While private sector employment continues to show only small gains, because not enough consumers have the resources to spend, the biggest job losses have come in the public sector. This is especially true in red states, where draconian spending cuts to finance Republican welfare for millionaires, billionaires, and criminal corporations have caused the termination of hundreds of thousands of state and local level public employees. This is just one of the ways Republicans are sandbagging the economy for political gain.
Since the onset of the current (horribly slow) economic recovery more than two years ago, state and local governments have shed over 600,000 jobs. Compare this to the same point in the recovery for the past three recessions (early 1980s, early 1990s, and early 2000s), where state and local governments created roughly 290,000, 490,000 and 240,000 jobs respectively.
The U.S. has lost over 60 percent of these jobs in our current recovery and will continue to do so unless policymakers start making the necessary public sector investments — such as in education. Continuing to cut state and local budgets has an extremity destructive impact on our recovery efforts.
As Matthew Yglesias explained, “conservatives complain about the results because the President is a Democrat named Barack Obama. But the policy result is what conservatives say they want. Steady cuts to the government sector, offset somewhat by private sector growth.”… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Republicans are working hard to cause the failure they are blaming on Obama. But Obama is to blame only in that he has failed to stand up to them and say NO to seditious Republican blackmail. Next week, he will have an opportunity to turn that corner.
Keith Olbermann discussed the need for Obama to present a bold jobs plan and challenge Republicans to cooperate, or else, with Author, Jeff Madrick.
Note that Madrick emphasized the need to plug the hole of firing public employees. Madrick is also correct that another make nice speech to Republicans, after all they have done, can only further erode Obama’s respect from voters across the political spectrum.
12 Responses to “Public Sector Leads in Job Losses”
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“But Obama is to blame only in that he has failed to stand up to them and say NO to seditious Republican blackmail.”
Thanks for making my point from the first story for me Tom
Mark, I’m in his corner, but never in his pocket.
I am going to wait to listen to what President Obama will say. While I have certainly become very pessimistic towards Obama – I can certainly understand TWM’s post, along with the emphasis – I’ll see what transpires. In the meantime, our best bet is to move past Obama. Yes, he is the only Presidential candidate we should vote for in 2012, period. Beyond that, we have to work very, very hard to get a Congress that is Progressive enough to tell the President (whomever that turns out to be) what the will of the people is.
Agree- more and more I tend to think some of the things about Obama that I really like– his steady cool thoughtful approach– are at the same time detriments– in that he seems to lack the anger and thus the energy anger can give—
Mr President– in all due respect– it is time , as the saying goes , to poop or get off the pot —
His passivity has been frustrating.
Welcome George! 🙂
You have it in a nutshell!
Public employment has dropped so drastically due to cuts in states’ and federal budgets.
Thank you once again Tea-publicans!
Patty, in their federal and state budgets, Republicans have no trouble finding tax cuts and other welfare for the rich.
Amen: “This is the time to pull the guns out of the holster.”
I’d be careful about that terminology, Ann. A Republican might consider it e Second Amendment invitation.
Being a consensus builder or being a collegial manager is an ideal that is noble to work through. But there are times when a manager must become a ‘dictator’, follow a tough, take no prisoners approach to a crisis. This is that time for the US! Mr Obama must have the balls to stand up to the Republican obstructionists. I quite agree with Keith Olbermann and Jeff Madrick. They certainly make sense.
I agree. There can be no collegiality without cooperation.