Wednesday, December 24, 2008

I Know Why Obama Picked Warren. But Why?!

The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart tackles the controversy surrounding President-elect Obama's selection of the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at is inaugural by reflecting upon the opinions expressed by his colleagues Richard Cohen and E.J. Dionne, Jr. and engaging in a discussion of the issue on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program.

From Capehart's blog entry on the Washington Post website:

I have been vexed into paralysis by President-elect Obama's selection of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to lead the invocation at his inauguration next month. Sure, I understand politically why Obama chose to give such an honor to Warren. A terrific explanation came from E.J. Dionne today.....

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And because symbols matter, I personally found the choice offensive. That's why Richard Cohen's column today was so soothing.



From MSNBC:


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Jon Stewart vs. Mike Huckabee on Gay Marriage

Quite a civil and illuminating conversation between Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Fox News commentator and former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on the topic of gay marriage.

Stewart calmly, but thoroughly shreds Huckabee's arguments justifying a ban on gay marriage, leaving the former governor with nothing more to support his position than the fact that a majority of Americans agree with him.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

A Sign Of What's To Come

Employees at a Chicago window manufacturer have peacefully occupied a factory shut down due to the plunging demand by the housing industry. Aside from the distress of being laid off just weeks before Christmas, employees are angered by the failure of Republic Windows and Doors to abide by federal and Illinois laws that require advance notice of a business closing.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Idled Workers Occupy Factory In Chicago

By RUPA SHENOY | Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO - Workers laid off from their jobs at a factory have occupied the building and are demanding assurances they'll get severance and vacation pay that they say they are owed.

About 200 employees of Republic Windows and Doors began their sit-in Friday, the last scheduled day of the plant's operation. On Saturday, about 50 workers could be seen through a window sitting on chairs and pallets on the factory floor. Reporters were asked to stay out of the plant's work area. ...continue reading


From NBC Chicago:


Bleak Employment Numbers Indicate Recession Is Worsening

With nearly 2 million jobs lost so far this year the prospect for any kind of economic recovery is bleak. Consumer demand for goods and services has plunged, corporate investment has tanked, the housing market is in a shambles, and automakers have been humbled into begging taxpayers for a bailout.

From the New York Times:

Workers Give Up
By David Leonhardt

How bad was today’s jobs report? The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent, its highest level since 1993 — and that understated the weakness in the labor market.

According to the Labor Department, the number of unemployed workers rose by 251,000 in November. But the number of people who were outside of the labor force — that is, neither working nor looking for work — rose by much more: 637,000. These people aren’t counted as unemployed in the government’s statistics, because they are not looking for work. Many of them, presumably, have stopped looking for work because they didn’t think they could find a good job. ...continue reading


Significantly, the loss of jobs has affected men, more than women, due largely to the heavy concentration of women in the healthcare field, education, and other social services.

Unemployment rate

From economist Dr. Mark Perry:

According to today's BLS report, the U.S. economy has lost 2.352 million jobs in the last year (Nov. 2007 to Nov. 2008). Further analysis shows that 82% of the job losses (1.932 million) were jobs held by males, and only 18% of jobs losses (430,000) were jobs held by females (see top chart above). Further, the November unemployment rate for men is 7.2% vs. only 6% for women, and the gap in jobless rates between men and women has been increasing for the last six months (see bottom chart above).

What's going on?

According to this May 2008 BusinessWeek article:

Men have the misfortune of being concentrated in the two sectors that are doing the worst: manufacturing (70% male) and construction (88% male). Women are concentrated in sectors that are still growing, such as education and health care (77% female). ...continue reading


President-elect Obama's desire to provide economic stimulus by investing heavily in infrastructure should provide a boost to employment in the construction and manufacturing sectors. In addition, it's been reported that he wants to provide some relief to states in the form of increased Medicaid funding and education funding, which would likely aid women.