A nice little chart on 1930's unemployment

Confusious

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Mon Jul-12-10 06:41 PM
Original message

A nice little chart on 1930's unemployment

From Britannica, for those with a problem with Wikipedia.

Shows a drop from 25% to 10%. 15% drop because of government stimulus. That last rise is because of deficit worries.

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valerief

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Mon Jul-12-10 07:16 PM
Response to Original message

1. Did they count the military as being employed in the 30s? Did they

count people who stopped looking for work as unemployed in the 30s?

I think this is comparing apples to oranges.

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Confusious

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Mon Jul-12-10 07:29 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. No, The military was pretty small in the 30's

Edited on Mon Jul-12-10 07:34 PM by Confusious

It was estimated, but everyone was feeling it.

The way people were counted was changed in the 80's.

In 1934-36, during what the US department of state calls the "Second New Deal," Roosevelt and his party moved left, and added social security; the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a national relief agency; and, through the National Labor Relations Board, a strong stimulus to the growth of labor unions. Unemployment fell by two-thirds in Roosevelt's first term (from 25% to 9%, 1933 to 1937), but then remained high until 1942.<10>

One other thing: pretty much every economist agrees on these points.

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Curmudgeoness

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Mon Jul-12-10 08:03 PM
Response to Original message

3. The government stepped in with lots of jobs---maybe would be

considered "make work" jobs, but I am still impressed when I go to campsites with wonderful cabins built at that time. Or when I visit parks that were created at that time. We have so much that could be done---and would be better than throwing money at the big banks, investment companies, corporations. But hey, who wants to help the people in the streets.

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Confusious

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Mon Jul-12-10 09:12 PM
Response to Reply #3

4. Reganism in action

We get the shaft. No cutting military spending, your social security is on the block. No taxing the rich, your unemployment is on the block.

We're becoming serfs.

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kennedyphan

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Mon Jul-12-10 09:18 PM
Response to Original message

5. The last # recorded in that graph is 7.2, when the number today is 9.5

Edited on Mon Jul-12-10 09:19 PM by kennedyphan

Is it an old graph?

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Motown_Johnny

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Mon Jul-12-10 09:22 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. it can't be an old graph if the number of months is correct. And it should have topped 10%

at some point

it does look suspect

(P.S. Welcome to DU)

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Confusious

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Mon Jul-12-10 11:14 PM
Response to Reply #6

11. The point isn't the number now

Edited on Mon Jul-12-10 11:15 PM by Confusious

The point is to prove that government stimulus works. It worked in the 30's, it'll work now.

And it was posted by a professor on the encyclopedia Britannica website. Hardly suspect.

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burrowowl

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Mon Jul-12-10 09:30 PM
Response to Original message

7. In the 30's all

the unemployed were counted. Now the military is counted as employed and people who drop of the rolls are not, the percentage is more likely around 19 %.

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Statistical

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Mon Jul-12-10 11:41 PM
Response to Reply #7

14. Military is not counted as employed.

People dropped from the "rolls" (unemployment benefits) have never been a factor in U3 rate.

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burrowowl

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Mon Jul-12-10 09:30 PM
Response to Original message

8. In the 30's all

the unemployed were counted. Now the military is counted as employed and people who drop of the rolls are not, the percentage is more likely around 19 %.

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Stinky The Clown

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Mon Jul-12-10 10:05 PM
Response to Original message

9. Are those equal comparisons? Why is the final number for today not closer to 10%?

The methods for counting the unemployed have changed over the years. Is a commonality reflected in that chart?

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Confusious

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Mon Jul-12-10 11:18 PM
Response to Reply #9

13. The numbers in the 30's are estimated

Edited on Mon Jul-12-10 11:39 PM by Confusious

In the 80's, the numbers for counting the unemployed got worked over, so they're not a real reflection of the problem anymore.

The numbers that matter are the numbers for the 30's. Government stimulus works.

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Odin2005

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Mon Jul-12-10 10:41 PM
Response to Original message

10. FAIL. The real unemployment rate is 15%

The "official" numbers are manipulated to hell.

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Confusious

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Mon Jul-12-10 11:16 PM
Response to Reply #10

12. The point is the number in the 30's

Government stimulus works.

The numbers now DO NOT MATTER. ( As far as this graph goes.)

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