Why Trump and his supporters need to shut the FACT up about jobs and the stock market...

On January 20th of this year, a never-before-seen light shined down on the United States of America and an indescribable magic ensued, where the impoverished became enriched, the enslaved became free, the Debbie Downers became perky high school cheerleaders named Marcia. No, that's not what happened six and a half months ago when Donald Trump was inaugurated as our 45th president, but that's what his most ardent supporters, including himself, would have you believe.

When asked to name Donald Trump's biggest legislative accomplishment, the president and his staunch followers tend to go the route of, "Well, just look at the great jobs numbers, the low unemployment rate, the record-breaking stock market! That has to count for something!"

Oddly enough, these same individuals criticized then President Obama for reporting fake jobs numbers and unemployment rates, with Donald Trump being the most vocal critic at times.

I'm sorry, but Donald Trump has done nothing to alter the course of jobs and unemployment in this country, and done little to alter the course of the stock market. Change doesn't happen overnight, and even if the current president had set forth legislative success with regard to job creation, we wouldn't see the impacts of it at this point in his tenure.

Let's step back a moment and try to see reality for what it is. At the peak of the recession, unemployment was at 10.0% and the Dow Jones was at 6,594.44. This is what the 44th president, Barack Obama, inherited from his predecessor, George W. Bush. When Obama left the Oval Office, the unemployment rate was at 4.7%, which is a 53% decrease from where it was at the peak of the Great Recession. Not only that, but the Dow Jones increased 199.2% since that point in the recession to 19,732.40. Lastly, in Obama's final 6 years as president, 14.486 million jobs were created, which equates to 201,194.4 per month.

After 6 months in Washington, Donald Trump has seen the unemployment rate dip 8.5% to 4.3%. The Dow Jones has increased 11.8% to 22,058.39. In addition to that, 1.074 million jobs have been created, which brings the monthly average to 179,000.

Let's look at those numbers again:

Unemployment rate
Obama: -53%
Trump: -8.5%
Difference: Obama -44.5%/Trump +44.5%

Dow Jones
Obama: +199.2%
Trump: +11.8%
Difference: Obama +187.4%/Trump -187.4%

Job creation (part 1)
Obama: 14,486,000 (201,194.4 per month)
Trump: 1,074,000 (179,000 per month)
Difference: Obama +22,194.4 per month/Trump -22,194.4 per month

Job creation (part 2)
Obama's final 6 months: 1,159,000
Trump's first 6 months: 1,074,000
Difference: Obama +85,000/Trump -85,000

Where Trump would equal Obama
Unemployment rate: 2.2%
Dow Jones: 39,306.94

Is the unemployment rate at a lowly 4.3%? Yes. Is the Dow Jones at a record high? Yes. Are jobs being created every month? Yes again. However, did Donald Trump have much to do with any of these numbers? No. He wasn't handed a recession like the previous president. He hasn't seen large decreases in unemployment like his predecessor, witnessed large increases in the Dow Jones like under Obama, and has simply been riding the 44th president's coattails, taking credit for that which he doesn't deserve. If this were an NFL team and coach Barack Obama guided the club to a 15-0 record, had to leave for medical reasons, and Donald Trump came in to lead the team to their sixteenth victory in as many games, the chances are good he'd take credit for all 16 victories, even if he had been sleeping through the first 15. If Donald Trump ever says "Thanks, Obama," instead of uttering the phrase sarcastically, he should actually mean it.

http://www.npr.org/2017/01/19/510491692/the-america-donald-trump-is-inheriting-by-the-numbers

https://www.thebalance.com/stock-market-crash-of-2008-3305535

http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/101314/where-was-dow-jones-when-obama-took-office.asp

https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0000000001?output_view=net_1mth

http://time.com/money/4636761/jobs-barack-obama-presidency/

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/08/04/us-gains-209k-jobs-unemployment-falls-4-3-perent

http://money.cnn.com/data/markets/

Boycotting jukeboxes because of TouchTunes

I love music and enjoy hitting the bar(s) over the weekend, so naturally, when the mood strikes me, I've never been coy about playing some songs on the jukebox. This past Thursday, a friend of mine turned 50, so several friends of her's, including myself, all met up to celebrate the occasion. At around 9:30, a friend of mine and I both chipped in $5 to play some songs on the jukebox. Four hours and 231 skips later, we gave up on hearing the songs we had selected, and went home knowing we had just wasted $5. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened to me (and many others), and due to that, I'll be boycotting jukeboxes. Why? The scam known as TouchTunes. You see, here's how the plot typically breaks down. A person (or group of people) downloads the TouchTunes app on his/her phone, consumes one too many adult beverages, and due to this, has less care for spending extra money to hear the songs of their choosing right NOW. That's the thing with TouchTun

The difference between "looking" and "checking out"

I may be way off with these numbers, but it's my approximation that at least 75% of individuals whom are involved in a serious relationship feel it's perfectly acceptable to "check out" members of the opposite sex they're not involved with. Meanwhile, approximately 25% either don't feel this is acceptable or aren't sure about the matter. I hadn't thought about this matter for a while, but since I've been dating a woman for about 8 months, the topic has been pondered about some. When reading or hearing others discuss this very issue, I often times hear comments similar to the following: "It's human nature to look." "There's nothing wrong with checking others out. I'm sure he/she does it too!" "It's fine to do it. Just don't tell your boyfriend/girlfriend about it or do it in front of them!" "It's natural to find people attractive." When observing the array of comments, I i

The verdict is in. To no one's surprise, Jonathan Hoenig has been found guilty of being an idiot.

Just recently, when discussing the Michael Brown shooting and whether or not race had anything to do with it, Fox News contributor Jonathan Hoenig said, "You know who talks about race? Racists." One moment while I provide Mr. Hoenig with the well deserved slow-clap. :: slow-claps for two seconds :: So, that was quite the line by Mr. Hoenig, wasn't it? "You know who talks about race? Racists." Well, wasn't he just talking about race? So, by his own words, I guess that makes him a racist. Also, if he wants to be consistent, does this mean that people whom talk about gender are sexists and people whom talk about sexual orientation are homophobes? With that line of thinking, Hoenig would engage in the following back-and-forths: Hoenig: "So, who are you voting for?" A woman: "The Democratic candidate, because he's been adamant about his support for equal rights for women." Hoenig: "You sexist feminist nazi!"

The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

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