While most major news outlets will be downplaying this just days before the election, the unemployment rate went down, the average wage went up, and the number of jobs increased in the month of October, according to the Department of Labor. That's all good news for the Republicans, who have watched the economy grow every month in the last three or four months.
Instead, most news media outlets will take the lead of the New York Times, which is declaring that "Jobs statistics report offers fuel for both sides." The lead sentence of the story: "Job growth in the United States slackened last month" - though by all accounts the numbers point to positive growth. And in a story about Bush commenting on the unemployment drop today, the New York Times editorialized considerably (shocker), arguing in the news article with Bush's claims.
Yes, there are signs of an improving economy. The problem one has to ask is how these numbers translate to the actual working person. For so many people, the reality is that they are trying to live on the minimum wage, which is not a livable wage. In addition, they are seeing health care costs rising and their salaries not increasing with the cost of living.
Posted by: Brian | November 04, 2006 at 08:51 PM