Hello Everyone:

Here is the brief yet very informative CNN transcript from Friday, April 4 where Ali Velshi discusses the "76,000 job losses in February, 76,000 in January, 80,000 in March. That's 232,000 jobs lost in the United States since the beginning of this year" along with how that "most economists say that we need to gain, we need to add 100,000 jobs or more just to keep up with the increase in the working age population. The unemployment rate is up. It was at 4.8 percent. It was expected to go to 5 percent. It is now 5.1 percent. That's the highest rate in three years:"

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0804/04/cnr.01.html

CNN NEWSROOM

80,000 Jobs Lost in March; Front Row Seat to History; Kids with a Big Job

Aired April 4, 2008 - 09:00 ET

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: "From the assembly line to the unemployment line, more Americans lose their jobs in March...

"ISSUE #1, THE ECONOMY" and the outlook getting bleaker. Just moments ago the government releasing its unemployment. Tens of thousands of jobs lost.

Our Ali Velshi is in New York to sort through the numbers for us.

And Ali, I'm thinking about it. I was thinking I was going to ask you, is this about what was expected? Is it worse than expected? But the number, 80,000 jobs, kind of speaks for itself.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's substantially worse than expected and I don't mean to paint a bleak picture but this is for all of those people out there who won't get their heads out of the sand and face where we are in this economic cycle. We lost 80,000 jobs in the United States in March. That is the biggest single-month job loss in five years. 80,000 in March.

They revised the numbers of job losses in January and February. So now we have 76,000 job losses in February, 76,000 in January, 80,000 in March. That's 232,000 jobs lost in the United States since the beginning of this year.

Now most economists say that we need to gain, we need to add 100,000 jobs or more just to keep up with the increase in the working age population. The unemployment rate is up. It was at 4.8 percent. It was expected to go to 5 percent. It is now 5.1 percent. That's the highest rate in three years. So these are problems. Let me tell you where those jobs are lost, Tony.

HARRIS: Right.

VELSHI: Construction, we know we've been losing jobs in construction. 51,000 construction jobs are gone. In fact, mostly those were specialty trade construction workers. We've lost almost 400,000 construction jobs since the housing boom peak in September of 2006.

Manufacturing, 48,000. That is one of the biggest numbers we've seen in manufacturing job losses. That's in total, over a year, we've lost more than 300,000 jobs in the United States in manufacturing.

Employment services also saw some losses.

There were only four areas where we saw gains -- government, health care, food services and mining. That's it. That's the only place that we've seen gains.

HARRIS: Wow.

VELSHI: Now we've seen food services and health care have been pretty healthy over the last 12 months. But, boy, we are shedding these jobs. This is a serious problem and hopefully this makes those people who are still hedging about whether we're in a downturn or a recession or whatever you want to call it, admit that we are and let's do everything that's necessary...

HARRIS: Let's move forward.

VELSHI: ...to get us out of that.

HARRIS: Absolutely. All right. Ali, so much to ask you. But we've got a lot in the show this morning. We will check back with you later.

VELSHI: Sure.

HARRIS: Ali Velshi in New York. Ali, appreciate it. Thanks.

VELSHI: OK..."

Ali Velshi of CNN in my opinion is definitely credible when he reports about the economy!

I definitely believe that Iraq is linked to the economy as an issue because "If this nation is spending $10 billion a month indefinitely, on this Iraq adventure. That's part of your answer as to why jobs are dipping, investment is not where it should be, the sub prime mortgage crisis has taken away a lot of the security that people could fall back on in the way of home equity. So, you know, you a full-scale disaster that's unraveling. Everyone including the Fed chief has acknowledged this:"

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/14978

TRANSCRIPT: Errol Louis explains how Iraq is linked to the economy as an issue!

Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on March 10, 2008 - 9:35am.

The bottom line to this in my opinion is that I do NOT think the economy can truly be fixed until we deal with the main issue of our getting out of Iraq in the most responsible manner as is possible!

That is why in my opinion Democrats definitely need to nominate Hillary Clinton who clearly has much more foreign policy experience than Barack Obama does having already met with over 80 world leaders. Obama being able to give high powered and charismatic speeches will NOT get us out of Iraq in a responsible manner and that will also NOT fix the economy. This is NOT the time for "on the job training!"

Mitch Dworkin

http://www.securingamerica.com/

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/10756
StopIranWar.com: "War is not the answer"
Submitted by Wes Clark on February 21, 2007 - 11:40am.

http://www.securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7191
Listen to Gen. Wes Clark fight for Dems on Sean Hannity's radio program: An excellent example for all of us to follow and what we all need to be doing to help fight back against extreme right wing Neocon smear propaganda!