Reply #85: Mourning in America?-Obama's jobless recovery now in full gloom as Unemployment ticks up to 9.8%

[demwing]

Unemployment Rises to 9.8% as U.S. Adds Just 39,000 Jobs

Payrolls increased 39,000, less than the most pessimistic projection of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, after a revised 172,000 increase the prior month, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The jobless rate rose to 9.8 percent, the highest since April, while hours worked and earnings stagnated.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-03/u-s-added-39-000-jobs-in-november-unemployment-rose-to-9-8-.html

And while we're on the subject of folks without jobs:

A second attempt to extend federal unemployment benefits failed yesterday in the Senate.

A second attempt to pass an extension of federal unemployment benefits was blocked in the Senate yesterday, this time by Republican John Barrasso from Wyoming. What is somewhat surprising is that Barrasso didn't have a clear understanding of what he was objecting to.

"This is about people who have been collecting unemployment benefits for 99 weeks," said Barrasso, describing the bill he just blocked.

Only the bill to which he objected is not about extending unemployment benefits to so-called 99ers — those who've already exhausted all the federal unemployment benefits available to them. The bill being considered does nothing to help those people. In reality, what the bill does is allow people who have been laid off more recently the same chance to collect up to 99 weeks as those laid off earlier in the recession. Without an extension, many unemployed people will collect only the 26 weeks of benefits offered by the states. Barrasso was corrected on the Senate floor by one of his colleagues.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) interrupted Barrasso to correct him. "I just want you to understand that this extension is not for anything beyond 99 weeks," she said. "We do not have any extension beyond 99 weeks. I just wanted my friend to know that."

http://www.mlive.com/michigan-job-search/index.ssf/2010/12/a_second_senate_attempt_to_extend_federa.html

Yeeeessssss, recovery is in full bloom, alrighty!