l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 by Brooks Jackson
In the interest of timeliness and accuracy, we are issuing an updated
version of “Obama’s Numbers,” our collection of key measures of the
president’s time in office. A few things have changed since we published
our original version Oct. 8 — some for better, and some for worse.
The number of jobs has increased substantially with the latest report from
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example. There are now about 580,000
more people employed than when Obama took office, counting a gain of 171,000
jobs in October, plus upward revisions to the preliminary gains for August
and September, and the annual “benchmarking” correction that the BLS
announced previously, to be applied to this year’s monthly numbers in
January.
However, the number of unemployed people looking for work also increased in
October — to just under 12.3 million — pushing the jobless rate up to 7.9
percent of the workforce. That rate now stands 0.1 percent higher than when
Obama took office.
Also changing for the worse: The national debt has continued to increase.
Debt owed to the public is now 81 percent higher than it was on the day the
president was sworn in. (It was 79 percent on Oct. 8.) The stock market has
shed some gains, and the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index closed on Nov. 2
at a level that was 76 percent higher than when the president took office.
(It was 81 percent before.) And several more Americans have died in
Afghanistan. As of Nov. 2 the total of U.S. military fatalities there since
2008 totaled 1,509, according to a Department of Defense spokesman.
Numbers that have improved include gasoline prices, which have dropped
substantially. The average national price of regular in the 7 days ending
Oct. 29 was 93 percent higher than it was just before Obama took office. (It
had been 106 percent higher.) Consumer confidence has continued to improve
— a good sign for the future — and the index published by the Conference
Board is now 92 percent above where it was at the start of Obama’s term. (
It had been 86 percent higher when we posted our original graphic.) And more
recent figures from the Energy Information Administration show wind and
solar power generation is now 117 percent higher than at the start of Obama
’s term, up by one percentage point since our October tally.
For such figures as poverty and family income, we have no new annual
statistics. Some other figures have changed, but by too little to affect the
whole-number percentage figures we give here. For example, the number of
people on food stamps went up another 11,532 in July, to just under 46.7
million. The total is now 45.96 percent higher than at the start of Obama’s
term, up by 0.04 percent from before. But our figure, because it is rounded
to the nearest whole number, remains unchanged at a 46 percent increase for
the president’s term so far.
As we cautioned before, no single number, or collection of numbers, can tell
the entire story of a president’s time in office. And, of course, opinions
will differ as to how much blame or credit any president should get for
things that happen on his watch. The increase in the national debt, for
example, is not entirely Obama’s doing. As we’ve noted numerous times,
federal spending was running $1.2 trillion above expected revenues at the
time he took office, and the economy lost over 800,000 jobs in January 2009
before he was sworn in, and 724,000 the month after.
So take these figures for what they are worth: A statistical sketch of
changes that occurred during Obama’s time in office, as accurate and timely
as we can make it on the eve of election 2012.
– Brooks Jackson | r******0
发帖数: 244 | 2 Do these numbers make sense?
For example, how could jobs increase 580 thousands while unemployment rate
increases at the same time?
Can anyone explain it? | C****n
发帖数: 2324 | 3 More people get to the job market, for example, new graduates.
【在 r******0 的大作中提到】
: Do these numbers make sense?
: For example, how could jobs increase 580 thousands while unemployment rate
: increases at the same time?
: Can anyone explain it?
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