Unemployment Rates On Google

I found this to be interesting:

http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&met=unemployment_rate

It displays all of the unemplyment rates for each State and you can even drill down to counties within the state. Just another bookmark to file away under the "interesting but useless information" folder.

Recession over, unemployment seen at 10 percent

So the recession is over, what does that really means? It means that we have a long road ahead of us and that the after-effects of this recession will last for a long time to come. Unemployment will hit at least 10% and we will have to face the strong possibility of inflation and the effects of stronger regulations on the finance markets. Of course the government has already beat everyone to the punch with the "cash for clunkers" and other programs of this type, not to mention the countless loans that FHA has been writing in the last few months. Here is hoping for good things to come...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The worst U.S. recession since the Great Depression has ended, but weak household spending as the labor market struggles to create jobs will slow the pace of the economy's recovery, according to a survey released on Monday.

Full article

They called him "Mr. Bubble."

In 2000 he said the dot-coms would go bust. Internet entrepreneurs scoffed. In 2005, he said the housing boom would cause a recession. Mortgage lenders laughed.
They called him "Mr. Bubble."
Wouldn't you like to know what Mr. Bubble has to say today?

full article

HYDROGEN BARACKSIDE

32 Czars and Counting!

I was having a conversation today and the topic shifted to current government practices and the number of czars currently appointed. As I walked away from the conversation I realized I had no idea how many are currently appointed in the current administration. I must say the number was surprising to me.

First of all what is Czar? According to dictionary.com is defined as:

czar

 –noun

1.	an emperor or king.

2.	(often initial capital letter) the former emperor of Russia.

3.	an autocratic ruler or leader.

4.	any person exercising great authority or power in a particular field: a czar of industry.

Second, below is the latest list that I could find on the net:

NOTE: positions that also existed under previous administrations are indicated with an *.

1. Afghanistan Czar - Richard Holbrooke

2. AIDS Czar * - Jeffrey Crowley

3. Auto Recovery Czar - Ed Montgomery

4. Border Czar * - Alan Bersin

5. California Water Czar - David J. Hayes

6. Car Czar - Ron Bloom

7. Central Region Czar - Dennis Ross

8. Climate Czar - Todd Stern

9. Domestic Violence Czar - Lynn Rosenthal

10. Drug Czar * - Gil Kerlikowske

11. Economic Czar * - Paul Volcker

12. Energy and Environment Czar - Carol Browner

13. Faith-Based Czar * - Joshua DuBois

14. Government Performance Czar - Jeffrey Zients

15. Great Lakes Czar - Cameron Davis

16. Green Jobs Czar - Van Jones

17. Guantanamo Closure Czar - Daniel Fried

18. Health Czar * - Nancy-Ann DeParle

19. Information Czar - Vivek Kundra

20. Intelligence Czar * - Dennis Blair

21. Mideast Peace Czar - George Mitchell

22. Pay Czar - Kenneth R. Feinberg

23. Regulatory Czar - Cass R. Sunstein *

24. Science Czar - John Holdren

25. Stimulus Accountability Czar - Earl Devaney

26. Sudan Czar - J. Scott Gration

27. TARP Czar - Herb Allison

28. Technology Czar - Aneesh Chopra

29. Terrorism Czar - John Brennan

30. Urban Affairs Czar - Adolfo Carrion Jr.

31. Weapons Czar - Ashton Carter

32. WMD Policy Czar - Gary Samore

In the United States the title "czar" is an informal term for certain high-level officials who direct or oversee federal operations on a given topic or who coordinate policies between different departments on a given topic.

So, what does this mean?

I personally feel about our government should not be outsourcing roles within the government and taking powers that I think should be reserved for elected officials.

Why are we still listening to this guy???

Housing bubble, what bubble. Darn that media..

Recession - On The Way Out?

Lately I have been hearing a lot about the fact that we are coming out of the recession. What exactly does that mean, let's investigate:

• Jobless claims rose by only 30,000 to 554,000 - the top analysts were expecting 557,000 so I guess that is good news, right? Jobs Report
  
  
• The FDIC have only closed 7 banks in the last week. Most of them located in GA. FDIC Failed Bank List
  
  
• GDP plunged 6% in the fourth quarter of 2008 and 5.5% in this year's first quarter. GDP
  
  
• New home sales rocketed up 11% in June (from the previous month) to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 384,000 units - What to Make of It
  
  
• The looming Commercial Real Estate bubble is about to pop - Banking's Next Headache
  
  
• President Obama is proposing a heal plan that will cost 1 Trillion dollars (we don't have) over the next 10 years. For the 85 percent of Americans who already have health insurance, the Obama health plan is bad news
  
  
• U.S. Home Vacancies Hit 18.7 Million on Bank Seizures - From Bloomberg

So, what does this all mean? It means that even if we are really on the way out of this 'recession' then we still have a long hard uphill battle on our hands. I for one can not figure out how we can 'spend our way out'. This was tried in the early 1930's and it actually CAUSED a depression within the depression. Without some drastic cost cutting and some major revamping of how the entire government (Local, State and Federal) operates, I don't see how this isn't more than the calm before the storm.

On the positive side, I do think that there are lot of opportunities for those that are willing to seek after them. I am a firm believer that Americans are some of the most ingenious, creative and resourceful people on this planet. I do think that we have become very comfortable as of late and it is high time that we all take a long hard look at our own households and local areas. I think the best way for us all to get through this and prosper is to join together and help each other not by handouts but by proving each other a hand-up.