85% of U.S. Unhappy With Economy

[MrFun]

Originally posted by rah
This is a country of laws

Dude, no way!

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by One_more_turn
Our country is suffering from overconsumption and underinvestment, is it so difficult to recognize?

I don't know how you can think that when interest rates are so low and people are searching endlessly to get a good return on their investment. The problem is clearly underconsumption.

[GePap]

Originally posted by PLATO

In any event, it will provide debate fodder forever. rah has it right...a decision was made and that is the way it is.

The problem for me is and always will be that it was not for SCOTUS to make it.

Its up to each state to certify their results - the Florida Legislature was the one who had to say "hey, ths is our vote", and if they failed to do it by the right time and no clear winner was found, then it was up to Congress to vote, as the Constitution clearly states.

In either case Bush still wins because there was a Republican Florida Legislature and a Republican Congress, but then, had the processed gone forward like it was supposed to, legislators would have been on the hook for their decision, and god help us if they be asked to take responsibility....

So SCOTUS with no real basis hijacked what should have been, and is, a purely political process and spoke as if there was a judicial basis for an outcome.

I find it hilarious then that so many conservatives bemoan "judicial activism" but go ahead with perhaps the most flagrant case of this phenomenom.

[rah]

Hmmm, no one was going to make a call so I have no problem if SCOTUS decides it. Who better? Especially when you say as the Constitution clearly states. Obviously it wasn't that clear or someone didn't want the responsibility.
And I'm reasonably conservative and have never bemoaned Judicial activism. I may have disagreed with some of the results of it, but not the process. Better judges over guns, even if the judges are wrong every now and then.

[PLATO]

Originally posted by GePap


The problem for me is and always will be that it was not for SCOTUS to make it.

Its up to each state to certify their results - the Florida Legislature was the one who had to say "hey, ths is our vote", and if they failed to do it by the right time and no clear winner was found, then it was up to Congress to vote, as the Constitution clearly states.

In either case Bush still wins because there was a Republican Florida Legislature and a Republican Congress, but then, had the processed gone forward like it was supposed to, legislators would have been on the hook for their decision, and god help us if they be asked to take responsibility....

So SCOTUS with no real basis hijacked what should have been, and is, a purely political process and spoke as if there was a judicial basis for an outcome.

I find it hilarious then that so many conservatives bemoan "judicial activism" but go ahead with perhaps the most flagrant case of this phenomenom.

I don't necesarily disagree with you on this, but it appears that there was an interpretation of Federal Law involved.

U.S. Supreme Court dealt Democrat Al Gore a blow by forbidding the manual recounts on the grounds that they could not be finished by the Tuesday deadline, set by federal law, for state legislatures to choose electors.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/12/13/scotus.election.05/

It looks pretty thin to me, but there have been many such rulings by courts that were pretty thin as well.

The article does also say that

The nation's highest court also sent the case back to the Florida court for further proceedings

.

Of course, It is hard to argue with Stevens statement in dissent:

the Bush campaign had no legal basis for its claims, other than an "unstated lack of confidence in the impartiality and capacity of the state judges."

It was the State's job to certify the electors by whatever means their State laws dictate and the federal government should not have had a dog in the race.

[ramseya]

back to the economy...

I don't know... with our literacy rate, our infrastructure, and our material resources, the American economy will likely always go strong despite these little hiccups. People are concerned with less economic growth and unemployment but our issues with those aren't as bad as what Europe regularly experiences

it's interesting though that there is inflationary pressure from oil prices yet most people's wealth, which is embodied in their homes and their stocks, is decreasing in value. It's a bothersome situation but is not helped by a lack of confidence. To some extent Phil Gramm was right about the "mental recession" comment; the economy will only get better if consumers, businesses, and investors are confident.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by PLATO

blacks were disenfranchised

Weren't a lot of overseas members of the armed forces disenfranchised as well?

As a matter of fact they were, but not in the way you think. About three thousand spoiled absentee ballots were counted, even though their authenticity could not be verified. Thus, the votes of military serving overseas was diluted.

However, as these fraudulent ballots were overwhelmingly for Bush, and the military also voted overwhelmingly for Bush, I'm not all that sure they minded their rights being violated.

Speaking of which, 58,000 absentee ballots went missing in my county, and no one has ever been held accountable.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by PLATO
It was the State's job to certify the electors by whatever means their State laws dictate and the federal government should not have had a dog in the race.

Well, no. It was the job of the state to certify the election was fair, which it did, even though it wasn't. Since, in reality, Florida couldn't verify its election wasn't fraudulent, it should not have certified the election. However, since the person in charge of certifying the election was also the campaign manager of one of the candidates and was also the person responsible for the election being fraudulent, that wasn't going to happen. This state is so corrupt. Someday, maybe, Kate Harris will serve serious jail time for her role in 2000.

[rmsharpe]

Try Chicago; they always seem to wind up with more ballots than people...

[PLATO]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


As a matter of fact they were, but not in the way you think. About three thousand spoiled absentee ballots were counted, even though their authenticity could not be verified. Thus, the votes of military serving overseas was diluted.

However, as these fraudulent ballots were overwhelmingly for Bush, and the military also voted overwhelmingly for Bush, I'm not all that sure they minded their rights being violated.

Speaking of which, 58,000 absentee ballots went missing in my county, and no one has ever been held accountable.

I heard on the radio yesterday that there is legislation before Congress right now that will force expediting the ballots of the military back to the states. It seems that approximately 70% of military ballots the last two elections have been disqualified for being late.

The measure is sponsored by a Republican Congressman from California and has passed commitee. Democratic leadership is holding the legislation from being voted on.

Anybody know much about that?

[PLATO]

Back to the economy...51000 non farm jobs lost last month. Unemployment rises to 5.7%

[rah]

Plato

http://domenici.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=301312

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici today announced his support for legislation intended to improve the ability of U.S. military personnel stationed overseas to receive and return election ballots.

Domenici has cosponsored the Military Voting Protection Act of 2008 (S.3073), a measure written to address the fact that fewer than half of all military and overseas absentee ballots requested for the 2006 election cycle never reached election officials to be counted.

Among other provisions, S.3073 would provide express shipping for completed military and overseas absentee ballots to appropriate state election officials by the jurisdiction’s statutory deadline. The five-year authorization bill would apply to all regularly scheduled general elections for federal office, beginning with the November 2008 election.

“Voter disenfranchisement is an issue that raises its head every election cycle, and today we are faced with evidence that the voting system for our military personnel overseas does not work as it should. The process is mired with red tape and delays. I support this legislation because it offers a chance to ensure that votes cast by our men and women in uniform get counted,” Domenici said.

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986 requires states to allow absentee voting for military service members and other specified groups of U.S. citizens. However, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in a September 2007 UOCAVA Survey found that only 47.6 percent of the of the overseas military voters who requested absentee ballots for the 2006 election actually had their ballots cast or counted.

In its 2007 survey report, the Election Assistance Commission suggested that, out of the 992,034 military and overseas absentee ballots requested for the 2006 election, more than 660,000 of these ballots never reached election officials to be counted. In addition, nearly 10 percent of the military and overseas absentee ballots were rejected because they were received by election officials after the statutory deadlines.

S.3073 would amend UOCAVA to provide for expedited collection and delivery of ballots of overseas troops, as well as direct the Defense Department to make provisions for the collection, transportation, and tracking of the absentee ballots of overseas military voters, using express mail providers to the extent practicable.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that it would require $10 million to $15 million to carry out S.3073 in 2008. The Senate measure, introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), has 27 cosponsors. A companion bill, HR.5673, has been introduced in the House of Representatives with Congressman Steve Pearce as a cosponsor.

I couldn't find any confirmation that Democrats where blocking it, but it wouldn't surprise me. Democrats only seem to worry about dissenfranchisement of those that generally vote Democratic. Sadly the Repugs are usually no better in this regard.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by PLATO
Back to the economy...51000 non farm jobs lost last month. Unemployment rises to 5.7%

And what do you expect your government to do about it. Americans do not have much faith in their own government, something that has been ruthlessly exploited by extreme right wingers since the late 70s.

Nixon is in many ways the pivotal figure. Watergate caused the Church Committee hearings and after that it was impossible for any informed person not to believe that the authorities were dysfunctional. People wonder why the crazy 9/11 Truth movement has so many adherents or why there are so many conspiracy theorists. Well, it's because your government agencies got caught with their hands in the cookie jar and basically did away with public trust for good.

Your government is bought and paid for. Everyone knows it, so unless you care about which party is going to follow which money, it's irrational to vote.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by PLATO
Back to the economy...51000 non farm jobs lost last month. Unemployment rises to 5.7%

Rising Unemployment with Some Increase in Wages

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer
4 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The nation's unemployment rate climbed to a four-year high of 5.7 percent in July as employers cut 51,000 jobs, dashing the hopes of an influx of young people looking for summer work.

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Payroll cuts weren't as deep as the 72,000 predicted by economists, however. And, job losses for both May and June were smaller than previously reported.

July's reductions marked the seventh straight month where employers eliminated jobs. The economy has lost a total of 463,00 jobs so far this year.

The latest snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, showed a lack of credit has stunted employers' expansion plans and willingness to hire. Fallout from the housing slump and high energy prices also are weighing on employers.

The increase in the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent, from 5.5 percent in June, in part came as many young people streamed into the labor market looking for summer jobs. This year, fewer of them were able to find work, the government said. The unemployment rate for teenagers jumped to 20.3 percent, the highest since late 1992.

The economy is the top concern of voters and will figure prominently in their choices for president and other elected officials come November. The faltering labor market is a source of anxiety not only for those looking for work but also for those worried about keeping their jobs during uncertain times.

Job losses in July were the heaviest in industries hard hit by the housing, credit and financial debacles. Manufacturers cut 35,000 positions, construction companies got rid of 22,000 and retailers shed 17,000 jobs. Temporary help firms — also viewed as a barometer of demand for future hiring — eliminated 29,000 jobs. Those losses swamped job gains elsewhere, including in the government, education and health care.

In May and June combined, the economy lost 98,000 jobs, according to revised figures. That wasn't as bad as the 124,000 reductions previously reported.

GM, Chrysler LLC, Wachovia Corp., Cox Enterprises Inc. and Pfizer are among the companies that have announced job cuts in July.

GM Friday reported the third-worst quarterly loss in its history in the second quarter as North American vehicle sales plummeted and the company faced expenses due to labor unrest and its massive restructuring plan.

On July 15, GM announced a plan to raise $15 billion for its restructuring by laying off thousands of hourly and salaried workers, speeding the closure of truck and SUV plants, suspending its dividend and raising cash through borrowing and the sale of assets.

GM also said it would reduce production by another 300,000 vehicles, and that could prompt another wave of blue-collar early retirement and buyout offers.

Meanwhile. Bennigan's restaurants owned by privately held Metromedia Restaurant Group, are closing, driving more people to unemployment lines.

All told, there were 8.8 million unemployed people in July, up from 7.1 million last year. The jobless rate last July stood at 4.7 percent.

More job cuts are expected in coming months. There's growing concern that many people will pull back on their spending later this year when the bracing effect of the tax rebates fades, dealing a dangerous blow to the fragile economy. These worries are fanning recession fears.

Still, workers saw wage gains in July.

Average hourly earnings rose to $18.06 in July, a 0.3 percent increase from the previous month. That matched economists' expectations. Over the past year, wages have grown 3.4 percent. Paychecks aren't stretching as far because of high food and energy prices.

Other reports out Friday showed stresses as companies cope with a sluggish economy.

Spending on construction projects around the country dropped 0.4 percent in June as cutbacks in home building eclipsed gains in commercial construction, the Commerce Department reported.

And, manufacturers' business was flat in July. The Institute for Supply Management's reading of activity from the country's producers of cars, airplanes, appliances and other manufactured goods hit 50, down from 50.2 in June. A reading above 50 signals growth.

The news forced Wall Street to reassess its initial positive reaction to the jobs data. The Dow, which opened higher, slid about 80 points by midmorning.

The Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady next week as it tries to grapple with dueling concerns — weak economic activity and inflation.

In June, the Fed halted a nearly yearlong rate-cutting campaign to shore up the economy because lower rates would aggravate inflation. On the other hand, boosting rates too soon to fend off inflation could hurt the economy.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by MrFun
Rising Unemployment with Some Increase in Wages[/URL]

I think that might be because some sectors of the economy are going and others are contracting.