows where the market is predicting real estate prices 5 years out. Note: the jagged behavior is due to the fact that Radar Logic does not seasonally adjust their data and the summer season is stronger than winter.
Chart: RPX Index futures curve:
It looks like someone put up a calendar spread today (buying March ’13, selling Sep ’15).
Filed under: Uncategorized |
All Things in Moderation 
“Employment Jumps; Rate 8.3%, 243,000 New Jobs Created”
The late Al Davis said it best
“Just win, baby!”
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Brent:
This report makes the bearish tone of the FOMC report even stranger.
Indeed. Which is why I just don’t put a whole lot of stock in statements about where rates will be kept 3 years out from now. If conditions merit, the Fed will have to hike no matter what they may have said a year or 6 months prior about keeping rates low for 3 years.
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Now to use the appropriate football analogy, the Obama advisory team knows how to be the underdog, and how to come from behind. Can they learn how to play with a lead?
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brent:
That’s why most of us thought that dating the statmenet like that was an extremely foolish move.
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The market is handling this perfectly btw. Up, but not crazy, probably because alll the shorts were executed earlier this year.
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Rick Santelli just blew a gasket on CNBC becauae the news was good. He is the original tea party guy, and I’m guessing he got a lot of emails this morning when the numbers were good.
Let’s say he is not exactly graceful in defeat. LOL
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Brent:
What are SPUs? And the weather effect on employment is due to construction, agriculture, etc.?
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Rick Santelli just blew a gasket on CNBC becauae the news was good.
What was his problem? That the markets, and the overall economy, operate with a wide degree of latitude, irrespective of who is in the Whitehouse?
The economy is a greased pig, running its own course. Legislation and regulation and taxation all have impacts, but whether it’s you grabbing the pig or your mortal enemy, you can be guaranteed that it’s going to (a) slip out of your grasp and (b) go in one direction or another, but you’re not really going to know until it’s going that way, squealing all the way.
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Basically not the numbers themselves, but I’m guessing he was getting a LOT of feedback today because he has been so negative.
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BTW, I neglected to mention the introduction of trading in real estate derivatives yesterday. The post has been edited to include this data.
Mike: SPUs are S&P 500 futures. They give you an indication of how the market will open.
Re the weather, usually you have 430k people unemployed due to poor weather. That number was lower, which makes the payroll numbers and unemployment numbers look better.
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The business in our office has exploded this year. The first quarter, if appointments already scheduled hold, will be the best in a half dozen or more years!
I see the jobs numbers this morning and think…could we be…..and then..
I see Leon Panetta on 60 minutes plowing the fields and getting everything ready for a military action with Iran. I see the Israeli’s practically guaranteeing a strike in the Spring. And I think WTF?
As an American citizen I have already been lied to about reasons for invasions. Isn’t this deja vu? Do we suspect the Dems will behave any differently than the R’s when it comes to war mongering?
Has anybody even done a serious cost/benefit analysis of war with Iran? We all agree that it’s better if Iran does not have a nuke. What are the consequences? Israel has a “reported” 100-300 nuclear warheads. Even if that figure is grossly overstated do we doubt that Israel has dozens of nukes ready to launch? And so from the standpoint of nations we have a MAD situation in the Middle East.
The larger fear I suspect is Iran providing one to a terrorist and it shows up in NYC.
Yeah that’s something to be very concerned about and prepared as well as possible, But is it that much different than the threat from Pakistan or N. Korea?
Meanwhile we can be assured of one thing if we or the Israelis engage the Iranians militarily. Unless it’s a very precise air strike that takes out specific targets, to the degree any greater military action is required, we can kiss the economy goodbye.
Personally that’s a consequence I’d rather not face. I’d rather keep tabs on Iran and worry about what they do with nuclear capability, than worry about a second horrible blow to our economy, one which might just provide the final touches for our small business.
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BTW Am I the only one who even acknowledges the possibility that Netanyahu
can have an inordinate influence on our economy and therefore our election. If he launches an attack and all hell breaks loose the election would really be up for grabs.
Of course as Sarah Palin points out that’s a two edged sword. Obama may reap lots of support if he launches an attack, at least that’s what Palin suggested on Fox and I’m not here to disagree with here.
So in recapping…as an American citizen I have to worry if an Foreign leader is making a political calculation that impacts my life in a very large fashion…I also have to worry if my own political leader and hope he doesn’t do something for political expediency.
In short….I’d be optimistic about our economy…if I wasn’t scared shitless about our Foreign Policy…and the two go hand in hand IMO>
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ruk:
We certainly could get heavy blowback,from any such occurence, but they still have marriages and birthday celebrations, even in war zones. I’ll take the good day today!
You know what I mean.
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Over at PL, Shrink asked me if I had anything intelligent to say. I was writing something clever back, then ran into the delete-key-goes-back-and-I-lose everything bug.
So I return to reply again, and the comment where he asked me if I had anything intelligent to say had vanished.
The WaPo moderates with a very heavy hand.
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I’ll take the good day today!
Me, too. Where partisans of every stripe lose me is when good news is bad news because it doesn’t help their partisan cause. I wouldn’t have voted from a Democrat under pain of death during some points in the Bush administration, when the economy was doing well, unemployment was low, and they were doom and gloom everyday—and not over things that, in the future, we actually should have been worried about. 😉
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Kevin:
Ther’s a lot of bitter people at PL. I meant what I wrote when I said we have forgotten how to have a good day!
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RUK, I am now guessing Europe and Israel/Iran are the two big wild cards for us, and I hope we avoid a war. I think our flash point in this Admin will not be an Iranian counterstrike on Israel. I think it would only be if Iran blocks the straits. Europe needs that oil and the USN is the only force that can open the straits if they are blocked. I actually think we did that during the Iran-Iraq War – anybody recall?
Brent has proven prophetic, I think. USA O&G production is so high and climbing, and O use is falling, that we are dramatically less dependent on the Middle East than we were a decade ago. In fact, North America is at surplus. BTW, I am guessing this positively impacts growth and growth projections for our economy.
So we have the luxury of detachment, if our Israel policy is not hopelessly entangled, and if Iran does not close off Saudi oil to the Persian Gulf.
But the economy could still fall on either of these foreign events.
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Ther’s a lot of bitter people at PL.
After spending some time having random comments deleted and losing thoughtful replies by an errant pressing of the backspace key, I become quite bitter myself. 😉
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BTW, I have looked at the Jane’s Catalog and it seems to me Israel cannot mount an air strike that would be successful in even a limited way, so the Israeli sabre rattling seems bizarre to me. Mike just sent me an Israeli defense assessment that came pretty much to that same conclusion. But maybe Netanyahu is freaking nuts.
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Also, I’m on a Mac, using Safari in Lion. I’m using the magic mouse, so sometimes I accidentally swipe one way or the other, and the browser swipes back to the previous page. This often happens while I’m writing a comment, so I anxious swipe to return. Here, everything I wrote is still in the comment box. At Plum Line, it’s all gone, and I have to start again.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Of course I would never consider using a text editor to draft my comment and then copying/pasting into Safari. Too much work. Control – X followed by Control – V.
Way difficult.
– not KW
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Mysterious Stranger: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Of course I would never consider using a text editor to draft my comment and then copying/pasting into Safari. Too much work. Control – X followed by Control – V.
Way difficult.
– not KW
Comment vandalism! I object to this abuse of your Administrative powers, devilishly handsome stranger!
Why in the *world* should that be necessary? That’s like saying I can get my car to start if I have someone push it the first ten feet, there’s nothing wrong with my car. I’ll bail on Plum Line (or any commenting system) before I start composing my replies in a text editor because the people who developed the system that is intended, first and foremost, for commenting are incompetent.
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Worth a read:
“S.E.C. Is Avoiding Tough Sanctions for Large Banks
By EDWARD WYATT
Published: February 3, 2012
WASHINGTON — Even as the Securities and Exchange Commission has stepped up its investigations of Wall Street in the last decade, the agency has repeatedly allowed the biggest firms to avoid punishments specifically meant to apply to fraud cases.
By granting exemptions to laws and regulations that act as a deterrent to securities fraud, the S.E.C. has let financial giants like JPMorganChase, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America continue to have advantages reserved for the most dependable companies, making it easier for them to raise money from investors, for example, and to avoid liability from lawsuits if their financial forecasts turn out to be wrong.
An analysis by The New York Times of S.E.C. investigations over the last decade found nearly 350 instances where the agency has given big Wall Street institutions and other financial companies a pass on those or other sanctions. Those instances also include waivers permitting firms to underwrite certain stock and bond sales and manage mutual fund portfolios.
JPMorganChase, for example, has settled six fraud cases in the last 13 years, including one with a $228 million settlement last summer, but it has obtained at least 22 waivers, in part by arguing that it has “a strong record of compliance with securities laws.” Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, which merged in 2009, have settled 15 fraud cases and received at least 39 waivers.”
…
“By granting those waivers, the S.E.C. allowed Wall Street firms to have powerful advantages, securities experts and former regulators say. The institutions remained protected under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which makes it easier to avoid class-action shareholder lawsuits. ”
All the new regulations in the world won’t help you if the regulators have the authority to grant exemptions from them. I suspect that the ability to grant waivers from regulations may have a certain financial value when seeking future employment at the affected institutions after leaving government service.
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“I think it would only be if Iran blocks the straits. Europe needs that oil and the USN is the only force that can open the straits if they are blocked. I actually think we did that during the Iran-Iraq War – anybody recall?”
Yes. On my first Persian Gulf deployment (USS Constellation battle group) we were escorting re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. We used to call the Strait of Hormuz Eastern Patrol Area (SOHEPA) the “penalty box”
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Mark, thanks for the kind words. I do believe that energy independence is a game changer for the US in a lot of ways. That is why I am bullish long-term.
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mark:
This is not my area of expertise, but the Israelis have a potent submarine force, unmentioned generally speaking in the press
“Israel equipped its new Dolphin class submarines with nuclear cruise missiles in 2002. Israel also fitted their 135 kilometer range Harpoon missiles with nuclear warheads. These missiles are fired from the sub’s torpedo tubes. The 1,625 ton Dolphins can carry 16 torpedoes or missiles and have ten forward torpedo tubes (four of them the larger 650mm -26 inch- size). The Dolphins are considered the most modern non-nuclear subs in the world. The first three cost $320 million each. All have a crew of 35 and can dive to a depth of more than 200 meters (660 feet). The Dolphin design is based on the German 209 class subs but has been so heavily modified that it is considered a different class.
The Israelis have developed a cruise missile, which has a range of 1,500 kilometers and carries a 200 kiloton nuclear warhead. The objective of deploying nukes on subs is to further enhance deterrence to any nation launching a nuclear strike against Israel. If one of the Dolphins is always at sea even a first strike against Israel would not prevent a nuclear strike by submarine launched nukes. “
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Mark,
Thanks for your comments on potential military action. I think you are correct. And so I’ve decided to enter the weekend on john/banned’s great advice….
I’ll take the good day today!
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FYI .. SGK just caved.
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Mark,
USN is the only force that can open the straits if they are blocked.
And China has a fleet of escorts in the Gulf of Aden. Closing the Straits of Hormuz might actually bring military coordination between the US and China, which would be bad news politically for Iran.
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FYI .. SGK just caved.
Michi said they would.
And I’m late to this thread, but I’ll take good economic news any day of the week. If it trickles into CA, I’ll be even happier.
Iran/Israel…………scary but I’m still taking much of it as saber rattling…….hope that’s right.
Energy independence, yay. And as a reminder of when luck and opportunity meet, number two daughter is poised to make a lot of money……also yay. We may be liberals but we’re not stupid.
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BTW, thanks jnc for that SEC thread, no surprises really but confirmation that the revolving door not only remains open but affects outcomes is probably a good thing to know.
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FYI .. SGK just caved.
I kind of figured they would. I wonder how long until whats-her-name resigns for “personal reasons”.
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I usually have a funny bone on Fridays, especially after an exhausting week such as this one. I know a lot of us have been following the changes and new dynamics at the PL all week and I’m wondering, does anyone else find it ironic that they’ve now become the hotbed of moderation while we still say what we mean and what we want here?
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does anyone else find it ironic that they’ve now become the hotbed of moderation while we still say what we mean and what we want here?
Yes! Shrink asked me if used sarcasm over at that other “moderate” site, to which I answered, of course I do, we all do.
I thought about following up with the ironical comment that, from all appearances, we have a much more lenient comment policy, and a much lighter touch, than Big Brother over at PlumLine. I did not, but the irony indeed occurred to me.
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“BTW, thanks jnc for that SEC thread, no surprises really but confirmation that the revolving door not only remains open but affects outcomes is probably a good thing to know.”
This should also inform your view of Dodd-Frank’s likely effectiveness of preventing the next financial crash on Wall Street, given the amount of authority they invest in additional regulatory agencies and in the rule writing ability of the regulators, versus an alternative approach of writing fixed limits into the statute itself that applied to all institutions equally.
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kevin:
You’ve been very good this morning btw.
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This should also inform your view of Dodd-Frank’s likely effectiveness
Considering I never expressed a positive view of Dodd-Frank’s likely effectiveness, I agree.
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Just a matter of having (or pretending I have) the time, banned. 😉
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I’ve about had it with the PL commenting system, though, and am likely to bail for greener pastures. Meaning here, exclusively, and the work I’m supposed to be doing. 😉
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Mike, the notion of a joint “NATO” and China operation in Hormuz is so inviting that I keep going back to it in my head.
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All…will be out for most of the rest of the day, and spotty over the weekend. If the Daily Quotation over the next few days ends up being excerpts from Mao’s Little Red Book, don’t blame me.
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If the Daily Quotation over the next few days ends up being excerpts from Mao’s Little Red Book, don’t blame me.
Ooooohhhh, good idea, thanks.
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Mike, the notion of a joint “NATO” and China operation in Hormuz is so inviting that I keep going back to it in my head.
Boy Mark, I second those thoughts! I think anything that results in a joint China/U.S response will be a positive stimulus. If China and the U.S. really cooperated on International security we could all…and by all I mean mostly us…save billions on defense.
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If the Daily Quotation over the next few days ends up being excerpts from Mao’s Little Red Book, don’t blame me.
Sarcasm! I demand this post be pinked immediately.
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lm: A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery.
That’s some fine, deep Mao for ya. 😉
And here I had always thought a revolution was doing embroidery. You mean, there’s more?
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Here are some Mao quotes:
Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy.
Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically.
Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.
Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed.
The differences between friends cannot but reinforce their friendship.
There is a serious tendency toward capitalism among the well-to-do peasants.
Women hold up half the sky.
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Here are some Mao quotes:
Kevin, quit stealing my thunder. I’ll have to go with Confucius now.
Speaking of irony, our tenant just called, who now owes us over $4K, and accused our gardener of stealing a little trash can of hers from the back yard and our hose with her nozzle on it from the front yard. Haaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa
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landlording stories: yesterday I got a call from the condo association that the roof was in immediate threat and had to be repaired.
fortunately — 1) the place was empty so nobody was in danger
2) it’s the condo’s ceiling, so they’re on the hook for the $$
3) the contractors are in their today making the necessary repairs.
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Speaking of irony, our tenant just called, who now owes us over $4K, and accused our gardener of stealing a little trash can of hers from the back yard and our hose with her nozzle on it from the front yard.
Sigh. Well, it’s good you have a sense of humor.
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The irony is that Romney is now forced to make the mirror image of the argument Obama’s made for the last two years.
O – If it hadn’t been for the actions we took, things would have been much worse.
R – If it hadn’t been for the actions he took, things would have been much better.
Problem is that neither argument works in terms of moving the electorate. If the economy stays on pace for growth close to 3% and with unemployment dropping under 8%, it’s gonna be tough for Mitt. I wonder if it’ll roil the GOP nominating process
NoVa – Your association handles things differently. For us, the association is responsible for the outside walls and roof; ceilings belong to the owner. We had a long, protracted fight with one home owner. Two years after the roofs were replaced, one home owner wrote in to request that we pay to repair her ceiling. The thing was badly cracked. We eventually decided to go for a 50/50 split on the grounds that it could have been related to the roof replacement. I was opposed initially to anything as she waited so long it would be impossible to seek redress from the roofer and there was no causal evidence. There was some better information provided, so it seemed reasonable. She fought tooth and nail, refusing to do anything until we paid in full. I’m not sure what happened in the end as the matter was still open at the end of my term, but the board’s stance hardened against her.
Ah, I don’t miss being on the Board of Directors.
BB
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Mark,
the notion of a joint “NATO” and China operation in Hormuz is so inviting that I keep going back to it in my head.
Yeah, but I’m sure that Khamenei and/or the Guardian Council is well aware of that possibility. They just aren’t going to piss off the Chinese after all the investment dollars the Chinese have poured into Iran’s petrochemical development.
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FB — you’re in Fairlington right? my unit is in ParkFairfax.
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“lmsinca, on February 3, 2012 at 10:48 am said:
“Speaking of irony, our tenant just called, who now owes us over $4K, and accused our gardener of stealing a little trash can of hers from the back yard and our hose with her nozzle on it from the front yard. Haaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa”
It’s tough being the 1%.
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I understand this is still a touchy subject in some quarters but I thought this piece in the New Yorker was well written and gets to the heart of the matter from a woman’s standpoint, at least some of us. We’ll see if the controversy dies down or not. I think some of us were growing somewhat concerned with the marketing angle of breast cancer already, so this may have broken the camel’s back in some minds.
The people who have urged Komen to stop supporting Planned Parenthood aren’t opposed to breast-cancer screenings; they’re opposed to other services Planned Parenthood provides, which include contraception and abortion. But a campaign to sever the ties between a foundation that’s raising money to find a cure for breast cancer and a health-care provider that advocates for reproductive rights exposes more than a division over contraception and abortion. It exposes a gruesome truth about politics in this country.
In American politics, women’s bodies are not bodies, but parts. People like to talk about some parts more than others. Embryos and fetuses are the most charged subject in American political discourse. Saying the word “cervix” was the beginning of Rick Perry’s end. In politics, breasts are easier to talk about. I first understood this a few years ago, when I was offered, at an otherwise very ordinary restaurant, a cupcake frosted to look like a breast, with a nipple made of piped pink icing. It was called a “breast-cancer cupcake,” and proceeds went to the Race for the Cure.
Dividing women’s bodies into parts, politically, has only adversely affected women’s health. Planned Parenthood started offering cancer screenings in the early nineteen-sixties. At the time, the organization’s medical director, Mary Steichen Calderone, tried to convince the American Cancer Society to help pay for Pap smears, which can catch cervical cancer early, for poor women who came to Planned Parenthood clinics for contraception. The Cancer Society refused, not wanting to be affiliated with an organization that provided birth control at a time when, in many parts of the country, it was not only controversial—as it remains today—but also illegal.
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It’s tough being the 1%.
We wish…………….another bump in the road to late retirement……lol. I’m more pissed she called our gardener a thief anyway. He’s a really sweet old guy who works really hard and is even further away from retiring than we are. I wanted to call her a liar and a thief but restrained myself and just hung up on her.
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In light of the SGK kerfuffle, did anyone see Peggy Noonan’s piece in the WSJ today regarding obama-care and the Catholic church?
Full disclosure: I am NOT a social issues guy at all. Free markets and limiting the overreach of the state are what I care about, not abortion.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203889904577199523577373982.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
“But the big political news of the week isn’t Mr. Romney’s gaffe, or even his victory in Florida. The big story took place in Washington. That’s where a bomb went off that not many in the political class heard, or understood.
But President Obama just may have lost the election.
The president signed off on a Health and Human Services ruling that says under ObamaCare Catholic institutions—including charities, hospitals and schools—will be required by law, for the first time ever, to provide and pay for insurance coverage that includes contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization procedures. If they do not, they will face ruinous fines in the millions of dollars. Or they can always go out of business.
There was no reason to make this ruling—none. Except ideology.
There was no reason to pick this fight. It reflects political incompetence on a scale so great as to make Mitt Romney’s gaffes a little bitty thing.
There was nothing for the president to gain, except, perhaps, the pleasure of making a great church bow to him.
Enjoy it while you can. You have awakened a sleeping giant.”
I paraphrased the article, but I think her point was spot on – an unforced error as an ideological sop to a bunch of people who were going to vote for him anyway which could cost some people on the fence. I don’t understand why he did it, other than ego.
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jnc:
You know I’ll have your back on about 75-80% of days, just not today!
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“I don’t understand why he did it, other than ego.”
There’s a phrase used by the commentators at Reason’s Hit and Run that used to describe situations from big government overreach to petty tyrants at the local level. Granted, those guys are like me, but turned up to 11 all the time. Anyway, it’s, ahem, “Fuck you, that’s why.”
Mark and I were talking about this the other day. The bishops signed off on Obamacare, lured by the promise of universal coverage.
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brent:
She’s presuming that the average Catholic agrees with the church hierarchy on this one. I think many Catholics would be first in line to get the birth control from their insurers. The Santorums might be the only ones using the rhythm method.
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That may be true, banned. but the single loud and clear is “this administration doesn’t respect us.” that’s the impression i get from parishioners at my parish.
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nova:
I wonder how many of them have every used birth control?
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doesn’t matter, in my opinion. that’s an inter squad fight. I’m sure lots of them would love the Church to change it’s doctrine on a host of these issues. but that’s different than having an outsider tell you to get with the program. .
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anyway, my 2 cents. catch up all next week
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“jnc:
You know I’ll have your back on about 75-80% of days, just not today!”
Clearly that’s just one more reason we need QE3.
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“lmsinca, on February 3, 2012 at 1:32 pm said:
“It’s tough being the 1%.”
We wish…………….another bump in the road to late retirement……lol. I’m more pissed she called our gardener a thief anyway. He’s a really sweet old guy who works really hard and is even further away from retiring than we are. I wanted to call her a liar and a thief but restrained myself and just hung up on her.”
That’s how the 99% roll. I’ve concluded that those terms, as used by OWS, are more about mindsets than actual income distribution. In my case, I’m in, to paraphrase Jay-Z, a 1% State of Mind.
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jnc, I have made a little money on my oil stock of late…………..
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Worth a read: Jared Bernstein’s take on the new jobs numbers:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/what-the-new-jobs-report-means-20120203
Note this:
“Weekly earnings are up 2.5 percent over the past year. That’s still behind the rate of inflation, which has been running at around 3 percent, meaning prices are still growing faster than people’s paychecks.”
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nova:
They don’t have any control over church doctrine, just the law. The Mormons still can’t Practice polygamy or discirminate against blacks, even if it is their doctrine.
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jnc:
LOL but you only get the reference if you’ve read Ezra today.
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lms:
I was listening to the radio on my drive, and heard that of the 19 PP affiliates that get money from Komen, only 3 of them actually do breast cancer screenings. Is that true?
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Is that true?
I don’t know Scott. Here are the 19 affiliates who received grants in 2009/2010, where they are located and how much money they received. I imagine someone is looking into this as we speak. I do know that Komen themselves have stated in the past they only fund PP affiliates who do breast cancer screenings in answer to questions raised from Pro-Life groups. I had to shrink the chart below so who knows if anyone will be able to read it. I guess we’ll find out when I post……..yikes
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Hey there, neighbor!
I live in Fairlington Towne, right next to the Bradlee Center. We should hit Cap City or Ramparts sometime for a beer. Dogfish Head at 7 Corners, Rustico on Slater’s Lane, and Vermillion in Old Town are also favorite haunts.
Cheers!
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BTW Scott
Just for clarification you do know they don’t actually do mammograms at PP right? They use the funds for screening and then send women by referral to other facilities and in some cases pay for it. If that’s not true then why would Komen allocate the funds in the first place especially under political pressure?
Michi’s doing the quotation Sat and Sun, and I’ve got Mon and Tues. No Mao though.
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I checked four of the PP affiliates on lms’ list and they all offer breast cancer screening services. I’m not going to check others, but they all appear to have web sites should someone else want to. Breast cancer exams/screening is usually found under a more general category, Women’s Health Care.
-PP of Delaware
-PP of Nassau Cty.
-PP of Idaho
-Mt. Baker PP
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Working across platforms here, for those who haven’t seen this post by me yet. Ami I crazy or this actually happening?
“Note the chart at the end. Obama is still very vulnerable on the economy, and his story is a tough one to tell. But Dems will use visuals such as that one to try to drive home what happened as clearly as possible.”
It’s only tough to tell, because you, Jonathan and other Dem bloggers are refusing to tell it. I can’t believe how reluctant any of you are to talk about good economic news! Still no mention from any of you that today was a three and a half year high for the S&P, and an eleven year one for the Nasdaq. .
I think it’s pretty plain Greg that you’re uncomfortable placing Obama in the context of a successful economy where people will earn more money, It’s NOT Republican to celebrate more jobs, or at least it shouldn’t be.
However Iit seems that all the chherleading that was done today for the President was done by commentors, while bloggers, like Yglesias, seemed almost apologetic about improving. numbers.
You guys have some absolutely crazy notions about what will re-elect a sitting president!
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john, you’ve been singing that song all day. Well done!
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My political theory prof used to read from the Little Red Book before all of our exams, wearing one of those Mao caps.
I won’t ever be able to see or hear of it without remembering it that way. Was very funny stuff.
As for Obama and the economy, at best he is the cock that crowed before the sun came up … dimly.
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john, I wasted some minutes earlier in the week cheerleading for you at PL – must I go there yet again?
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mark:
TY
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QB:
You wound me sir! LOL
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John, as my twin 3.0 yo granddaughters, il diavoli, say: Orr wekkum!
QB – a skewer at PL in time saves 9.
That was fun, but I’m done.
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Mark,
A pleasant interlude, huh? And weird that way.
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lms/Mich:
Thanks for the info. Perhaps I heard wrong and they were talking about mammograms and not screening.
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QB, as John pointed out, the quality of the commenters, meaning us, of course, was upgraded for the evening.
Tao was fun.
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Sorry to have been so absent today–I thought that with the reversal of the PP decision things would slow down for me (the hazards of doing volunteer work–occasionally the time requirement overlaps with your “real work” hours. . . those are the times that I wish human cloning were an actual possibility), but they didn’t. However, I’ve been mulling doing a post on the Komen/Planned Parenthood kerfuffle to (1) help me clarify my own thoughts by having to create a coherent post, (2) let you know the behind-the-scenes action and how things played out this week, and (3) start a conversation about women’s health issues and why some of us feel the way we do (both the men and women on the blog).
Are you guys interested? It would be a post tomorrow, most likely, as Sunday is (of course) the Super Bowl!
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Oh, and lest I forget:
The Utes kicked Georgia’s little Gym Dog ass tonight, 197.15 – 196.95. Go Utes!!!!
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Michi, I’m always itching for a fight over issues like the SGK flap and feel somehow unfairly deprived of my opportunity to fight this week because I was so busy.
Unfortunately, there won’t be much let up in the busy-ness for me. I’m not sure it is possible to be more behind on so many things as I seem to be.
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I’m not sure it is possible to be more behind on so many things as I seem to be.
I really, really need to get moving on that human cloning thing. . . have to work “instant aging” into the equation, too. . .
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‘Goose, I would look forward to it.
I would like you to address an “aftermath” issue in the mix. It seemed to me from one WaPo story that even after SGK reversed itself, due to the negative public response, that there was not public acceptance of the reversal from the large numbers of folks who had switched their donor choices. Wouldn’t good dog training call for approval after the behavior changed? A dog that is punished no matter what loses the lesson, right?
I would like you to work in HHS’s decision on ACA re: Catholic employers. That is trickier, in light of the statute itself and a recent Supreme Court decision; HHS may have had no “good” choice. Still, if HHS had carved out a “conscience clause” in the regs, implicitly or explicitly inviting court review, it would have been a more politically astute decision by the Admin. There seems no politically good reason to make Catholics feel they are eating their consciences, other than a strict construction of the statutory authority and a guess on how a Court would rule on the constitutional issue, that make sense to me, but I read many [not here] as saying they are offended by the RC Church’s response as an attack on women’s health.
If neither of these concerns fit into the opus as it develops in your mind, that’s OK, too. After your reverse Herman Cain example, I never want to be thought of as making any demands of you, ma’am!
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Why can’t the combined police and security forces of the western world find and deal with “Anonymous”?
I am picturing tv’s NCIS nerds vs. “Plague” and “Lisbeth Salander”.
However, the success of “Anonymous” does frighten me.
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Good morning, mark and michi. What was the “reverse Herman Cain example”?
Michi, I think that’s a great idea for a post. Looking forward to it. I brought my work home this weekend (at least I don’t have to go to the office) so I’m hoping to carve out some time here.
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Okie, Michigoose explained to me how Herman Cain could grab his passenger as she described, when I had been dubious. In her example I was the victim…
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QB:
Unfortunately, there won’t be much let up in the busy-ness for me. I’m not sure it is possible to be more behind on so many things as I seem to be
I’m right there with you. As fast as I can cross stuff off the “to do” list, the it still isn’t fast enough. How can my list keep getting longer?
Wish I were billing by the hour …
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Wish I were billing by the hour …
lol, I don’t even cash my paychecks, they go right back into the business.
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LOL, mark. I remember that, just did not make the connection to the comment here. Good choice on your part.
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My only problem with your request, Mark, is that I keep conflating “reverse Herman Cain” with “reverse ferret” in my mind’s eye and the visual keeps cracking me up!
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