Comments about ‘Debate, jobs report shake up presidential race’

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Published: Saturday, Oct. 6 2012 8:40 a.m. MDT

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Mad Hatter
Provo, UT

It was bound to happen. With the unemployment number down around the very low 8% range and over two years of continuous job growth, however anemic, an additional few tenths of a percentage change was inevitable. The magic number "8" has been set as a crutial number by the Romney political team and now it has been passed. Oh, well.

So how do people react. The Obama people are beside themselves with joy. The Romney people are grousing that the number is "artificial" and "contrived". The former CEO of GE predicted the number would be 7.9%. When it came out as 7.8%, he was livid and accused the Obama people of "cooking the books!" Even contributors to these threads appear to discount the number, but accept the unemployment numbers as long as they remain above 8%.

No one appears to know how the unemployment figures are calculated. They just assume that their gut feelings are more accurate than the calculations of professional economists. However, the only really important figure is whether someone in your family or someone you know has been unable to find a job. Doesn't matter what the number is then.


Question: Which party is characterized as been greedy, dishonest, the end justify the means philosophy, and lies to his people?

Answer: If your answer was the Republican Party, you are correct!

Kaysville, UT

I worked with the BLS for 10 years and even though they are to be professional civilian employees. However, with the influence of the administrator who is appointed by the President, it is potential that it could be influence in a non-professional way. It depends on what the definition of "is" is. Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Steve C. Warren

Romney's reaction to the drop in unemployment shows he is NOT inconsistent or a flip-flopper, as some have charged.

When unemployment ticked up, he attacked Obama. When it stayed the same, he attacked Obama. And now that it has dropped significantly, he attacks Obama.

That's consistency!

m.g. scott

If John McCain had won the Presidency instead of Obama and everything else were the same, I would not be campaigning for McCains re-election. And I sure would not begrudge any person going from Republican to Democrat. I'd say the country has bad leadership and needs to be changed. Why? Because I'm a patriot first and a Republican second. When I see the country on this kind of destructive course I want it saved. Where are you Democrat patriots who care more for country than party?

York, SC

What could possibly help us trust those numbers?
Nothing. We have heard the truth misrepresented repeatedly.
Nope, no trust.

Colorado Springs, CO

Jil said: "We have heard the truth misrepresented repeatedly."

I do hope you mean by both sides. I do hope you don't mean that one side tells the truth and the other doesn't. That would be silly!

Mcallen, TX

A fool is one who believes a lie.

Say No to BO
Mapleton, UT

Ah...government statistics. What can I say about them?
Be it stimulus jobs created or saved, illegal alien crossings, the deficit or unemployment numbers...we have a crisis of confidence in our government.
It's not a Dem or GOP thing; it's a Washington thing. Junk science "data" abounds in government programs. That's why fact-checking in debates is just digging up which biased association or institution created the numbers.
Seriously, the household survey revealed over 800,000 new jobs in September. That is about one third of the annual job growth in a good year. You're telling me they achieved that in one month?
Saddest of all, the Wall Street folks play on the headlines to create a bullish day.
Doesn't that frighten you? It frightens me.

Centerville, UT

I am supposed to believe that an increase of 114,000 jobs in September brought the unemployment rate down by 0.3, when in August the increase was 142,000 jobs and the rate dropped .1%?

If the rate truly is 7.8% it is due to the unemployed running out of benefits and/or have stopped looking for work. That does not paint a good picture.

Obama hasn't been working to improve our economy. He failed to sign the oil pipeline from Canada. He failed to meet with his jobs council for 6 months. He has been campaigning for 3.5 years. He attends fundraisers and television shows like Leno, Letterman, and the View, but doesn't have time to meet with Netanyahu.

We see right through this "president". He should be fired for dereliction of his duties and failure to understand economics, the US Constitution, and wasting tax payer money on a green energy companies that have gone bankrupt after contributing to his campaign.

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