sorry, my sole reason for posting this is the too-good-to-pass-up title... http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=576713§ion=news -- Bush and Kerry trade blows on jobs September 03, 2004 By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent NEW YORK (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry have traded blows over jobs and security as they opened a two-month sprint to the November 2 election, with Bush touting his economic record and Kerry declaring the president "unfit" to lead America. Hours after accepting the Republican nomination for a second term at the White House, Bush hailed a government report showing 144,000 U.S. jobs were created in August and said "our economy is strong and getting stronger." "Because we acted, our economy is growing again," Bush told a crowd of about 10,000 in Moosic, a suburb of Scranton in northeastern Pennsylvania. "Because we acted, we have overcome recession, scandal, stock market decline and a terrorist attack." Kerry said the economy still had shed nearly 1 million jobs under Bush and he was "now certain to be the first president since the Great Depression to face re-election without creating a single job." "I don't think its something to celebrate, I think it's something to work on," the Massachusetts senator said of the jobs figures during a drizzly "front porch" visit with voters in Newark, Ohio. "It's something to change." Both candidates hit the road to key swing states on Friday as they headed into the long Labor Day holiday weekend, traditionally the kick off for political races. After taking a few days off the campaign trail during the Republican convention, Kerry held a midnight rally in Springfield, Ohio, less than an hour after Bush concluded his acceptance speech. Bristling at the "anger and distortion" from speakers at the convention and at Vice President Dick Cheney's contention he was unfit for the White House, Kerry lashed out at Bush over his economic policies and the war in Iraq. "Misleading our nation into war makes you unfit to lead this nation," Kerry said. "Letting 45 million Americans go without health care makes you unfit to lead this nation. I believe it's time to set a new course for America." Polls show the race between Bush and Kerry is essentially a dead heat coming out of the conventions, but Bush has been gaining ground and developing a significant advantage over Kerry on issues like national security. WRONG TRACK Polls also show majorities of Americans still believe the nation is on the wrong track, and Kerry hit that uncertainty hard as he returned to the campaign trail in Ohio. "The election comes down to this," Kerry said. "If you believe this country is heading in the right direction, you should support George Bush. But if you believe America needs to move in a new direction, join with us." In Newark, he cracked that Bush's convention speech was "all hat and no cattle," and said "the president and the Republican Party will say anything and do anything to get re-elected." In his acceptance speech, Bush evoked the September 11, 2001, attacks and defended the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as well as his leadership in the war on terror, promising to create a safer world. "We are staying on the offensive -- striking terrorists abroad -- so we do not have to face them here at home," Bush said. "And we will prevail." Bush, who left New York immediately after his speech to head to the swing state of Pennsylvania, was eased on to the campaign trail by new Labor Department figures that showed employers added 144,000 workers to payrolls in August. The report revised upward the hiring totals for the previous two months, and showed the unemployment rate had dropped to 5.4 percent in July -- the lowest since October 2001. "Our growing economy is spreading prosperity and opportunity -- and nothing will hold us back," Bush said in Moosic. He also planned stops on Friday in the key swing states of Wisconsin and Iowa, where he lost in 2000. The outlook for the economy and jobs are likely to be crucial down the stretch. Kerry campaign adviser Joe Lockhart told reporters that after the recent battles on national security, Iraq and each candidate's credentials to be commander in chief, "this campaign will turn now in a different direction and go to the economy." Kerry began a $50 million fall television advertising buy in some of the 20 battleground states that will decide the election, and targeted on Friday the states and markets where Bush was campaigning.
Thank you for one of the most disturbing visuals of my life. That was nearly as bad as that Photochop of Dick and Bush naked. EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
From the BBC... US recovery 'not helping workers' Many working families still feel no benefit from the US economic recovery, the Economic Policy Institute says. While business is improving, average wages have fallen, job satisfaction has declined and the rich-poor gap widened, says a report by the US think tank. And in terms of recouping jobs since the start of the recession, the US is in a worse position "than any business cycle since the 1930s", it added. The study is set to harden criticism of President Bush ahead of the elections. Critics have rounded on Mr Bush for presiding over large-scale job losses since taking office in 2000. 'Jobs growth stalled' But the EPI State Of Working America 2004/05 report says that after almost three years of recovery, the labour market is still "too weak". "Unemployment is essentially unchanged, job growth is stalled and real wages have started to fall behind inflation," it added. With the return of higher unemployment and weaker labour demand, the poverty rate has risen again and real incomes have fallen most quickly for the least well off. Moreover, unemployment has actually risen 1.3 percentage points since the start of the recession in 2001, when it stood at 4.3%. But Beth Ann Bovino, economist at Standard & Poor, said US job figures released on Friday showed employment was improving. "The jobless recovery did see a pick-up. But what was good was that the figures for June and July were revised up sharply, and that's a good sign. There have been positive movements in job growth," she said. The group, a non-profit and non-partisan think tank, also said that while many would expect the improving economy to boost wages and job satisfaction, this was not happening. In fact, it found wages were "eroding". Blue collar manufacturing and non-supervisory service workers, who account for 80% of US wages, have seen their average real hourly wage fall 1.2% over the past year. Fuel 'tax' However, one expert argued that circumstances outside the US's control may be behind the hardships faced by weaker families. Gary Schlossberg senior economist at Wells Capital said the huge rise in oil prices had "hit lower-income groups harder", as up to 20% of their budgets are eaten up in fuel costs. "Also if you look at home ownership rates, they have gone up, so lower-income groups have benefited from the recovery - although upper-income levels have benefited the most," he added. The Institute also highlighted huge differences between expanding and contracting industries. Annual wages for staff in contracting industries were an average of $51,270 a year, while those in expanding were paid just $30,368 - a difference of 40.8%. The report also echoes recent findings by the Census Bureau that showed the gap between the rich and the poor is widening in America. 'At a crossroads' Figures from the bureau show that the ranks of the poor grew by 1.3 million people to 35.9 million. "With the return of higher unemployment and weaker labour demand, the poverty rate has risen again and real incomes have fallen most quickly for the least well off," the EPI report said. One of the report's authors, EPI senior economist Jared Bernstein, said that the report provided "a stark reminded of what's at stake when the job market remains as weak as it has been over the past few years". He added that the US economy was now at a "crossroads", with the "preferable" path leading to a broad-based recovery and tight labour market. On the other hand, all current trends pointed to an economy "like the 1980s", with lower income groups squeezed, sharp increases in inequality, growing budget deficits and high unemployment. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3629828.stm For those who don't know: British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a national publicly-funded broadcaster based in the United Kingdom. It is frequently heralded as the most widely respected broadcaster in the world. Affectionately known to local consumers as the "Beeb" or "Auntie", it was for many years the only television and radio provider in the United Kingdom. Before the introduction of Independent Television in 1955 and subsequently Independent Radio in 1973, it held a monopoly on broadcasting. More recent de-regulation of the British television broadcasting market produced analogue cable television and satellite broadcasting and later digital satellite, digital cable and digital terrestrial television (DTT) . Today the BBC broadcasts in almost every medium including these and the Internet. http://www.fact-index.com/b/br/british_broadcasting_corporation.html
