While the Bush administration faces increasing heat this week over Niger lies, Iraqi violence, and stonewalling the independent 9/11 commission, there’s still the White House’s failed economic policies to deal with.
As the New York Times reported, “The number of Americans claiming jobless benefits late last month hit its highest point in more than 20 years, the government said today in a report underscoring the persistent weakness of the nation’s labor market.”
While economists were expecting the number of first-time unemployment applicants to go down, the number increased — again — according a report issued Wednesday.
For the 21st week in row, the number of jobless Americans seeking unemployment benefits stayed above 400,000, this time it was 439,000.
That brings the new total of out-of-work Americans to 3.8 million — the highest level since February 1983.
Anyone want to place a wager on whether the Bush administration will fulfill its promise of creating 1.4 million new jobs in the next year and a half? Anyone?