The horizon is not so far as we can see, but as far as we can imagine

Brutal Animation of Unemployment Rates

Extraordinarily depressing, and this doesn’t even use the measures I’d use, like participation rates or U-6.

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11 Comments

  1. That’s why they call it a depression, because it’s depressing. The only consolation is that the “progressive” Obama supporters, if there is any justice in the world, should be completely discredited for a generation or so.

  2. How appropriate that it gets all black and purply toward the end. It’s like watching a fresh peach go bad.

  3. anon2525

    It’s like watching a fresh peach go bad.

    I thought it looked like watching the country get a black eye after getting hit with a baseball bat.

    …and this doesn’t even use the measures I’d use, like participation rates…

    People lose faith in gov’t. statistics because they don’t reflect reality. Everyone knows that people who have lost their jobs have been dropping off the rolls, but the “unemployment” rate doesn’t go up (and has gone down this year) despite that reality.

  4. Formerly T-Bear

    Mark Twain used “there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” attributing it erroneously to Benjamin Disraeli, a British PM.

    or Dilbert’s “68% of statistics are made up” 😉
    http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-05-08/?Page=4

    An earlier version was quite striking at the rate of collapse of employment. A graphic something similar would show the rate of growth for underemployment as well. What would a graphic that shows the spread of underpayment of earned wages over the last 5 decades look like?

  5. John

    It could also just as easily be a map of the fires consuming Russia now. Welcome to Dystopia.

  6. anon2525

    “there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”

    A favorite quote of con-men — “Never mind those numbers, just listen to this story I have to tell you.” In other words, turn off your brain and let me tell you how to get rich, restore your youth, etc. reagan was a big believer in this form of conning people.

  7. Stirling Newberry

    It is a depression, because of the nature of the collapse.

  8. scott

    Stephen Suh at Cogitamus had a great post on this issue

    http://www.cogitamusblog.com/2010/08/there-are-no-jobs.html

    The title says it all. Unfortunately, his prescription (orienting the economy, including trade, so that jobs, rather than maximizing profits for our corporate overlords, is the primary objective) isn’t one that seems to be popular with our elites.

  9. They call it “capitalism,” and not “job-ism,” for good reason.

  10. S Brennan

    Here’s a “green shoot”, train your replacements…then go away! Because you are longer needed.

    http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/egr/1886206570.html

    Engineering Manager (Dongguan, China)
    Date: 2010-08-07, 12:46PM PDT
    Reply to: job-dgkrx-1886206570@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

    Acorn Product Development is an exciting place to work! We are a top innovator in product design and engineering for global manufacturability. Acorn has offices in the US (Silicon Valley, and Boston) and China. Fortune 100, 500 and numerous hot start-ups, hire Acorn to participate in the design of their newest offerings. Acorn focuses its design talents on consumer products, computing, medical devices and networking products.

    This position is based in Dongguan, China and reports to the CTO in Fremont, USA.

    Qualifications:
    • BSME required
    • MSME desirable

    Experience:
    • 8+ years of mechanical engineering experience
    • 3+ years of management experience
    • Hands-on technical project management of at least 3 full product development cycles involving high volume tooled product(s) from concept to production
    • Good working knowledge in engineering analyses, electromechanical design and common manufacturing processes
    • Familiar with regulatory agency certifications and approvals such as safety and EMI

    Skills:
    • Excellent interpersonal and people management skills, at all levels of the hierarchy
    • Good command of English language, both, verbal and written
    • Bilingual in Mandarin is highly desirable
    • Background working in smaller companies, a plus
    • Proficient in Pro/E and SolidWorks
    • Experience with Project Management tools such as Microsoft Project, etc.
    • Have vision, and be able to understand and implement company strategy into working plans for the China Office
    • Proven success working with clients, vendors and consultants

    You will:
    • Manage the Acorn China engineering team, and represent Acorn to the Clients, Suppliers, and other groups
    • Lead engineering teams to design and develop a variety of products from concept through production, including desktop and portable computers, instrumentation, medical equipment, communications and consumer products
    • Mentor and develop the China engineering team
    • Manage client and supplier relationships
    • Manage Supplier sourcing and production support.

    If our requirements fit your background, we want to talk with you!

    * Location: Dongguan, China
    * Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
    * Please, no phone calls about this job!
    * Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

  11. anon2525

    It is a depression, because of the nature of the collapse.

    We’ve seen this problem before, and its solution.

    We even know how to get Congress&President to act: Get Hank Paulson and Bernanke to get Obama, Pelosi, Reid & Co. into a room and tell them that unless they restart the WPA immediately, then “there might not be an economy on Monday.” (And if Obama objects, then tell them that Glenn Beck might talk about him on his show Monday night.) Within two weeks, we should have a bill signed into law.

    They’re not doing anything because their jobs, family, and friends are not affected. As it gets closer to November, they’ll rethink their employment situation (at least those who have committee chairs or leadership positions, but it will be too late by then. Too bad that the Millionaires’ Club (senate) isn’t up for election (or dissolution) every two years, too.

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