Job growth numbers

The new jobs numbers look good on the surface. The economy added 337,000 jobs in the last month, and I'm happy for all those who managed to find work. But unemployment rates actually nosed up to 5.5%, and a lot of those new jobs numbers can be attributed to the rebuilding of Florida. So Bush just needs a natural disaster every few months, and he's set.

Also of note, how many of those high paying manufacturing jobs did the economy create last month?

Manufacturing employment was about unchanged in October and has shown little change since May.

And more people are working more than one job to make ends meet as well.

Again, I'm pleased that more people found work, but remember this comes on the heels of less than stellar growth for the last few months. One month does not a trend make.

And while we talk economy, don't miss this on Bush and the falling dollar:

He's arguing deficit reduction plans will reduce aggregate demand, and therefore spending on imports, and that's a good thing. In other words, the president's policies are great because they'll reduce the trade deficit by making us all poorer?

And the future? Try the Washington Post article entitled "Analysts Call Outlook for Bush Plan Bleak: Too Much Deficit, Not Enough Revenue."

*UPDATE* While it is important to remain grounded in reality and examine these numbers, it is also important that Democrats start coming up with strong solutions to the problems above. So start thinking. Get back to me when you can.