03 | June | 2011

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The chart above shows monthly private-sector jobs since January 2005 calculated by the BLS from two different methods: a) the household survey, which is larger and includes self-employed workers, and b) the establishment survey, based on company payroll records. Over … read more >

Society and Culture, Education

Gainful Employment: Who Won, Who Lost, and What Now?

Andrew P. Kelly | June 3, 2011, 3:59 pm

After months of speculation and rancor, the Department of Education released its final “gainful employment” regulation yesterday. For those who haven’t been as riveted to this drama as I have, here’s a quick refresher. In response to concerns that for-profit … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Terrorism

Yemen on Verge of Civil War: This Could Get Ugly

Katherine Zimmerman | June 3, 2011, 3:51 pm

Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh was reportedly injured in an attack on the presidential palace today in Sana’a, the capital. The attack also killed four guards and injured the prime minister, deputy prime minister, and parliament speaker. The fighting in … read more >

Carpe Diem

Household Survey: Private Sector Gains 373,000 Jobs in May, Public Sector Loses 417,000 Jobs

Mark J. Perry | June 3, 2011, 2:57 pm

The chart above shows monthly employment levels for private-sector workers vs. full-time government workers, based on data from the BLS household survey (private sector employment is calculated by subtracting government employment from total nonagricultural employment). From the peak in late … read more >

Economics, Energy and the Environment

Green Flexibility (or Insincerity)

Kenneth P. Green | June 3, 2011, 2:43 pm

Like yoga practitioners, the green movement demonstrates a flexibility that can leave one breathless, though it’s rarely so pretty. Here’s one example. According to the greens: 1) We must put the deserts off limits to development and recreation to preserve … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion

GOP Enthusiasm Gap, God Is Not Dead, and Obama’s Liberalism: What You May Have Missed in This Week’s Polls

Karlyn Bowman and Andrew Rugg | June 3, 2011, 11:28 am

Economic Indicators: Today’s disappointing jobs numbers aren’t likely to improve President Obama’s marks on handling the economy. In the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, taken before the announcement, 41 percent approved of the job he was doing, and 58 percent … read more >

Society and Culture, Media and Technology

I Wonder What Cass Sunstein Thinks of This

Nick Schulz | June 3, 2011, 11:00 am

One of Washington’s worst kept secrets is finally out: liberal political activist FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and the liberal activist group Free Press apparently coordinated their push for net neutrality regulations. The Examiner has the story. While this certainly looks … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Terrorism

Wishful Thinking Doesn’t Make Post-Bin Laden World Any Less Dangerous

Katherine Faley | June 3, 2011, 9:52 am

According to a May 2 USA Today/Gallup poll, 54 percent of Americans felt that Osama bin Laden’s death would make the United States safer from terrorism. As the House Homeland Security subcommittee hears testimony on terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, … read more >

Economics, Entitlements

Drill, Drill, Drill = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs in North Dakota; Both Oil Production and Jobs Reach Record Highs

Mark J. Perry | June 3, 2011, 2:41 am

More than 11 million barrels of oil were produced in North Dakota during the month of March, setting a new monthly production record, and topping the previous monthly record high from last November by almost half-a-million barrels. Oil production in … read more >

The Uses of Scandal
One of the greatest uses of scandal is to vividly demonstrate what new laws are needed and to create the political conditions to get them enacted. […]
Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]