More Jobs? Thanks, President Obama

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Josh Zumbrun: Job Openings At 14-Year High As Hiring Returns To Pre-Recession Levels

For the first time since January 2001, the U.S. had more than five million job openings at the end of December, a sign of a labor environment shifting in favor of workers. December was also the best month for hiring since before the recession struck more than seven years ago. More than 5.1 million people were hired in December, the most since November 2007, according to the Labor Department‘s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS.

The report adds to signs that the labor market is strengthening considerably. The Labor Department’s main jobs report, released on February 6, showed that November, December and January comprised the best three-month stretch of hiring since 1997, raising hope that the U.S economy will start delivering stronger wage growth for a wider swath of Americans after more than five years of sluggish recovery from a deep recession.

More here

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Job openings are at a 14-year high as hiring returns to pre-recession levels on.wsj.com/1ILN5uq http://t.co/mUNJ7glTG1

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Real Time Economics (@WSJecon) February 10, 2015

The President’s Day

President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a meeting of The President’s Export Council in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC. Composed of Obama administration officials, elected leaders and executives from the private sector, the council is an advisory committee on international trade

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President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting with the President’s Export Council. President Obama expressed caution on Thursday about the possibility of the United States adding more sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Ukraine because it could cause divide Washington and Europe. Also pictured are Boeing President and Chief Executive Jim McNerney and Xerox Chairman and Chief Executive Ursula Burns

President Barack Obama meets with the President’s Export Council. The Export Council advises the president on policies and programs that affect trade performance and promote export expansion. Back row, from left are Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney

The President’s Export Council Chair and Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney listens to President Barack Obama

“i’m from bank of america and we’ll help you out”

Business Insider: After all the speculation that Rick Perry’s threats against Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke would hurt his relationship with Wall Street, at least one banker is pledging his company’s support.

WGIR New Hampshire Radio’s Paul Westcott captures this clip of an unknown individual telling the Texas governor at a “Politics & Eggs” event in New Hampshire: “I’m from Bank of America and we’ll help you out.”

UPDATE: ZeroHedge identifies the Bank of America official as James Mahoney the Director of Public Policy for the bank. Mahoney is a member of the board of directors of The New England Council, one of the events sponsors.

It’s worth noting again that Perry threatened Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, and said any attempt by the Fed to print more money would be “almost…treasonous.”

UPDATE 2: Mahoney is not registered as a lobbyist, and a BofA spokesman tells POLITICO he works on policy …. Spokesman Lawrence Di Rita: “Bank of America does not endorse Presidential candidates. The reference was about following up on the substance of the speech about job creation and economic growth. Discussing policy issues that affect our company and our customers is something we do with policymakers of both parties routinely at the local, state, and Federal levels.”

ZeroHedge: Should we be surprised, frightened, disgusted or simply say “we knew it” …. At least we know now who is funding what, and whose interests potential future president Perry will be paid to defend.

Thank you Fred

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they’re eating each other alive ;-)

CNN: Former Treasury official Bruce Bartlett labeled newly-minted Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry “an idiot” Friday.

Bartlett, who served at Treasury under former President George H.W. Bush and as a domestic policy adviser to the late President Ronald Reagan, delivered the choice words to the Texas Gov. in reference to his recent comments about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

…Team Perry did not immediately respond for a request for comment.

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‘worst. memorial day message. ever.’

Steve Benen: ….a Memorial Day message sent out by Kevin DeWine, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. It starts off with a sentiment that’s easy to agree with … but DeWine couldn’t leave well enough alone.

“Here in Ohio, we must continue to defend liberty in a very different kind of struggle. Ohioans have the opportunity to preserve their rights when it comes to choosing their own health care. Democracy affords us the choice of accepting or fighting back to prevent against a $1 trillion government takeover of our nation’s health care system.

“You can download the Health Care Freedom Amendment petition by clicking here. As you go to events this weekend in honor of our Armed Forces and the sacrifices made by generations of courageous Americans, I hope you will consider taking the petition with you and circulating it to your friends and family.”

Seriously? Are we really to believe that American veterans who paid with their lives did so to protect insurance companies’ ability to screw over consumers?

DeWine’s message is obviously dishonest … but what’s tasteless about the message is the timing. It’s ostensibly a Memorial Day message, honoring the fallen during a time of war, but the subject line reads, “Help Stop Obamacare.” ….Even by GOP standards, this is cheap….

Full post here

‘no more lies’

Fred Rotondaro (Chairman of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good): … President Obama took more than his share of verbal assaults during his 2008 campaign …. For the first time in history, a major candidate found his birth qualifications to be President questioned, in addition to false claims being made about his religion…

To his everlasting credit, John McCain was not one of those bigots who spread such lies … From what I have seen so far, I hope but do not expect such decency and true patriotism in 2012.

Four major candidates have spoken already about Barack Obama not being born in America or having a Kenyan worldview. The potential Republican candidates seem to be appealing to the worst elements of their own party … they seem terrified of confronting the bigotry that is often directed at the President. When Newt Gingrich calls Obama a “food stamp president,” he is giving a dog whistle to racists. When Michelle Bachmann said she took President Obama at his word regarding his place of birth, she was winking at the birthers. America needs better than this in 2012.

Deceit has worked its way into important debates also …. While the financial regulation bill was being discussed, Mitch McConnell met with Wall Street leaders to discuss strategy and raise campaign funds. Soon, back in Washington, he began pounding the theme that the bill was an attempt to set up bailouts for banks. This was not spinning. This was an out and out lie to the American people.

The debate about health care centered for a time on the theme of non-existent death panels after former Gov. Palin tweeted about them.….

This is where the American religious community can play a vital role by insisting on truth in public policy debates … Politicians campaign dishonestly because they can. Let’s make it difficult and let them know they will pay a price for deceptive campaign tactics. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our country.

Full post here

** Thank you Suzanne **

repost: in context…..

Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of Pepsico

With thanks to the legend that is Blackwaterdog 😉

in context…..

Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of Pepsico

With thanks to the legend that is Blackwaterdog 😉

“the world watches america’s disappointment with president obama in disbelief”

by Georges Ugeux (Chairman and CEO, Galileo Global Advisors)

While traveling in Europe, India and China in mid-August, I met political, business and media leaders as well as friends and family. Together we reflected on a very interesting question — why are Americans disappointed with Barack Obama?

Here is a summary of our thoughts:

Barack Obama is only twenty months into the job of being president of the most powerful country in the world. When he was elected, he inherited probably the worst presidential legacy of any president in U.S. history.

On the economic front alone, he was facing a $10 trillion budget deficit while handling the worst financial crisis since the 1930s along with a one-year old recession. To stop the bleeding of the financial sector, and to reverse some of the effects of the recession, he was forced to increase the public debt. He managed to do so while keeping interest rates at historically low levels. The budgetary impact of the increased public debt was minimal thanks to those low interest rates. An important side effect was that American home owners were able to refinance their mortgage debt at the lowest levels in a decade.

Read the rest of the article here