You know the era of big government is alive and well when you see a mainstream news outlet praise the growth of the public sector as a "bright spot."
Leading up to and throughout the 2008 national election cycle, CBS News was generally downbeat on the economy, even when times were much better than they are currently. However, now that government has taken a much larger role in the private economy, the "CBS Evening News" has now been running a so-called "Economic Bright Spot" segment. And on the May 18 broadcast, "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric explained how government was going to save us all.
"Back here on earth, government agencies like NASA seem to be the only places hiring during this recession," Couric said. "Last month, there were 72,000 new government jobs - 66,000 federal. That's up more than 2 percent from the month before. As Kelly Wallace reports, for thousands of graduates who need jobs this hiring boom is one of the economic bright spots."
The problem - in a down economy, the job market for recent college graduates is struggling, as most job markets are, except for the government, as CBS correspondent Kelly Wallace pointed out.
"What's changing is fewer students are leaving campus with jobs," Wallace said. "According a new national survey, of 7,000 graduates looking for a job this year, less than 20 percent found one. That's down from 51 percent in 2007."
However, now colleges are gearing their strategies to government jobs, according to Wallace.
"Most employers are cutting back," Wallace added. "Not Uncle Sam. That's why City College of New York held the held the school's first-ever job fair for strictly government jobs."
Wallace said the strategy for graduates is to use a government job as a resume builder. Somehow, Wallace believes that masses of young workers joining the bloated public sector because there are few jobs in the productive segments of the economy is positive.
"It's good for the country and the resume," Wallace added.
Earlier this year, Congress passed a $787-billion stimulus bill into law. Democrats in Congress and President Barack Obama claimed it was necessary to stem unemployment. Although the stimulus has clearly benefited bureaucrats and grown the already vast public sector of the economy expanding as the CBS report has pointed out - the stimulus, has made things worse, according to Ed Morrissey, and will saddle many future generations with massive government debt.
"Not only did the stimulus plan not work, the unemployment actually rose faster with the ‘recovery plan' in place than the Obama administration predicted unemployment would rise without it," Morrissey wrote for the American Issues Project on May 14.
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Black Holes of Wealth
May 19, 2009 - 09:37 ET by mbs6For the most part these government jobs are not wealth-creation engines. Instead they suck real wealth out of the economy and cement high unemployment rates.
But it's a "boom" and it's
May 19, 2009 - 10:01 ET by forestBut it's a "boom" and it's "good for the Country".
This is really pathetic. I haven't watched a network news program in years, and I guess it's goten worse than I thought. This is really a regular segment?
"For the most part." You
May 19, 2009 - 10:25 ET by mattm"For the most part." You can delete those words. No government jobs "create" wealth - they spend it.
The legitimate functions of government are worth the expense and indirectly benefit the economy, but I'm guessing that about 3/4 of federal government spending is a waste of money.
For Kooky Katie Klueless to hail expanding government as an economic bright spot demonstrates either total ignorance, or deliberate deceit.
O-MAN THE DESTROYER
May 19, 2009 - 11:58 ET by reelman46O-MAN THE DESTROYER
Jimmah Carter is a piker compared to Obama’s war on prosperity.
The average recession lasts under 18 months but he will guarantee this one to run a full 4 years at least.
First, he put us 9 trillion in debt on your VISA.
Second, he trashed the car business then raised CAFE standards while still blocking domestic drilling.
Third, his fellow secular socialists are prepping some monster taxes for you, yes, for you.
Fourth, his kook demo-lib congress will ruin health care like ALL other countries that allowed the inept gov-meant to run it.
Fifth, he bought the Global Warming hoax…rest assured the elites will not change their lifestyles but you must.
The day is soon approaching when the fawning lib-media that changes his diapers will have a pant load even they cannot carry.
Take another look at your 401k…and another in July, then another in September. Only the DOW will not lie for Obama.
You just think its a recession now. You just think next year will be very different, very positive. You have been had.
See if smiles, smooth talk, serial lies and blaming others still works for you next year.
Radical socialists do what radical socialists do.
Remember where you read this first.
Doug Schexnayder, Ph.D. (theconservativecrawfish)
reelman,
May 19, 2009 - 19:44 ET by R D HelmI expect us to be in a full blown depression by the end of the summer.
Hell, we might be there already.
-Dave
"Economic Bright Spot", A.K.A Socialism!
May 19, 2009 - 12:12 ET by JABSomeone please try to convince this gentleman of that.
My name is George C.
Joseph. I am the sole owner of Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu, a family owned
and operated business in Melbourne, Florida. My family bought and paid
for this automobile franchise 35 years ago in 1974. I am the second
generation to manage this business.
We
currently employ 50+ people and before the economic slowdown we
employed over 70 local people. We are active in the community and the
local chamber of commerce. We deal with several dozen local vendors on
a day to day basis and many more during a month. All depend on our
business for part of their livelihood. We are financially strong with
great respect in the market place and community. We have strong local
presence and stability.
I
work every day the store is open, nine to ten hours a day. I know most
of our customers and all our employees. Sunshine Dodge is my life.
On
Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge franchise, that we
purchased, will be taken away from my family on June 9, 2009 without compensation and given to another dealer at no cost
to them. My new vehicle inventory consists of 125 vehicles with a
financed balance of 3 million dollars. This inventory becomes
impossible to sell with no factory incentives beyond
June 9, 2009. Without the Dodge franchise we can no longer sell a new
Dodge as "new," nor will we be able to do any warranty service work.
Additionally, my Dodge parts inventory, (approximately $300,000.) is
virtually worthless without the ability to perform warranty service.
There is no offer from Chrysler to buy back the vehicles or parts
inventory.
Our
facility was recently totally renovated at Chrysler's insistence,
incurring a multi-million dollar debt in the form of a mortgage at Sun
Trust Bank.
HOW IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CAN THIS HAPPEN?
THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY
This is beyond imagination! My business is being stolen from me through NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING wrong.
This
atrocity will most likely force my family into bankruptcy. This will
also cause our 50+ employees to be unemployed. How will they provide
for their families? This is a total economic disaster.
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
I beseech your help, and look forward to your reply. Thank you.
Sincerely,
George C. Joseph
President & Owner
Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu
His company website is here, his picture is top row fourth from the right.
H/T to The American Thinker.
This is scary sh!t and it's just begun, communism in full march forward. Please share with others for his sake.
"Too bad Ignorance isn't painful..."
JAB... Yeah, it's
May 19, 2009 - 21:07 ET by bigtimerJAB...
Yeah, it's happening in my neck of the woods too.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
More evidence of the
May 19, 2009 - 12:48 ET by tcm22More evidence of the economic and historical illiteracy in our country and a shining example of the huge experiment in public education. It seems the more money we pump into the education system -- at both the state and local level -- the worse outcomes we get.
It's clear the the television news an large papers in the country have completely sold out to the collectivist vision, but the fact that more people don't question this Marxist view of an "Economic Bright Spot" is disheartening.
It is a scam, I work for
May 19, 2009 - 16:06 ET by George S PattonIt is a scam, I work for the government. Every year we get the award for increased efficieny and productivity and every year we have to ask for a bigger budget. If you actually try to save money you will be handed your head on a platter or ridiculed.
Government.
May 19, 2009 - 18:36 ET by blazermaniacOf course the government will get more jobs. What in the hell did Obama want in the first place? "BIGGER GOVERNMENT".
NASA's hiring, eh? Gee, I
May 19, 2009 - 16:48 ET by fitzfongNASA's hiring, eh? Gee, I wonder what the minimum qualifications are? 1) Must believe in the debunked theories of James Hansen on "climate change" and 2) Must be able to drive while wearing a diaper.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
Re Hansen
May 19, 2009 - 21:01 ET by slickwillie2001I've got to think that the NASA old-timers that do the real NASA work can't stand the loon Hansen and are screaming to cut his organization away and call it something else. He definitely has a negative influence on my opinion of NASA.