If Measured by the Retention Rate of Lousy Teachers Then Yes, the Stimulus Was a Success

Matt Welch | February 23, 2010

Over at Big Government last week, Reason columnist and Contributing Editor Veronique De Rugy did one of the things she does best: create a chart to bum us out. Here 'tis:

Blue

Explainer:

In this chart, I compare seasonally adjusted unemployment rates across segments of the economy, dividing these segments using the super-categories designated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The chart compares the unemployment rates in January of 2009 (blue) with the unemployment rates in these same sectors a year later (yellow). (FYI, the difference would be even more dramatic if I had used not seasonally adjusted data)

In both years, the unemployment rate within the government has been small relative to the level of unemployment within the entire economy, and particularly so relative to the private sector. In the course of a year, government employment has decreased by 296,000 jobs to 4.3% unemployment; during the same period, employment in the private, non-agricultural, sector has decreased by 2.3 million jobs to 11.1%. (And if you look at not seasonally adjusted unemployment data, the lose of private jobs reached 3.1 million and the lose of public jobs is roughly 70,000. That's quite a gap.)

De Rugy has more in this vein over at National Review's The Corner, in rebuttal to stimulus-lovin' California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Schwarzenegger added, "I have been the first...of the Republican governors to come out and to support the stimulus money because I say to myself, 'This is terrific,' and anyone that says that it hasn't created a job, they should talk to the 150,000 people that have been getting jobs in California."

But when the interviewer asked him whether these jobs were created in the private sector, he paused and said something uncertain like "Yes, private and public sector jobs."

Well, not exactly. Based on the Recovery.gov data, we can see that half of the stimulus money went to the Department of Education (make sure you go to page 10 and stare at those Advance Beauty College Inc. grants).

Seems pretty simple to me. When you take taxpayer money and use it to back-fill public employee pensions and blown-out state budgets, that means the few are profiting at the expense of the many, even though the few have done very little to demonstrate that they are more worthy (quite the opposite, actually). The tension between the haves and the have-nots in this case is both unaffordable fiscally and unsustainable politically. Something has to give, and soon.

Reason on the stimulus here. De Rugy's Reason archive here.

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|2.23.10 @ 10:22AM|#

Is our children learning?

John Tagliaferro|2.23.10 @ 10:47AM|#

Lerning real good. I axed them.

|2.23.10 @ 10:23AM|#

Schwarzenegger added, "I have been the first...of the Republican governors to come out and to support the stimulus money because I

am a fucking WHOOOOOORE!

Hahaaa, suckers!

kilroy|2.23.10 @ 10:33AM|#

Something has to give, and soon.

Define "soon".

|2.23.10 @ 11:23AM|#

I don't know, dude. For the first time ever I've been seeing a surprisingly widespread hatred and anger towards the public sector parasites. This isn't the old "I hate the DMV" shit; this is "why is the government giving raises while I fear for my job and take a paycut, yet my property taxes are going up and possibly my income taxes?"

For a long time, people have stupidly tolerated the public sector scumbags; but we've reached a point where people are really feeling some pain, and the parasites, instead of backing off, are going for more blood because they're feeling a little pain too.

They've gotten so big that they don't know how to stop any more. And this is happening during a time when people will notice. What do you think would have happened if public employees during the Depression (not that there were anything like what we have today) were given huge raises?

kilroy|2.23.10 @ 12:11PM|#

I feel the difference in amplitude in the anti-leech vibe too but I don't think it's nearly large enough to change anything. The solutions I hear from co-workers and family are still framed in terms of swapping Blue for Red.

I think it'll take a great deal more pain to middle America for any real improvement.

Johnny Longtorso|2.23.10 @ 10:40AM|#

"I have been the first...of the Republican governors to come out and to support the stimulus money because I

like to allegedly grope women I'm not married to, like I want the IRS to grope you.

Mike Laursen|2.23.10 @ 10:41AM|#

We need all those lousy teachers to maintain full employment of union memb -- err, minimum class size standards.

|2.23.10 @ 11:01AM|#

Plus somebody has to watch all those kids, can't have 'em running loose in the streets until they're old enough for prison...

JOhnny MAckson|2.23.10 @ 10:41AM|#

Government unemployment increased by 43.3% in one year--the highest increase on that chart. I'll make sure that my TelePrompTer friend scrolls that blurb during a presidential speech. LOL

Jess
www.complete-anonymity.cz.tc

The Guy|2.23.10 @ 11:14AM|#

I like this bot. Can we keep him?

Almanian|2.23.10 @ 12:03PM|#

We have little choice - this is his job, and it was paid for by the "stimulus" program.

I mean really! LOL!

Johnny Longtorso|2.23.10 @ 10:44AM|#

Does anyone have private vs public income, unemployment, etc limited to college grads, to address "this includes the guy who mows your yard" response?

Slut Bunwalla|2.23.10 @ 10:48AM|#

"I have been the first...of the Republican governors to come out and to support the stimulus money because I say to myself,

'I'm going to do a terrific job today! And I'm gonna help people! Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me!'"

Johnny Longtorso|2.23.10 @ 10:52AM|#

I am a heartless, amoral killing machine wrapped in human flesh.

|2.23.10 @ 11:00AM|#

Made possible by the US Government's "Skynet" project, which was a spectacular success...

John Tagliaferro|2.23.10 @ 11:10AM|#

The parents of the children were not unresponsive.

Steve|2.23.10 @ 11:40AM|#

Some of the classes at Advanced Beauty College..

"Advanced: Eyelash Extension
Advanced: Hair Extension
Intermediate: Manicuring (Nails)"

Standard disclaimer: I understand that its a service and if people want to do that great...but over a quarter million dollars of tax payer money. Is this the educational field that is going to make us "competitive with the Chinese" that they are always harping on.

Almanian|2.23.10 @ 12:05PM|#

anonymous|2.23.10 @ 1:20PM|#

Look, how many nail salons aren't run by the Chinese? Education is vital in reclaiming this sector of our economy for white people.

Almanian|2.23.10 @ 12:07PM|#

oops - I tarded something when commenting. Sorry

Thelonious_Nick|2.23.10 @ 12:19PM|#

That chart makes no sense. How can unemployment be divided by sector? What does it mean to be "unemployed government" or "unemployed agriculture"--how can you be classified as being in a sector of the economy if you don't have a job?

Dr Duck|2.23.10 @ 12:42PM|#

How can you be unemployed if you're self-employed? What does that look like?

anonymous|2.23.10 @ 1:21PM|#

It means you had to let yourself go.

Brett L|2.23.10 @ 2:30PM|#

In the consultant world we call that a client-free work environment.

alan|2.23.10 @ 1:39PM|#

Whenever i see Arnold dressed up like that and talking politics I see Ike from South Park being elected class president.

middle finger says|2.23.10 @ 1:41PM|#

to the pinky, 'too slow!'

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