The nation’s unemployment rate bolted to 7.2 percent in December, the highest level in 16 years, as nervous employers slashed 524,000 jobs, capping one of the worst years in modern history for American workers.
But those are just the unemployed. Let’s not forget those who are still working, but have had their hours slashed, or are forced to work part-time:
Not only are employers cutting jobs; they also are cutting workers’ hours. The average work week in December fell to 33.3 hours, the lowest level on records dating to 1964.
And the number of people who work part time — a category that includes those who would like to work full time but whose hours were cut back or those who were unable to find full-time work — jumped to 8 million in December, from 7.3 million in November.
This is the Republican America they worked so hard for. Isn’t it great? Take, for example, the Republicans avoiding the word “recession”. It wasn’t until the final month of the campaign that Republicans would even think about admitting we are in a recession, yet this article points out we are going into our second year:
The U.S. recession, which just entered its second year, is already the longest in a quarter-century, and is likely to stretch well into this year. The fact that the country is battling a housing collapse, a lockup in lending and the worst financial crisis since the 1930s make the current downturn especially dangerous.
We all knew this, but the leaders of this country didn’t. Instead they chose to stand before the American people and lie. Is it any wonder that they are now the minority party?