The Econony doing great?? BULLSH*T!!!!

well, the Republicans are telling us that the Economy is doing well, and they all know that things are looking bad for " some " Americans lets look at this shall we.
The latest available unemployment figures from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) Thursday showed Wabash County’s current jobless rate as 7.4 percent in January. That was up from 6.2 percent the previous month.
The statewide January unemployment rate average was 5.6 percent.Mt. Carmel Economic Development Director Brandi Stennett today said much of the peak in the jobless rate for January and February can be attributed to seasonal drop in the construction trades. The city has several residents employed in those trades with local firms.
According to IDES, Edwards County unemployment is 6.9 percent, up one percent from December.
Neighboring Lawrence County also had 6.9 percent jobless rate in January, up from 5.6 percent.
White County had 7 percent unemployed in January, an increase from 6.2 percent the previous month.
For Wayne County, the latest unemployment figure is 6.8 percent, up 1.2 percent from the previous month.
Among the highest unemployment rates in the southeastern Illinois region is Saline County, where the January rate was 8.7 percent, up 1.2 percent from the previous month, according to IDES.
Richland County’s January unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, up 1.3 percent.

Unemployment rates increased across South Florida and statewide in January, but stayed below the national average.

The region's unemployment rate, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, was 4.2 percent, up from 3.6 percent this time last year and 4.1 percent in December, the latest numbers from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation show. The unemployment rate in Miami-Dade was 3.9 percent, up from 3.6 percent in January 2006 and unchanged from December. In Broward, it was 4.1 percent, up from 3.4 percent a year ago and 3.9 percent in December.

Palm Beach County had the highest unemployment rate in the region, at 4.8 percent, up from 3.9 percent a year ago and 3.6 percent in December. It had the 33rd-highest rate in the state. Flagler County had the highest, at 7.8 percent.

Florida's unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, representing 423,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9.26 million. That rate is up 1 percentage point from this time last year and .1 of a percentage point from December. It is the highest rate since October 2004, which was also 4.6 percent.

The national unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January.

Florida had a net loss of 7,300 jobs in January 2008 when compared to a year ago. Construction employment was down 10.9 percent, with a loss of 69,000 jobs, reacting to declines in the housing market, the report said. Construction losses made up 75 percent of job losses in the state.

Education and health services, up 3.4 percent with 33,800 jobs added, and total government, up 2.2 percent with 24,500 jobs added, accounted for most of the job gains among industries posting positive annual growth.

The Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Metropolitan Division ranked second in the state for year-over-year employment gains, adding 7,200 jobs. It was behind the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which added 7,500 jobs.

Gasoline prices hit new high, seen jumping more
Sun Mar 9, 2008 11:16pm GMT



NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. average retail gasoline prices have reached a new high of almost $3.20 per gallon and will likely jump another 20 to 30 cents in the next month, worsening the pain of consumers struggling to make ends meet in an economic downturn.

Gasoline prices are rising sharply as refiners, who have kept prices down in order to compete for sales, become more willing to pass on their higher costs of crude oil, according to an industry analyst on Sunday.

The national average for self-serve regular unleaded gas was nearly $3.20 a gallon on March 7, up about 9.44 cents per gallon in the past two weeks, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey of about 7,000 gas stations. The price has risen 64 cents per gallon in the past 12 months.

"The price increase was entirely due to the higher costs of crude oil," said survey editor Trilby Lundberg.

Although the latest price represents a nominal all-time high, when adjusted for inflation it is a smidgen below the record of $3.18 per gallon reached on May 18, 2007, Lundberg said.

Lundberg said things will likely get worse, with prices at the pump rising 20 to 30 cents per gallon in the next month as refiners begin passing on to customers more of their higher costs for crude oil.

"Should prices indeed rise 20 to 30 cents, they would vastly exceed previous prices on an inflation-adjusted basis," Lundberg said.

Refiners since last spring have deliberately refrained from passing on their higher costs for crude oil, in order to compete for sales, she said.

"But refiner profit margins have become so slim that they will now raise prices to recover their lost margins," said Lundberg. Likewise, she said retailers will also be less willing to hold back from passing on their higher costs to drivers.
Moreover, prices will also rise because of the return to daylight savings time and the approach of warmer weather, Lundberg said.

"Spring demand growth will soak up the current surplus of U.S. gasoline and put more pressure on prices," Lundberg said.

At $3.58 a gallon, the San Francisco Bay Area had the highest latest average price for self-serve regular unleaded gas on March 7, while the lowest price was $2.95 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The average U.S. diesel price was $3.80 a gallon in the latest survey, up 22 cents a gallon from two weeks ago, and $1.02 higher than this time last year.

(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson, editing by Richard Chang)

I have an Idea lets take " oh lets say " 87 billion dollars and send it to Iraq , while Bush and his butt buddies pull their fingers out of each others assholes and talk bullshit to the American public,admitting to all of us there "might be a problem" but wait tomorrow is another day ,that means more families homeless more kids going without food and medical and older Americans dieing, Mr Bush you are a lame duck garbage human that sucked off the souls of 911 and gave the American people what come out of your asshole,hard working people that are now "now Unemployed" Americans,that are also now homeless, we can only thank god that your reign of American genocideing is all most to an end we all look forward to the next depression thank you Bush, we are now the " have nots" " the home of the homeless and the land of the richest poor, while you and your administration remained the Haves.