"The United States economy contracted unexpectedly in the final quarter of 2012... It marked the slowest rate of growth since the second quarter of 2009."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/business/economy/us-economy-unexpectedly-contracted-in-fourth-quarter.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/business/economy/us-economy-unexpectedly-contracted-in-fourth-quarter.html)
The Labor Department will release its monthly jobs report this Friday, so maybe that will provide more optimistic news. However, home sales dropped in December, and the Jan 1 increase in payroll taxes has caused grumbling among my acquaintances ranging from low-wage earners to the more affluent.
Huh. I guess the Republicans shouldn't have demanded we raise the payroll tax.
The Republicans wanted taxes raised? Well heck maybe they are prepared to make the tough choices after all.
Funny that they held presidential elections *before* figures for the end of 2012 were known. Coincidence or just another day in Obama's America? <_<
Quote from: Martinus on January 30, 2013, 09:41:14 AM
Funny that they held presidential elections *before* figures for the end of 2012 were known. Coincidence or just another day in Obama's America? <_<
High Treason! There will be rioting in the streets.
QuoteThe 22.2 percent drop in military spending – the sharpest quarterly drop in more than four decades – along with the drop in inventories and exports overwhelmed more positive indicators in the private sector
The factors here are:
1. Sharp decline in military spending.
2. Net exports fell possibly because of economic weakness in all of the major US trading partners. The key sectors hit include food, feed, beverage, and civilian aircraft. So the drought-plagued harvests and Boeing's recent difficulties may be impactin here.
3. Inventories fell despite a strong increase in sales - that might suggest that businesses responded to the fiscal cliff fun and games by playing wait and see and drawing down on stocks. Fixed investment was actually up quite a bit in quarter however so a more optimisitic view is that businesses are clearing out old invetories at the end of the year in anticipation of new capacity coming on line.
So we're partway through the first quarter now. If it does it again, we'll be back in recession.
Quote from: Faeelin on January 30, 2013, 09:05:04 AM
Huh. I guess the Republicans shouldn't have demanded we raise the payroll tax.
:lol: Clearly it was the fair share paid by fat cats and millionaires that pushed us over the edge.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 30, 2013, 11:30:09 AM
So we're partway through the first quarter now. If it does it again, we'll be back in recession.
Yeppers. It probably won't, but people love throwing the word "recession" around so I doubt it will stop them.
Meh, my economy shrank in the 2nd quarter of 2012. I am: US financial indicator.
Ft. McMurray is looking for people. One employer put it to me this way, "If they can walk and dont drool much we will hire and train them".
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 30, 2013, 03:00:34 PM
Ft. McMurray is looking for people. One employer put it to me this way, "If they can walk and dont drool much we will hire and train them".
as long as they are willing to work 10 day shifts in remote work camps for 10-12 hours per day outside in the cold.
Quote from: Barrister on January 30, 2013, 03:02:50 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 30, 2013, 03:00:34 PM
Ft. McMurray is looking for people. One employer put it to me this way, "If they can walk and dont drool much we will hire and train them".
as long as they are willing to work 10 day shifts in remote work camps for 10-12 hours per day outside in the cold.
and make more than 100k per year
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 30, 2013, 03:05:47 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 30, 2013, 03:02:50 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 30, 2013, 03:00:34 PM
Ft. McMurray is looking for people. One employer put it to me this way, "If they can walk and dont drool much we will hire and train them".
as long as they are willing to work 10 day shifts in remote work camps for 10-12 hours per day outside in the cold.
and make more than 100k per year
:)
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 30, 2013, 02:29:11 PM
Meh, my economy shrank in the 2nd quarter of 2012. I am: US financial indicator.
:x
TMI
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 30, 2013, 03:05:47 PM
and make more than 100k per year
Huh.
Pity the commute is so long.
You should have told us about this 10 years ago. Now the flesh is too weak.
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 30, 2013, 03:05:47 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 30, 2013, 03:02:50 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on January 30, 2013, 03:00:34 PM
Ft. McMurray is looking for people. One employer put it to me this way, "If they can walk and dont drool much we will hire and train them".
as long as they are willing to work 10 day shifts in remote work camps for 10-12 hours per day outside in the cold.
and make more than 100k per year
Sometimes much more.
But I make more than 100k per yer and I don't have to do any of that. :)
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on January 30, 2013, 03:55:38 PM
You should have told us about this 10 years ago. Now the flesh is too weak.
Get thee to North Daokta. Same kind of thing happening there.
I'm still young and strong enough to hack it, I think. I'd actually like to push myself a bit. I don't know if I'd like to take my wife out there though. Those towns are total sausage-fests.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 30, 2013, 04:14:00 PM
I'm still young and strong enough to hack it, I think. I'd actually like to push myself a bit. I don't know if I'd like to take my wife out there though. Those towns are total sausage-fests.
:shifty:
Quote from: Barrister on January 30, 2013, 04:13:24 PM
Get thee to North Daokta. Same kind of thing happening there.
Yeah, so it still involves pushing/holding/carrying heavy objects around all day. No thanks. My back has enough problems.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on January 30, 2013, 04:17:24 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 30, 2013, 04:13:24 PM
Get thee to North Daokta. Same kind of thing happening there.
Yeah, so it still involves pushing/holding/carrying heavy objects around all day. No thanks. My back has enough problems.
Not necessarily.
But it probably would involve working outside in -40 though.
Quote from: garbon on January 30, 2013, 04:16:27 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 30, 2013, 04:14:00 PM
I'm still young and strong enough to hack it, I think. I'd actually like to push myself a bit. I don't know if I'd like to take my wife out there though. Those towns are total sausage-fests.
:shifty:
Stop perving on his wife.
Quote from: Barrister on January 30, 2013, 04:13:24 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on January 30, 2013, 03:55:38 PM
You should have told us about this 10 years ago. Now the flesh is too weak.
Get thee to North Daokta. Same kind of thing happening there.
:yes:
Walmart is paying 17 bucks an hour for workers up there.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on January 30, 2013, 04:17:24 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 30, 2013, 04:13:24 PM
Get thee to North Daokta. Same kind of thing happening there.
Yeah, so it still involves pushing/holding/carrying heavy objects around all day. No thanks. My back has enough problems.
I've read almost every kind of business is understaffed there. They struggle to staff a McDonalds at $17 an hour.
17 bucks an hour ain't worth having to live in North Dakota.
If pay is that high for such menial positions, presumably it's higher for less menial ones.
I doubt it's higher for IT positions. No reason the company needs to be there.