Powell admits Iraq evidence mistake

by Simon 128 Replies latest social current

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  WhyNow2000

  All under CLINTON:
  

  Longest economic expansion in American historyfor the first time in over 50 years.

  More than 22 million new jobsMore than 22 million jobs were created in less than eight years -- the most ever under a single administration, and more than were created in the previous twelve years.- Over 90 percent of these jobs are in the private sector and 80 percent of all new jobs have been created by small businesses.

  Earned Income Tax Credit The plan gave tax cuts to 15 million families, and the average family with two children received over $1,000.

  Made new tax cuts available to over 90% of small businesses.

  Lowest unemployment in 30 yearsUnemployment dropped from more than 7 percent in 1993 to just 4.0 percent in November 2000. Unemployment for African Americans and Hispanics fell to the lowest rates on record, and the rate for women is the lowest in more than 40 years.

  Converted the largest budget deficit in American history to the largest surplus

  Highest homeownership in American historyA strong economy and fiscal discipline kept interest rates low, making it possible for more families to buy homes. The homeownership rate increased from 64.2 percent in 1992 to 67. 7 percent, the highest rate ever.

  Lowest crime rate in 26 yearsBecause of President Clinton?s comprehensive anti-crime strategy of tough penalties, more police, and smart prevention, as well as common sense gun safety laws, the overall crime rate declined for 8 consecutive years, the longest continuous drop on record, and is at the lowest level since 1973.

  Smallest welfare rolls in 32 yearsThe President pledged to end welfare as we know it and signed landmark bipartisan welfare reform legislation in 1996. Since then, caseloads have been cut in half, to the lowest level since 1968, and millions of parents have joined the workforce. People on welfare today are five times more likely to be working than in 1992.

  Lowest poverty rate in 20 years

  Lowest government spending in three decades

  Under clintons watch (8 years) less than 90 (including servicemen/woman) died due to terrorism.

  Under Bush's watch...3,000 in less than 9 months (not including servicemen/woman)

  Some people would like to say it has nothing to do with him (Clinton). That would make him the luckiest President who ever lived.
• 

  Realist

  WhyNow,

  i think we can all agree that clinton was 100 times better than the mental midget who is charge now!
• 

  bigboi

  No doubt about it, Clinton's management of the domestic Government is a legacy that will treat him well in history. He did under almost constant attack from conservative tabloid media, he did it despite losing his party losing control of the Congress. Blowjobs be damned.
• 

  blacksheep

  think we can all agree that clinton was 100 times better than the mental midget who is charge now!

  Nope, we cannot at all. Check your facts. All economic indicators are demonstrating Bush's policiess are working. The most recent: the unprecendented addition of jobs to the US economy for March. The rececession that Bush inh rited is gone; jobs are increasing, the market is healthier than it has been in years. Check out the "misery indicator" used to gauge people's overall economic situation and optimism for the future (in today's Wall Street Journal). Bush has the lowest score than anyone in the last 30 years ( and that is a good thing)

  People are just making facts up when the reality won't support their agenda.
• 

  Realist

  blacksheep,

  can you check where the growth comes from? the guy is spending at least 200 billion dollars more on the military than clinton plus the expenses on "homeland security"...this is certainly influencing the statistics.
• 

  blacksheep

  You know that I'm Canadian, BS. Why would I want to be president of a country that I don't even belong to, LOL!

  Get that chip out of your shoulder and stop bothering me please

  Frankly, I wasn't even paying attention to your citizenship. But, you were putting yourself in some sort of position of deciding what Bush should have done, as in your very impressive suggestion: maybe nothing. Perhaps if you don't want to be bothered by people's reactions to your suggestions about what the president of the US should have done after 9/11 and you are not a US citizen, maybe you should keep your Canadian thoughts to yourself. Or grow thicker skin when people challenge you on your "do nothing" stance.
• 

  WhyNow2000

  If you want to live like a Republican, vote for a democrat.
• 

  blacksheep

  can you check where the growth comes from? the guy is spending at least 200 billion dollars more on the military than clinton plus the expenses on "homeland security"...this is certainly influencing the statistics.

  Nice speculation. Too bad facts interfere with it. Job growth has spanned industries, including manufacturing. Y ou don't appear to have a good grasp on what "job growth means."
• 

  WhyNow2000

  Check out the "misery indicator" used to gauge people's overall economic situation and optimism for the future (in today's Wall Street Journal).

  An index combining the unemployment rate and inflation rate. The index is used to measure the political significance of the condition of the economy, as well as consumer confidence.

  The rate is low because inflation rate is low. Unemployment is high.
• 

  Realist

  blacksheep,

  a little aggressive aren't we?

  Y ou don't appear to have a good grasp on what "job growth means."

  believe me i know what job growth means. after all its not such a hard concept to grasp.

  so thank god the NYtimes (what would i do without it!?) we can bring a little light in this!

  U.S. Job Growth Surges; 308,000 Positions Created in March

  By EDUARDO PORTER
  Published: April 2, 2004
  
  

  mployment growth surged ahead in March, surpassing economists' most optimistic expectations and providing the Bush administration with a shot of good news to counter Democratic attacks against the president's economic policies.

  The Labor Department said today that the economy added 308,000 jobs last month, pulling ahead of the pattern of tepid employment growth it had recorded since the end of last year to clock the fastest rate of job creation since April 2000.

  The Labor Department also revised its estimate of jobs added in January and February to 205,000, almost double its previous estimate of 118,000. The revisions pushed average job growth in the first quarter to 171,000 per month, the most vigorous rate since the second quarter of 2000, shortly after the Internet bubble burst.

  President Bush was quick to take credit for the increase, long awaited by the White House.

  "This economy is strong," he said in an appearance at Marshall Community and Technical College in Huntington, W.Va. "It is getting stronger."

  Democrats, however, characterized the change as inadequate and long overdue.

  The unemployment rate ?- measured through a different household survey rather than company payrolls ? inched up to 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent in February. The survey recorded a slight decline of 3,000 jobs driven by a decline of 304,000 in the self-employed, who are not captured in the payroll statistics. This indicates a shift out of involuntary self-employment as the labor market expanded.

  Economists, who were perplexed by an economy that for months had shown strength in virtually every indicator except employment, were elated by the upbeat job numbers.

  "It realigns the employment conditions with all the other economic data,", said Mickey Levy, chief economist at Banc of America Securities. "Every other piece of economic data has implied solid economic growth."

  The vigorous increase in jobs was also good news for the administration. `This confirms what we've been saying. The economy is on track,` said N. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors.

  Mr. Mankiw said that rather than increase taxes, as Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has proposed to do for those who earn more than $200,000 a year, the tax cuts enacted by President Bush should be made permanent to keep the economy on track. He also argued against retreating into '`isolationism," a direct reference to Senator Kerry's attack against what he calls "Benedict Arnold" corporations that outsource production overseas.

  "The key is not to reverse course," said Mr. Mankiw.

  But Democrats were quick to point out that one month of hearty job creation does not constitute a trend, and the current administration's job record is still in the red.

  "After three years of punishing job losses, the one-month job creation announced today is welcome news for America's workers. I hope it continues," Senator Kerry said in a statement released by his campaign. Yet he added that "with nearly 2.6 million private sector jobs lost during the Bush presidency, America's families need and deserve a new economic strategy."

  "One good apple doesn't save the whole bunch," said Gene Sperling, a former economic aide during the Clinton administration who is advising Senator Kerry on economic issues. "Two facts that are not going to change are that when George W. Bush accepts the nomination of the Republican Party he will have the worst fiscal record in history and he will still be the only president since Herbert Hoover to preside over a net job loss."

  Indeed, despite the upward revisions in the first quarter, on average the economy has only added 115,000 jobs per month since October, when Treasury Secretary John Snow forecast average employment growth of 200,000 jobs in the subsequent 12 months.

  Employment was helped along by a couple of one-time events. The end of a supermarket strike in California contributed to 47,000 more retail sales jobs. Better weather after the February chill pushed construction employment up by 71,000 in March following a decline in the previous month.

  But the economy added jobs across the service sector. Employment in health care and social assistance rose by 36,000. A rise in mortgage refinancing helped add 11,000 financial-sector jobs in what the Labor Department calls credit intermediation activities.

  Of the broad economic categories, only manufacturing experienced no job growth. Yet following 43 consecutive months of manufacturing job losses, the zero jobs "added" in March represented an improvement of sorts.

  "There is only a silver lining. There are very few gray clouds," said Mr. Levy.