CA’s Job Picture: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

California has added 826,500 non-farm jobs since the low of February 2010, but is still short 541,400 non-farm jobs from California’s July 2007 high. However, there are also 692,511 more workers than in July 2007, meaning there is a gap of 1.2 million jobs (8.2%). This also doesn’t include those individuals who have left the workforce because they believed looking for a job was futile.

Construction currently accounts for 616,500 jobs, 35% off the high of 945,100 set in February 2006, up only 13% from the low 544,700 in September 2010.

The bright spot is in business and professional services, which at 2,310,500 jobs in August 2013, is at an all-time high, now accounts for 16% of California’s non-farm jobs, and is the second largest non-government supersector just behind Trade, Transportation, and Utilities. Compare the ten-year table on that sector to that of Manufacturing, which has been on a decline for two decades.

California’s unemployment rate was 8.9% in August, a significant reduction from the 12.4% that haunted most of 2010, although some reduction in the rate (as pointed out above) is due to to disaffected workers leaving the workforce. Even at 8.9%, that is significantly higher than the roughly “full employment” rate of 5% the state saw through most of 2006 into early 2007.

Despite many of these gloomy numbers, there’s a fascinating thing: California’s personal income was at an all-time high of $1.768 trillion in 2012, and will likely set another record this year. That’s 15.1% higher than the recession’s low in 2009 and 10.7% above the pre-recession high of $1.596 trillion in 2008. Even on an inflation-adjusted basis, personal income is higher than the all-time high before the recession.

However, the swelling personal income does not appear to be buoying retail. While the Business and Professional Services sector has seen a jobs increase of 2.5%, Trade, Transportation and Utilities–which includes retail–has only increased 1.3%. One bright spot is new car sales, which at 146,498 in June are double the 2009 lows and at levels not seen since 2007, as financing has eased and consumers return to a more regular car replacement schedule (yes, I am still driving a 2005 Prius).

Via: California Political Review

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[VIDEO] Veterans Day: All Gave Some, Some Gave All

I know I’ve posted this video before but it gets me every time and it couldn’t be more appropriate than for today. Hopefully it will serve as a good reminder of those who’ve gone before us, all the way back to our founding, who fought to create and preserve this great nation for us:

 

Here is another short film that was made to honor the sacrifice of the men and women of the US military and their families that wait for them at home:

Via: The Right Scoop

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HOT MIC MOMENT: Obama Drops “Jesus” Bomb on Veterans Day (Video)

Really?
Obama lays wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day – Climbs the steps – and says “Jesus” as he enters the building.
Real classy.

Via: Gateway Pundit

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John Kerry Has JFK Conspiracy Theory; Won’t Elaborate When Pressed by NBC’s David Gregory

In a recent interview with NBC, Secretary of State John Kerry revealed that he is a bit of a conspiracy theorist when it comes to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. When pressed Sunday for more details on that, however, the former senator refused, deeming it inappropriate for him to divulge his thoughts on the matter.

NBC’s Meet the Press host David Gregory quoted Kerry as having recently said “To this day, I have serious doubts that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone” in killing JFK 50 years ago this month.

Noting that a high-ranking official holding such views would be “surprising” to many Americans, Gregory asked: “Would you care to elaborate?”

“No,” Kerry flatly responded. “I just have a point of view. And I’m not going to get into that. It’s not something that I think needs to be commented on, and certainly not at this time.”

Gregory pressed on anyhow, asking Kerry whether he feels some of the conspiracy theories are “valid” at some level.

“I’m not going to go into it,” the secretary reiterated. “It’s just inappropriate, and I’m not going to do more than say that it’s a point of view that I have. But it’s not right, or worthy, or appropriate for me to comment further.”

Via: Mediate.com

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BEN SHAPIRO ON HOW TO WIN DEBATES WITH LIBERALS

Via: Breitbart

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Calif. town raises money to build new home for Iraq vet

LANCASTER, CALIF. –  When Jerral Hancock came home from the Iraq war missing one arm, with another that barely worked and a paralyzed body that was burned all over, he was a hero to this Mojave Desert town that wears its military pride on its sleeve.

Soon he was being called upon to use his one remaining hand to cut ribbons and wave to people during parades. Then, after everyone had gone home, Hancock would too. That's where he would be forgotten by all but his two young children and his parents.

That was until the students in Jamie Goodreau's U.S. history classes learned how Hancock had once gotten stuck in his modest mobile home for half a year -- "like being in prison," he recalls -- when his handicapped-accessible van broke down. Or how the hallways of his tiny house were so narrow he couldn't get his wheelchair through most of them.

They would fix that, Goodreau's students decided, by building Hancock a new home from the ground up. One that would be handicapped accessible. It would be their end-of-the-year project to honor veterans, something Goodreau's classes have chosen to do every year for the past 15 years, usually raising $25,000 or $30,000 for veterans charities and a celebratory dinner.

This time, however, the stakes would be much higher.

Via: Fox News

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California: Calderon Scandal A Reminder About Absolute Power

The alleged corrupt behavior of State Senator Ron Calderon has been at the center of California politics since the release by Al Jayzeera America last week of a sealed FBI agent’s affidavit detailing how Calderon supposedly pushed legislation that would benefit a particular business interest, in this case, a movie production company, in return for them “buying off” the Senator with payoffs.

“How could this happen?” — people will ask.

Obviously legislators are human beings, eh?  We are all imperfect.  So it makes sense that some will be morally lacking.  That’s really no different than any other profession.

In the ideal world, everyone would be an upstanding citizen, a Boy Scout, and always do the right thing, even when nobody is looking.

I guess one might argue that politics, as a field, has the potential to attract a higher percentage of people with questionable ethics.  What other professions are centered around money and power?

Some will and have argued that Calderon’s alleged activities create an opportunity to once again step up efforts to try and take money out of politics.  Despite the folly of this, as you will never really be able to do that – in the case of Calderon, what he supposedly has done is clearly already against the law.   So this would not be a case of someone taking advantage of a “loophole” or some other gray-area chicanery.

I will submit to you, however, that if you want to take a systemic approach to trying to stop this kind of bad behavior – the best way to do that would be to address the “power” side of the equation.

Over an extended period of time – decades upon decades – the size and scope of state government has grown to be quite vast.  The amount of tax money taken into Sacramento, and then redistributed out by the Governor and legislature is well north of $100 billion annually.

Via: California Political Review

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Cruz: Obama Picks and Chooses Which Laws to Enforce (VIDEO)

President Obama has “flouted the constitutional limits on the authority of the President” more than any other President before him, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said at a recent Heritage event.

“Prior to this presidency, the way you had reasonable modifications of federal law is you went to Congress, you introduced legislation, you worked with elected representatives of both parties, you passed a change in the law, and you sign it into law,” Cruz said. “That’s the way the constitutional system worked.”

But as Cruz sees it, that is not how Obama operates.

“As you know, the President has picked and chosen which laws to enforce and which laws not to enforce,” Cruz said.

Cruz noted Obama’s own words when he said in the State of the Union he wouldn’t wait for Congress to act. Earlier this year, Obama told lawmakers, “If Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will.”

Via: The Foundry

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Obamacare Ads Steer Clear From Discussing Penalties

The state and federal health insurance exchanges created under Obamacare are touting the benefits of coverage but largely steering clear of discussing the penalty for not signing up. 

The avoidance of penalty talk is by design rather than default, reports The New York Times, noting that operators say market research has showed that consumers are more likely to respond to positive messages than to the threat of punishment.

"We feel that the carrot is better than the stick," Larry Hicks, a spokesman for Covered California,  told the newspaper. "This is a new endeavor. We want people to come in and test our wares."

Officials at Enroll America, a nonprofit agency promoting the new exchanges, agreed. 

Sophie Stern, a senior policy analyst for the agency, told the Times, "That doesn't mean that the penalty or the mandate isn't an important piece of the law from a policy perspective. But from a messaging perspective, this is what we find resonates best."

But there is another side to downplaying the penalty: The so-called tax is difficult to enforce. As Forbes contributor Roberton Williams explained,  "If you owe a penalty, you're supposed to pay it with your income tax return. But there's not much the IRS can do if you don't pay. They can't put you in jail or garnish your wages. In fact, about the only way the IRS can collect is if you're due a refund. They can deduct the penalty from this year's and future refunds."

"It might be that they want to be positive," Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, said to the Times, referring to exchange operators. "But it's also the case that an informed customer is not their best customer."

There is also the question of whether it would cost more to buy insurance than to pay the penalty, which in 2014 is $95 per adult, or 1 percent of their income, and half that for children under 18. 

Via: Newsmax
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