Women were much more likely to drop out of the labor force than remain unemployed if they did not find work. Many of these women have probably dropped out to become full-time parents, a career change that is still more socially acceptable for women than for men.

The middle class is broke. And I mean, broke.

These two facts are very hard to reconcile:

Wages just hit an all time low compared with GDP.

Meanwhile, corporate profits just hit an all time high.

Romney just changed his plan to advocate middle class tax cuts:

Most importantly, Romney sounds as though he is backing away from an immediate focus on deficit reduction in favor of near-term stimulus.

Can this be possible? That both Mitt and Obama are essentially advocating the same thing?

If so, that would be awesome.

most likely, yes. the math of cuts during hard times lead to examples like Ireland. Americans do not want that, but we have yet to think about it in those terms. We are too focused on D or R. L or C.

What I don't understand is why, since money is so cheap for the government right now (zero percent interest?!), we aren't borrowing mre to create more jobs?

What am I missing?

The words stimulus are toxic right now. Have you seen the attack ads on President Obama?

And banks have lost all appetite for risk; they're only willing to give credit and finanincing those who are already extremely well-off; which means only the wealthy have opportunities to create new businesses or to get loans.

"Stimulus" is bad but "Job creation" is good.

The banks are getting their money from the Fed but a decent Jobs Act doesn't have to go through the banks -- it can just borrow money directly by issuing Treasuries at whatever ridiculously low rate exists, and give that money to the states to create jobs for construction, police, fire fighters, teachers, etc.

Obama should make the fact that a unbelievably selfish Congress shot down the Jobs Act one of his central running points.

Unemployment doesn't need to be this low. Congress made it this way.

Just as America's credit rating didn't need to drop. Congress made it so.

Con is the opposite of Pro. Congress is the opposite of Progress.

Your point about women being more likely to drop out of the labor force is really sticking with me.

Not sure what to do about it. I didn't even realize it till you said it here.