Words Worth Heeding...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

Wise words from a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Chicago Tribune - Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor made a plea for preserving the impartiality and independence of the American judicial system in a lecture Thursday at Elmhurst College.

O’Connor, who addressed a crowded audience at Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel on the west suburban campus, delivered the Rudolf G. Schade lecture on history, ethics and law.

Although the U.S. judicial system is respected and emulated around the world, there are aspects of it that could be improved to better ensure impartiality and independence, she said.

O’Connor said she opposes the election of judges, and she believes the practice may create a misunderstanding of the role of a judge.

“I think there are many who think of judges as politicians in robes. In many states, that’s what they are,” she said.

People should expect a judge to rule on legal issues in a fair and unbiased way, but she said many people seem to think that judges are supposed to be a reflection of popular opinion, O’Connor said.

“They seem to think judges should be a reflex of the popular will,” she said.

Judges “need to turn a high-power lens on themselves” to avoid bias or the perception of bias as they consider legal issues and make decisions, she said...{Read More}

In today's politically charged and highly divisive climate the tendency towards overt judicial activism is ever present.

What say you?

Via: Memeorandum

A Debte That Should Take Place, On the Rational Level...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny



I knew there was a reason I like Juan Williams...

Lets have the debate America.

Via: Memeorandum

An Example of How the Right Loses Credibility... Or Why Personal Attacks Usually Backfire

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

The story behind Liberty’s construction and the visionaries who made it happen Liberty Rising

For many years yours truly prided himself on being a principled conservative. One who believed in the notion that the individual could achieve anything they set their minds to achieving. I guess that is the old Horatio Alger theory for those old enough to remember exactly who that was.

My grandparents and parents, I only have one left now, brought me up to believe in fiscal conservationism. In other words not spending more than you were earning. Of course that meant after all expenses were met for the month and you were saving somewhere near 10% of your gross income.

I guess that sort of died the minute we all be came Keynesian converts. Sixteen trillion in national debt and still growing. With no end in sight. President Obama is doing the best he can given the mess he inherited. And no, I am not bashing GWB, the mess started long before he took office. His ill fated Iraq war merely exacerbated the situation.

Something else my grandparents and parents tried hard to teach me, although I didn't always heed their lessons, even in adulthood, I suppose many of us could say the same. Yes indeed, there are many times I miss the wisdom of my grandfather and grandmother. They would be 112 twelve and 106 years old respectively were they alive today. What deep and profound insight they had. They are in a better place now.

I know I'm sorta rambling, and before I lose the interest of my good readers I suppose I better get directly to my main point for penning this post. If you'll just bear with me for another moment.

Another thing my grandparents and parents instilled in me (and again I didn't always adhere to their example) was to always extend the right of free speech to the other individuals engaged in discourse before exercising my right to free speech. They always said that I wouldn't learn much by talking but that by listening to others I stood a great chance of learning. Throughout my business and personal life I found this to be true.

So, my point is why is it so difficult for conservatives, libertarians, and liberals to learn to listen. Our wonderful internet (again for purposes of this post specifically left and right political blogistan) is replete with educated, intelligent, and successful individuals that are willfully refusing to actively listen (read) to their opposition. Not only do they not listen they trash, without thinking or having any demonstrable justification for doing so, sincere and honorable individuals who are merely expressing their opinion and thereby exercising their FREEDOM of SPEECH. For this they are called all sorts of names and characterized unjustly simply because someone, usually a non thinking someone, disagrees.

As I have oft said I am a fiscal conservative and a social Libertarian. Perhaps a more accurate description of my philosophical and political beliefs would be to say I am a Classical Liberal in the vein of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. As such, certainly with respect to this post content, I find it necessary to criticize the failings of those who are supposedly most closely aligned with my view of liberty and freedom of speech and expression. IE: Lets clean up our own back yard before criticizing the backward of others. Or - I may disagree with what my political opposition is saying but I will defend their right to hold and state their vies. WITHOUT MALIGNING THEIR CHARACTER and GOOD NAME.

Over the past couple of weeks there has been what amounted to a feeding frenzy by conservatives on one individual that operates a liberal blog and consistently holds progressive views. Some which are perfectly rational and therefore bear serious consideration and thought. However, certain conservatives have found great sport in criticizing and attacking the person and their character rather than dissecting the views and arguments put forth by the blog author.

Attacking the person and their character as viciously and unjustly as some conservatives did of course says much more about THEIR OWN CHARACTER and LACK of INTEGRITY than it does about the progressive blogger who they choose to attract personally.

Rational Nation USA strongly, and on no uncertain terms condemns the classless activities of certain so called conservative commentators on sight A and site B. Scrolling back to older posts will be necessary. However, to aid in the search look for Hate Week on sight A and Nincompoopery on site B.

It is way past time to return to the civility all political partisans should extend their opponents and stick to attacking the idea and the issue, NOT the MESSENGER.

"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend."

"Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

Above Quotes: Thomas Jefferson

Freedom Isn't Free!

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Today we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom and liberty for all.

Senator Paul Questions the President's Moral Authority to Lead...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

I like Rand Paul. In some ways he is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise boring and oh so predictable and stale chamber.

Having said this, and yes I think we need to resolve the IRS "scandal" as quickly and ethically as possible, to question the President's moral authority to lead over this is premature and questionable at best at this precise point in time. Especially in light of the small matter that the man in charge when the IRS "scandal" begin was a GWB appointee.

From Mediaite - Appearing on This Week on Sunday morning, Rand Paul challenged President Barack Obama‘s moral standing in the wake of multiple controversies.

“The constellation of these three scandals ongoing really takes away from the President’s moral authority to lead this nation,” Paul said. “Nobody questions his legal authority, but I think he’s really losing the moral authority.”

“I don’t care whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, nobody likes to see the opposite party punishing you for your political beliefs.”

Martha Raddatz, ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, asked Paul if he’d seen evidence that the IRS had broken the law.

“I don’t know,” Rand said. “The main woman from the IRS that’s involved has taken the Fifth Amendment—she’s no longer cooperating, so I have called for her suspension. The President did respond to that and he has suspended her, however he’s still paying her and I don’t want that to go on forever.”

“I think there needs to be a speedy resolution on this,” Paul said. “[Obama] says he’s going to listen to his new IRS commissioner in 30 days. Well, the investigation’s been going on over a year now, so I would think it wouldn’t tkae very long. If he goes beyond 30 days and if no one is fired over this, I really think it’s gonna be trouble for him trying to lead in the next four years.”

Video:



Patience in the pursuit of truth and justice is a virtue. We ought to expect ALL of our Representatives and Senators to act accordingly.

Via: Memeorandum

More Fundie Lunacy...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

RIGHT WING WATCH - On his radio program today, Bryan Fischer weighed in on the decision by the Boy Scouts of America to drop its ban on gay scouts last night.

Admitting that he was shocked by the vote since he was positive that it was going to be retained, Fischer declared that the BSA should change its name to the "Boy Sodomizers of America." Fischer eventually read a passage from the Book of Luke in which Jesus says it is better to have a stone tied around ones neck and be tossed into the sea than to lead a child to sin as a warning to BSA leaders that they will face the judgment of God for endorsing this change in policy:

Now that the Boy Scouts of America has made the right and proper decision granting ALL boys the right to membership REGARDLESS of their sexual orientation we're certain to here more from the judgmental moralizers in days and weeks to come, perhaps even for years.

Sure would have been useful if Jesus would have written down his positions on such weighty matters as the naturally occurring deviation from what is considered normal sexual preferences. Rather than leaving it to subjective interpretation by those who wrote the Gospels some 90 to 100 years following his death.

Christs views were quite possibly nothing like the Catholic Church has presented them over centuries.

Via: Memeorandum

Texas Governor Rick Perry Confirming SOCON Intolerance...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

The voice of intolerance and bigotry.

AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding the vote to admit openly gay Boy Scouts:

The Boys Scouts of America has been built upon the values of faith and family for more than 100 years and today's decision contradicts generations of tradition in the name of political correctness. While I will always cherish my time as a scout and the life lessons I learned, I am greatly disappointed with this decision.

Once again proving the bible thumping socons are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Way to go Governor Perry. Not that anyone with a rational mind is surprised by your backwardness.

Via: Memorandum

National Self Interest...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Sometimes it just makes sense to review precisely what it means to act in the rational self interest of ones nation.

Perhaps we have reached a point where infrastructure must take precedent over engagement in never ending global conflicts. Especially when the conflict has little to do with our national security. Start by thinking Iraq and working backwards. Of course Afghanistan is exempt from the exercise.

Business Insider - The big news today is that a bridge in Washington collapsed, throwing cars into the water. Amazingly, nobody died.

This may revive debate about the need to spend more on infrastructure, which would have multiple positive effects.

Nothing is likely to happen, however.

That being said, here's a chart of public construction spending (TLPBLCONS) as percentage of GDP.

You can see, public construction spending is lower than its been in over 20 years.



Click graph to enlarge

Given the current mood of the Tea Parry, the MIC, and the pro military neo-cons (lets find a war at any cost types) I'm guessing things just might bet worse before they get better.

Via: Memeorandum

The rEpublican Circus Continues...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Perhaps it is just me. I think not.

Some might say I've lost my mind. I really don't concern myself with others view of my politics.

Personally I have little use for the mystics of religion or the mystics of muscle (read state in regards to the latter). Any questions bring em on, I;m ready.

I have for the lions share of my adult life (40 years or so) been a fiscal conservative and social moderate. For many years I sincerely believed the Republican party represented the principles of liberty, freedom of speech, the right to dissent against public policy and politicians based on factual evidence of errors in judgement, the right to believe and act in accordance with civil law and the Constitution, that if you worked hard and kept your nose to the grindstone you would succeed and prosper, that reason rather than emotion is what should guide ones life and decisions. The list goes on.

Today it has become quite clear the rEpublican party is no longer the party of liberty, reason, or what (ideals) this nation was founded on. It has come time for this fiscal conservative and social moderate/libertarian to acknowledge the rEpublican party is too far gone to think it will ever change.

Now, having said this I will also acknowledge (for the hopeful conservative rEpublicans) the dEmocratic party is certainly not much better. But when a party is as stupid as the following not much else can be said...

BuzzFeed - Obama clearly has Muslim sensibilities. He sees the world and Israel from a Muslim perspective. His construct of “The Muslim World” is unique in modern diplomacy. It is said that only The Muslim Brotherhood and other radical elements of the religion use that concept. It is a call to unify Muslims around the world. It is rather odd to hear an American President use it. In doing so he reveals more about his thinking than he intends. The dramatic policy reversal of joining the unrelentingly ant-Semitic, anti-Israel and pro-Islamic UN Human Rights Council is in keeping with the President’s truest – albeit undeclared – sensibilities

Those who are paying attention and thinking about these issues do not find it unreasonable to consider that President Obama is influenced by a strain of anti-Semitism picked up from the black community, his leftist friends and colleagues, his Muslim associations and his long period of mentorship under Jeremiah Wright. If this conclusion is accurate, Israel has some dark days ahead. For the first time in her history, she may find the President of the United States siding with her enemies. Those who believe as I do that Israel must be protected had better be ready for the fight. We are. NEVER AGAIN!

No proof, but for the rEpublican party proof is not a prerequisite apparently.

Via: Memeorandum

The "Scandal" That Won't Go Away...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

CBS - Obama administration officials who were in key positions on Sept. 11, 2012, acknowledge that a range of mistakes were made the night of the attacks on the U.S. missions in Benghazi, and in messaging to Congress and the public in the aftermath.

The officials spoke to CBS News in a series of interviews and communications under the condition of anonymity so that they could be more frank in their assessments. They do not all agree on the list of mistakes and it's important to note that they universally claim that any errors or missteps did not cost lives and reflect "incompetence rather than malice or cover up." Nonetheless, in the eight months since the attacks, this is the most sweeping and detailed discussion by key players of what might have been done differently.

"We're portrayed by Republicans as either being lying or idiots," said one Obama administration official who was part of the Benghazi response. "It's actually closer to us being idiots."

The Obama administration's chief critics on Benghazi, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., remain skeptical. They see a pattern, even a conspiracy, to deflect attention from the idea that four Americans had been killed by al Qaeda-linked attackers, on the president's watch. "There is no conclusion a reasonable person could reach other than that for a couple of weeks after the attack, [the Obama administration was] trying to push a narrative that was politically beneficial to the president's re-election," Graham told CBS News.

The list of mea culpas by Obama administration officials involved in the Benghazi response and aftermath include: standing down the counterterrorism Foreign Emergency Support Team, failing to convene the Counterterrorism Security Group, failing to release the disputed Benghazi "talking points" when Congress asked for them, and using the word "spontaneous" while avoiding the word "terrorism."

The Foreign Emergency Support Team known as "FEST" is described as "the US Government's only interagency, on-call, short-notice team poised to respond to terrorist incidents worldwide." It even boasts hostage-negotiating expertise. With U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens reported missing shortly after the Benghazi attacks began, Washington officials were operating under a possible hostage scenario at the outset. Yet deployment of the counterterrorism experts on the FEST was ruled out from the start. That decision became a source of great internal dissent and the cause of puzzlement to some outsiders.

Thursday, an administration official who was part of the Benghazi response told CBS News: "I wish we'd sent it."

The official said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's deputy, Patrick Kennedy, quickly dispensed with the idea. A senior State Department official Thursday told CBS News, "Under Secretary Kennedy is not in the decision chain on FEST deployment" but would not directly confirm whether Kennedy or somebody else dismissed the FEST.

Whoever made the decision, it came amid sharp disagreement over the FEST's true capabilities. Kennedy and others at the State Department view the team as one that primarily restores communications at besieged embassies. However, the FEST's own mission statement describes a seasoned team of counterterrorism professionals who can respond "quickly and effectively to terrorist attacks... providing the fastest assistance possible" including "hostage negotiating expertise" and "time-sensitive information and intelligence." In fact, FEST leader Mark Thompson says Benghazi was precisely the sort of crisis to which his team is trained to respond.

While it was the State Department that's said to have taken FEST off the table, the team is directed by the White House National Security Council. Those officials expressed the same limited view of FEST's capabilities when CBS News asked on Nov. 1, 2012, why FEST hadn't deployed. The officials argued that FEST teams were "used in the past to re-establish infrastructure, communications, etc. after a devastating attack...That wasn't the need here." {Read More}

Hm, is the controversy gaining steam? I report, you be the judge...

Via: Memeorandum

The Spin Factor, Politics, and a Question of Integrity...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

What I find so interesting in regards to the following Facebook post is that Sara Palin would have everyone believe the Obama administration is somehow different than prior administrations with respect to integrity, or as it is perhaps more appropriately labeled "the spin factor."

Scandalous Hat Trick

Mr. President, when it rains it pours, but most Americans hold their own umbrellas. Today in the Rose Garden you dismissed the idea of a Special Counsel to investigate the IRS scandal. With that, your galling political hubris shined bright in the midst of today’s dark clouds.

Mr. President, how can we trust your Justice Department to conduct an independent investigation when there is a systemic violation of the Hatch Act throughout your administration?

Surely you are aware that the Hatch Act prevents certain federal employees from engaging in political activity. Specifically, it’s illegal for these federal employees to engage in action in support of or in opposition to a political party, a candidate for partisan political office, or a partisan political group.

Yet that is exactly what’s happened within the IRS, the Justice Department, and in the Benghazi cover-up. This scandalous hat trick is on your watch. It is not believable that you knew nothing about Obama administration actions in dealing with these scandals. And in regards to Benghazi, when you should have taken appropriate action to save American lives – for instance by calling in the Marines – you were AWOL. Just weeks before the election your team scrubbed the Benghazi talking points in 12 different versions, lied to the American people about some YouTube video being to blame for the deaths of brave Americans who put our country first, and you prove Michael Barone right when he writes, “What actually happened in Benghazi was out of sync with the Obama campaign line.” That’s why you all did what you did. Pure raw politics were at play during a horrific time of loss.

For more evidence of Hatch Act violations right under your nose, simply consider DOJ’s “massive and unprecedented intrusion” into the free press. Do you think they picked up some political talk when tapping the phones in the House press gallery?

Your team is out of control. Those who cannot remember the past and learn from it are doomed to repeat it, and that is exactly what is happening. Look back exactly 40 years ago this week and apply that disheartening chapter of American history to the team you’ve chosen and lead today.

Some of us warned America; we cautioned voters in 2008 that a community organizer with no executive experience and no sense of accountability would be a very poor choice for the nation’s top management position.

Mr. President, you said today that you have “complete confidence” in the Attorney General. America doesn’t. Eric Holder needs to appoint an unbiased Special Counsel to investigate the illegal political action of this administration. And then Eric Holder needs to resign.

Most Americans see ominous dark clouds looming beyond the White House Rose Garden, Mr. President. They’ll roll away only when light is shined on the Obama administration’s antics, and America will only recover when you cease avoiding responsibility in this mission of yours to fundamentally transform America. For that to happen, the press had better learn from their experiences of being duped and provide a deserving public fairer, more intelligent coverage.

Speaking of coverage, glad you finally called in the Marines... shame it was just to hold your umbrella.

- Sarah Palin

Short memories and limited curiosity or understanding of history methinks.

"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily."

--George Washington, letter to Edmund Randolph, 1795

Via: Memeorandum

Damage Control???...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton take part in the Transfer of Remains Ceremony marking the return to the United States of the remains of the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya. Molly Riley/DPA/Zuma

It ain't a cover up but...

Mother Jones - The latest revelations about the Benghazi talking points—as opposed to what actually happened at the US diplomatic facility at Benghazi, where four Americans died—do not back up Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's hyperbolic and absurd claim that the Benghazi controversy is Obama's Watergate. But neither are they nothing.

As ABC News reported on Friday morning, the most discussed talking points in US diplomatic history were revised multiple times before being passed to UN Ambassador Susan Rice prior to her appearances last September on Sunday talk shows. The revisions—which deleted several lines noting that the CIA months before the attack had produced intelligence reports on the threat of Al Qaeda-linked extremists in Benghazi—appear to have been driven by State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, who, it should be noted, is a career Foggy Bottomer who has served Republican and Democratic administrations, not a political appointee. Her motive seems obvious: fend off a CIA CYA move that could make the State Department look lousy. (The other major deletion concerned three sentences about a possible link between the attack and Ansar al-Sharia, an Al Qaeda-affiliated group; last November, David Petraeus, the former CIA chief, testified that this information was removed from the talking points in order to avoid tipping off the group.)

But here's the problem for the White House: It was part of the interagency process in which State sought to downplay information that might have raised questions about its preattack performance. That's a minor sin (of omission). Yet there's more: On November 28, White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "Those talking points originated from the intelligence community. They reflect the IC's best assessments of what they thought had happened. The White House and the State Department have made clear that the single adjustment that was made to those talking points by either of those two institutions were changing the word 'consulate' to 'diplomatic facility because 'consulate' was inaccurate."

Assuming the talking points revisions released by ABC News are accurate—and the White House has not challenged them—Carney's statement was not correct. {Read More}

Damage Control? You be the ultimate judge.

Via: Memeorandum

The Watchful Eye of Uncle Sam...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

File Photo

As to be expected the IRS targeting conservative political groups, Tea Party activists, and patriots during the 2012 election cycle to see if they were in violation of their status as tax exempt organizations. Certainly inappropriate if as appears to be the case liberal groups failed to undergo the same scrutiny.

Following is an excerpt from the

Associated Press on this story.

The agency — led at the time by a Bush administration appointee — blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware. But that wasn't good enough for Republicans in Congress, who are conducting several investigations and asked for more.

"I call on the White House to conduct a transparent, government-wide review aimed at assuring the American people that these thuggish practices are not under way at the IRS or elsewhere in the administration against anyone, regardless of their political views," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

White House spokesman Jay Carney declared it was indeed inappropriate for the IRS to target tea party groups. But he brushed aside questions about whether the White House itself would investigate.

Instead, Carney said the administration expects a thorough investigation by the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration. The inspector general has been looking into the issue since last summer, and his report is expected to come out next week, the IG's office said Friday.

Carney's response to rEpublicans is a reasonable one. Before anybody gets all lathered up (either side) lets see what the investigative report as to say. As a reminder don't forget who was in charge, a Bush administration appointee.

Read the rest here

Via: Memeorandum

April Job Numbers Appear Improved... Are They Really?

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

The April job reports are out. The good news is unemployment fell to a four year low, certainly at year six in Obama's Presidential tenure strikes a positive note. Or does it? At the same time the number of people employed part time rose as well as strong indications are showing the Affordable Care Act (ACA aka ObamaCare) will have a long term negative impact on the USA economy.

The following is an interesting analysis and one that certainly has some credibility.

AEI - US job growth in April beat economist expectations as nonfarm payrolls rose 165,000, and the jobless rate fell to a four-year low of 7.5%. But the report contained worrisome signs that President Obama’s health care reform law is hurting full-time, high-wage employment.

While the American economy added 293,000 jobs last month, according to the separate household survey, the number of persons employed part time for economic reasons — “involuntary part-time workers” as the Labor Department calls them – increased by almost as much, by 278,000 to 7.9 million. These folks were working part time because a) their hours had been cut back or b) they were unable to find a full-time job. At the same time, the U-6 unemployment rate — a broader measure of joblessness that includes discouraged workers and part-timers who want a full-time gig – rose from 13.8% to 13.9%.

What’s more, there wasa 0.2 hour decline in the length of the average workweek. This led to 0.4 percentage point drop in the index of average weekly hours, “equaling the largest declines since the recovery began,” notes economist Dean Baker of Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Let’s see, more part timers and fewer hours worked. Economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin says what we’re all thinking: “This is not good news as it reflects the reliance on part-time work. … the decline in hours and rise of part-time work is troubling in light of anecdotal reports of the impact of the Affordable Care Act.”

Anecdotal reports like this one from the Los Angeles Times: “Consider the city of Long Beach. It is limiting most of its 1,600 part-time employees to fewer than 27 hours a week, on average. City officials say that without cutting payroll hours, new health benefits would cost up to $2 million more next year, and that extra expense would trigger layoffs and cutbacks in city services.”

Now, there is the possibility that government furloughs are affecting the length of the workweek. (Though at the same time, steady if unspectacular private-sector job growth shows the Fed may be continuing to effectively offset any negative sequestration impact.) Here is JPMorgan on the subject:

Government shed a trend-like 11,000 jobs last month, a number which bore little evidence of a meaningful sequestration impact. Similarly, it is hard to directly link the decline in the average workweek to furloughed government workers, as the workweek only measures private industry hours. It’s conceivable the decline in the workweek may be related to the Affordable Care Act, but a simpler explanation is that it had jumped two ticks in the prior two months, and through the month-to-month noise is just settling into a stable trend.

We’ll see. But the combo of data and anecdotes should at least raise red flags about how health care reform could be permanently altering the structure of the American labor market. {Read More}

I report, you decide...

The Charts... (click to enlarge)





Via: Memeorandum