US Treasury Secretary John Snow arrived in St. Louis today just as the new figures on unemployment came out. November was not a good month for American workers. The pro-Republican party Forbes Magazine Online reported the story this way:
American employers hired far fewer workers than expected in November, U.S. government data showed on Friday, though the gain was the fourth straight monthly increase and the unemployment rate inched lower.The number of workers on U.S. payrolls outside the farm sector last month edged up by 57,000, the Labor Department said, far lower than economists' forecasts of a 150,000-job gain and well below an upwardly revised climb of 137,000 in October.
Since President George W. Bush took office in January 2001, 2.3 million jobs outside the farm sector have been lost.
Protesters, led by my wife Liz and volunteers with Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition, greeted Snow on his arrival. Their message: the Bush economy is still failing to produce jobs.
As the secretary spoke, protestors outside blamed the administration for the loss of nearly 78,000 jobs in Missouri since President Bush took office.Liz Smith Currie with the group Missouri Progressive Vote, says that's inexcusable:
"Look around us - we have crumbling buildings; we have holes in the pavement," Smith Currie said. "We could create jobs today by putting people to work, and they want work. You know, cutting taxes is not getting us out of this recession."
The worst news is yet to come. Millions of unemployed workers are set to lose their federal benefits just before Christmas. Both local and national leaders are worried this will push even more people into poverty and homelessness.
“Even with the new jobs report, there are 2.4 million fewer jobs today than when the economic downturn began in early 2001,” said Isaac Shapiro, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “So even if the recent upturn in employment continues and accelerates, it will take considerable time before the labor market is healthy."
