Saw an article today that said Johnson vetoed a bill sponsored by guy who donated 50K to his campaign. Gary said it wasn't a good bill.

Johnson may have been the only candidate addressing social security and paying it back. It's a shame they wouldn't let him debate.

Just to be clear, Joe, did you support Maxine encouragement to harass government employees when eating out?

Post Office says it 'deeply regrets' exposing personnel file of Dem candidate

BY JOHN BOWDEN - 08/30/18 02:20 PM EDT

The U.S. Postal Service says it made a mistake in releasing the official personnel file of a Democratic candidate to a Republican-aligned super PAC after the candidate claimed that a GOP super PAC had obtained the file improperly.

A spokesperson for the Postal Service said Thursday that the agency made an "unfortunate error" when releasing the personnel file of Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who is challenging Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) for his House seat, The New York Times reported Thursday.

“We take full responsibility for this unfortunate error, and we have taken immediate steps to ensure this will not happen again,” spokesman David Partenheimer said.

“The privacy and security of personal information is of utmost importance to the Postal Service. The Postal Service offers our sincere apology to Ms. Spanberger, and we will request the return of the information which we mistakenly disclosed.”

The Postal Service, according to the Times, also said there were other possible improper disclosures.

Spanberger accused the Postal Service earlier this week of improperly releasing her personnel file relating to her time working for the Postal Inspection Service. Spanberger claims that a GOP-aligned PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) inappropriately obtained the document and distributed it to news organizations.

CLF said it gained Spanberger’s application through a normal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which it included in its statement. According to CLF, another GOP research group, America Rising, filed the request with the United States Postal Service (USPS).

“As is its right, CLF therefore will continue to disseminate this information through all available means so that voters can reach an informed conclusion regarding their choice at the polls on November 6, 2018,” an attorney for CLF told the Times.

Spanberger maintains, however, that the file could not have been obtained legally in its current form, and sent a letter to CLF alleging that the organization had distributed sensitive personal information, which included her Social Security number.

“Astonishingly, CLF has persisted in distributing Ms. Spanberger’s Social Security number and you have refused to agree that you will not continuing distributing it in the future," Spanberger's lawyer wrote in a letter to CLF, according to the Times.

Spanberger told the Times that it was "sad" to see Republicans attempting to tie her to terrorists using her time as a CIA officer.

She briefly served as a substitute teacher at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia before joining the agency. At the time, the CIA had hired her conditionally, pending a background check. Spanberger later worked in law enforcement for two years at the Postal Inspection Service before being hired officially by the CIA, the Times reported.

“If it weren’t so sad, it would be funny that they are somehow trying to give me terrorist ties,” she said. “I put myself at risk to thwart the terrorist threat.”

[MORE REPUBLICAN DIRTY TRICKS - GETTING DESPERATE IN FACE OF LOSING CONTROL OF THE HOUSE ]

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/40 ... -candidate

<
1. MONEY TROUBLES

Trump Cancels Pay Raises for 1.8 Million Federal Workers

President Trump announced Thursday that he plans to nix an automatic pay raise for federal workers because of the “nation’s fiscal situation.” About 1.8 million people will not get an automatic pay increase next year under the policy. “We must maintain efforts to put our nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,” Trump wrote in a letter to leaders of Congress. Most employees were expecting to get a 2.1 percent raise. Trump believes that instead of the “across-the-board” increases currently in place, raises should be based on performance. His plan would also get rid of additional pay for workers who live in parts of the country with high costs of living. The White House said this would save about $25 billion in the next fiscal year. The Senate passed a 1.9 percent pay increase for next year, but the House approved a bill that goes along with Trump’s freeze. “Federal employees deserve the full measure of pay comparability provided by the law, and a 1.9 percent increase is the minimum that Congress should consider,” American Federation of Government Employees President J. David Cox said in a statement.

[ I GUESS THE TOP 1% HAS A SMILE ON THEIR FACES ]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-can ... s?ref=home

<
Dear Democrats,

Republicans Prepared A List Of Issues That They’ll Have To Explain To Voters

Dear Democrats,

Republicans have started a running list, as stated below, of hot topics that their candidates will have to be prepared to answer when questioned by voters before the upcoming 2018 elections to be held in November.

But the list has missed some key issues like:

the Republican Party lawmakers attacking the “rule of law,” the DOJ and the FBI,

and to do their best to discredit the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe along with its Special Counsel Robert Mueller III;

its racist and anti-immigration leanings;

failure to fully address elections’ security;

the huge US deficit exacerbated by GOP tax cuts;

the botched N Korean talks;

its failure to enact sensible gun control measures;

the CFPB governmental office blocking its personnel from addressing consumer complains like with student loans.
Here’s the rest of the story…

On August 26, 2018, Jonathan Swan of Axios penned the following report, “1 big thing … Scoop: Republicans secretly study their coming hell”

Excerpts:

Axios has obtained a spreadsheet that’s circulated through Republican circles on and off Capitol Hill — including at least one leadership office — that meticulously previews the investigations Democrats will likely launch if they flip the House.
Why this matters: Publicly, House Republicans are putting on a brave face about the midterms. But privately, they are scrambling to prepare for the worst. This document, which catalogs requests Democrats have already made, is part of that effort.

It has churned Republican stomachs. Here are some of the probes it predicts:



President Trump’s tax returns

Trump family businesses — and whether they comply with the Constitution’s emoluments clause, including the Chinese trademark grant to the Trump Organization

Trump’s dealings with Russia, including the president’s preparation for his meeting with Vladimir Putin

The payment to Stephanie Clifford — a.k.a. Stormy Daniels

James Comey’s firing

Trump’s firing of U.S. attorneys

Trump’s proposed transgender ban for the military

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s business dealings

White House staff’s personal email use

Cabinet secretary travel, office expenses, and other misused perks

Discussion of classified information at Mar-a-Lago

Jared Kushner’s ethics law compliance

Dismissal of members of the EPA board of scientific counselors

The travel ban

Family separation policy

Hurricane response in Puerto Rico

Election security and hacking attempts

White House security clearances
The spreadsheet — which I’m told originated in a senior House Republican office — catalogs more than 100 formal requests from House Democrats this Congress, spanning nearly every committee.

The spreadsheet includes requests for administration officials to be grilled by committee staff, requests for hearings to obtain sworn testimony, efforts to seize communications about controversial policies and personnel decisions, and subpoena threats.

These demands would turn the Trump White House into a 24/7 legal defense operation.

The bottom line: Thanks to their control of Congress, Republicans have blocked most of the Democrats’ investigative requests. But if the House flips, the GOP loses its power to stymie. Lawyers close to the White House tell me the Trump administration is nowhere near prepared for the investigatory onslaught that awaits them, and they consider it among the greatest threats to his presidency.

https://grondamorin.com/2018/08/30/dear ... to-voters/

<
Warning: For Deflection Purposes, President Trump Reveals A Phony Trade Deal With Mexico On 8/27/18

The republican President Donald Trump did his very best to create a story that would deflect from all the media press his nemesis, the recently deceased Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has been receiving. Thus on the 27th of August 2018, President Trump set up a press conference where he announced a new trade deal with Mexico which is simply a NAFTA upgrade. He kept trying to finagle Canada out of the picture but the current Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto was not having it.

President Trump wants to rename NAFTA because according to him, this trade deal has a negative reputation. Of course, President Trump wants it renamed where he can claim the entire credit, making him and the GOP in the US Congress look great to their base of voters.

My thinking is that the proof is in the pudding. When it comes to President Trump, it pays to have all the details before taking his word for anything.
Here is the rest of the story…

As per an August 24, 2018 Forbes report by Phil Levy, “The Trump administration is under pressure to show results with its trade policy. To date, that policy has largely consisted of attacking trade partners while issuing nebulous demands for “better” trade deals. So far, the administration has been unable to deliver a single such improved outcome.”

“You can tell the pressure has been mounting by the increased Republican calls for the President to “get a win” on trade. Or by trips such as that of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to North Dakota or Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to New York to reassure anxious farmers who are suffering from tariff retaliation. Concerned that discontent with the damage to the farm sector could hurt Republicans in the midterms.”

“Yet a year and a half into this presidency, with increasing levels of protection and retaliation afflicting the American economy, the promises of impending success seem ever less plausible. This is particularly true when there are no negotiations taking place.”

“Thus, to maintain support for the President’s approach, it was important to give the illusion of progress. This week that was done through two sets of negotiations, one with the Chinese and one with the Mexicans. Neither succeeded, but success was never likely and was never really the point.”
On August 27, 2018, Jordan Weissmann of Slate penned the following report, “Trump Announces Preliminary Trade Deal With Mexico, Suggests He’s Renaming NAFTA, Threatens Canada in Typically Surreal Press Conference”

Excerpts:

“In a slightly surreal and awkward press conference held in the Oval Office Monday (8/27/18), Donald Trump announced that the United States and Mexico had reached a preliminary deal to revise pieces of the North American Free Trade Agreement, then suggested that Canada might not be included in the final pact.”

“Trump did not share details of the agreement with Mexico, but the largest changes reportedly focus on the auto industry and are theoretically designed to bring more car manufacturing back to the U.S. In order to qualify for tariff-free treatment under the new NAFTA, more of a vehicle’s parts will need to be produced in North America, and a certain share will for the first time need to be built by workers making at least $16 an hour.”

“Whether this will be enough to satisfy longtime critics of the trade pact remains to be seen. Longtime NAFTA skeptic Robert Scott of the labor-backed Economic Policy Institute told me there was little sign Trump’s team had made progress on key issues: “It’s a press release in search of a real deal.”

To sell it, Trump stuck mostly to bluster and hyperbole during his brief talk. The president got things started by announcing that it was a “big day” for trade, then puzzlingly suggested that NAFTA was ready for a name change.”

“They used to call it NAFTA. We’re going to call it the United States–Mexico Trade Agreement,” he said. “We’ll get rid of the name NAFTA. It has a bad connotation because the United States was hurt badly by NAFTA for many years. And now it’s a very good deal for both countries.”

“This seemed to be Trump’s way of hinting that he was ready to break up NAFTA into separate trade deals with Canada and Mexico—a controversial idea that would likely go down poorly with Congress and the business community, given that companies have built their North American supply chains to move goods around a single tariff-free zone, but that some members of his administration have hinted at before. When outgoing Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto joined Trump on speakerphone , he politely urged Trump to keep Canada in the deal.”

“It is our wish, Mr. President, that now Canada will also be able to be incorporated in all of this,” Peña Nieto said through a translator.

“This dance continued throughout the call, with Trump dangling the idea of booting Canada and Nieto restating that he hoped Canada would be “integrated into this process.” Talks between Ottawa and Washington have been on hold for a bit, but Trump promised that negotiations would start up again “shortly.”

“We can have a separate deal [with Canada] or put it into this deal,” he said. “I like to call this deal the United States–Mexico Trade Agreement. I think it’s an elegant name. I think NAFTA has a lot of bad connotations for the United States because it was a rip-off.”

“The president also suggested that if Canada did not negotiate revisions to NAFTA or a separate bilateral pact, he’d exact revenge by slapping tariffs on its auto industry. The White House has been weighing whether to levy taxes on foreign cars under the pretext of national security, much the way it did with foreign steel and aluminum.”

https://grondamorin.com/2018/08/29/warn ... th-mexico/

<

You know, Joe, the racism claims are BS. In fact, I would say the ones who cry racist are. The whole event at Charlottesville was turned around. I am not condoning the KKK but they had a permit for a rally. Not sure whether the counter protestors did. They went there looking to cause trouble. And I don't condone the man who drove a vehicle into the crowd. But calling Trump a racist in this instance is not valid. Law abiding racists vs. Troublemakers
.

The term racist is thrown so freely by the left it has almost lost its meaning. If you are vs whites you are a racist also. And Trumps administration has hired many women and minorities. But if a minority, say Ben Carson, or Tiger Woods or any other person interact positively with Trump, they are insulted, called sellouts or Uncle Toms. A case in point is HRC. If you didn't vote for her and are a woman, you hate women or are controlled by your husband. I just don't like her or trust her but that is never an option.

Whoa, did someone mention Gary Johnson?

Yeah! I voted for him.

Hello Gaylord!

Just back from vacation.

On Racism / Racist is thrown so freely by the left it has almost lost its meaning.

Would you consider Bannon a Racist when he said?:

"Let them call you racist. Let them call you xenophobes. Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honor. Because every day, we get stronger and they get weaker.”

Trump Says Bannon Is ‘Not a Racist,’

Would you consider these as racist/bigot remarks or ideas?:

Refusing to rent or negotiate rentals ‘because of race and color,’ ”

Requiring different rental terms and conditions because of race and misrepresenting to blacks that apartments were not available.”

“They don’t look like Indians to me and they don’t look like Indians to Indians,” (testifing before the House Native American Affairs Subcommittee in 1993.

Laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is.

Birtherism

"They all have AIDS,"; “go back to their huts."

Puerto Rican leadership were "not able to get their workers to help" because "They want everything to be done for them".

Joe Arpaio.

Colin Kaepernick, Trump: “I think it’s personally not a good thing, I think it’s a terrible thing. And, you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him. Let him try, it won’t happen.”

Trump referring to Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas".

"Shithole countries"

Land seizures and the mass killing of White farmers in South Africa.

To name a few. I could write a book.

On Charlottesville:

You had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit and they were very, very violent.” Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke praised Trump's remarks in a tweet: "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa."

Sorry Gaylord! I have to agree with the left on this one. We fought wars to rid ourselves from these ideologies and racists. My father was shot in the head (Normandy Invasion) 10 days before I was born defending our freedoms against these ideologies and racists. Thanks to all the soldiers and patriots that lost their lives abroad and at home defending these freedoms and rights that we enjoy. It's quite apparent that these people have other opinions.

Gaylord! There is a reason why the term racist/racism is thrown so freely by the left and has almost lost its meaning.

‘NOBODY’S VICTIM’

Mollie Tibbetts’ Father Speaks Out: My Daughter Is Not a ‘Pawn’

Rob Tibbetts, father of the young woman whose murder at the hands of a Hispanic man became a symbol for the anti-immigration movement, spoke out Saturday with a moving op-ed in the Des Moines Register. In the op-ed, Tibbetts condemned the pundits and politicians who have “chosen to callously distort and corrupt Mollie’s tragic death to advance a cause she vehemently opposed.” He implored them to “not appropriate Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist,” noting that doing so “grievously extends the crime that stole Mollie from our family.” He added that, “at her eulogy, I said Mollie was nobody’s victim. Nor is she a pawn in others’ debate. She may not be able to speak for herself, but I can and will. Please leave us out of your debate.”

Tibbetts also extended his hand to the Hispanic community, noting that “The person who is accused of taking Mollie’s life is no more a reflection of the Hispanic community as white supremacists are of all white people,” and that “my family stands with you and offers its heartfelt apology. That you’ve been beset by the circumstances of Mollie’s death is wrong. We treasure the contribution you bring to the American tapestry in all its color and melody. And yes, we love your food.” He also asked America to “not lose sight of Mollie [...] Instead, let’s turn against racism in all its ugly manifestations both subtle and overt. Let’s turn toward each other with all the compassion we gave Mollie. Let’s listen, not shout. Let’s build bridges, not walls. Let’s celebrate our diversity rather than argue over our differences. I can tell you, when you’ve lost your best friend, differences are petty and meaningless.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mollie-ti ... not-a-pawn

<
China Is Loaning Billions of Dollars to African Countries. Here's Why the U.S. Should Be Worried

Next week, China will host leaders from across Africa for a summit in Beijing. The last summit was held in December 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Chinese President Xi Jinping announced $60 billion in funding support for infrastructure development in Africa.

The upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is sure to include an eye-popping announcement of billions of dollars more in Chinese financing to build infrastructure across the continent. But these massive loans can come with steep and opaque conditions.

It’s tempting for Americans to think this is not our problem. But as African countries sink deeper and deeper into Beijing’s carefully laid debt trap, the United States could pay a steep cost in reduced cooperation on counterterrorism and job creation.

Chinese debt has become the methamphetamines of infrastructure finance: highly addictive, readily available, and with long-term negative effects that far outweigh any temporary high. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, where China has become the largest provider of bilateral loans. Forty percent of sub-Saharan African countries are already at high risk of debt distress; by having so much debt concentrated in the hands of a single lender, they are dangerously beholden to their supplier.

Why does this matter? Because in Africa and elsewhere, governments have secured massive loans from Beijing using strategic assets—such as oil, minerals, and land rights— as collateral. If borrower nations find themselves unable to repay the loan, China can claim the strategic asset. Sri Lanka recently learned this the hard way and handed over control of the port of Hambantota, giving China a strategic foothold along a busy trade waterway. According to Professor Brahma Chellaney at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, “several other countries, from Argentina to Namibia to Laos, have been ensnared in a Chinese debt trap, forcing them to confront agonizing choices in order to stave off default.”

While Chinese debt diplomacy may not seem relevant to most Americans, it is a serious threat to U.S. national security. Most directly, China’s crafty negotiations and seizure of strategic assets can limit U.S. influence and access overseas. For instance, the tiny country of Djibouti is home to the most significant American military base in Africa. Thanks to Chinese loans, Djibouti’s debt-to-GDP ratio surged from 50 to 85 percent between 2014 and 2016. If Djibouti were to default and relinquish the port that resupplies the U.S. base, American military capability in Africa and the Middle East could be seriously threatened.

More broadly, unsustainable levels of debt can destabilize African states, which also compromises American security interests. Over-leveraged governments can get caught in a downward spiral of credit downgrades, reckless economic policies, and reduced spending on social services. With economic stagnation comes fewer opportunities for Africa’s fast-growing and young population. And the toxic brew of economic hopelessness and political disillusionment can drive disaffected youth toward violent extremism. That can threaten Americans abroad and, potentially, even at home.

Finally, China’s debt diplomacy shuts out opportunities for U.S. businesses. Not only do Beijing’s cheap infrastructure loans come with conditions to employ Chinese companies, they also set out technical specifications for projects like high-speed railways and wireless networks in a manner that favors Chinese firms. The combined effect of these efforts “would push the United States away from its current position in the global economy and move China toward the center,” according to Jonathan Hillman, a fellow at the Center for International and Strategic Studies. China already earns $180 billion annually from its investments in Africa; if its debt diplomacy remains uncontested, it’s likely that even more revenues and jobs will flow to China, instead of the U.S.

But this outcome is far from inevitable. The U.S. has plenty of good options, but it needs to dramatically step up its game and support alternatives to Beijing’s aggressive finance initiatives. Perhaps most fundamentally, the U.S. needs to focus on boosting African economic growth. Helping African states to strengthen investment climates and economic governance will help them attract more private sector capital and provide more entry points for U.S. companies. A key component is assisting African efforts to increase transparency, so that all the costs and benefits of project finance options are openly known. Fully staffing U.S. embassies and offering more technical assistance to evaluate loan agreements and investment contracts would be a good start.

To date, the Trump Administration’s Africa policy has been adrift, defined more by racial epithets than any cohesive strategy or results. By comparison, China has a clear vision that will yield long-term benefits. In Africa and around the world, much more needs to be done to confront Chinese debt diplomacy. If not, the U.S. will pay a heavy price in its commercial and national security interests.

http://time.com/5381467/china-africa-debt-us-security/

<
China Africa investment

‘No strings attached’ to Africa investment, says China’s Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping told African leaders on Monday that China's investments on the continent have "no political strings attached" and are not for “vanity projects”, even as Beijing is increasingly criticised over its debt-heavy deals abroad.

Xi spoke before the start of a two-day China-Africa summit that is expected to focus on his cherished Belt and Road initiative, a global trade infrastructure programme.

The massive scheme is aimed at improving Chinese access to foreign markets and resources, and boosting Beijing's influence abroad.

It has already seen China loan billions of dollars to countries in Asia and Africa for roads, railways, ports and other major infrastructure projects.

But critics warn that the Chinese leader's pet project is burying some countries under massive debt.

"China's investment in Africa comes with no political strings attached," Xi told a high-level dialogue with African leaders and business representatives hours before the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

"China does not interfere in Africa's internal affairs and does not impose its own will on Africa," he said.

Xi admitted that there was a need to look at the commercial viability of projects and make sure preparations are made to lower investments risks and make cooperation "more sustainable", adding that adding that Chinese funds are “not to be spent on any vanity projects".

A study by the Center for Global Development, a US thinktank, found "serious concerns" about the sustainability of sovereign debt in eight Asian, European and African countries receiving Belt and Road funds.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, currently the chair of the African Union, dismissed such concerns, saying talk of "debt traps" is aimed at discouraging African-Chinese interactions.

"Another perspective... is that those criticising China on debt give too little," said Kagame in an interview with the official Xinhua news agency.

‘Mutually beneficial’

Nations across Africa are hoping that China's enthusiasm for infrastructure investment will help promote industrialisation on the continent.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, whose country already shares a currency-swap deal with China, will oversee the signing of a telecommunication infrastructure deal backed by a $328-million loan facility from China's Exim bank during his visit, his office said.

Xi said Belt and Road complies with international norms, and China "welcomes the participation of other capable and willing countries for mutually beneficial third-party cooperation".

China would be happy to help Africa upgrade its customs and commodities inspection facilities and provide supplies and equipment to improve trade connectivity with the continent, the Chinese leader added.

He also voiced hope that Chinese and African companies could find new ways to cooperate in the field of technology.

Xi's guests include the presidents of countries ranging from Egypt to Senegal and South Africa, and controversial leaders such as Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court on war crime charges, which he denies.

Debt dependence

China has provided aid to Africa since the Cold War, but Beijing's presence in the region has grown exponentially with its emergence as a global trading power.

At the last three-yearly gathering in Johannesburg in 2015, Xi announced $60 billion of assistance and loans for Africa.

Chinese state-owned companies have aggressively pursued large investments in Africa, whose vast resources have helped fuel China's transformation into an economic powerhouse.

While relations between China and African nations are broadly positive, concerns have intensified about the impact of some of China's deals in the region.


Djibouti has become heavily dependent on Chinese financing after China opened its first overseas military base in the Horn of Africa country last year, a powerful signal of the continent's strategic importance to Beijing.

Locals in other countries have complained about the practice of using Chinese labour for building projects and what are perceived as sweetheart deals for Chinese companies.

The concerns are likely to grow as countries in other parts of the world -- especially Southeast Asia -- begin to question whether Chinese aid comes at too high a price.

On a visit to Beijing in August, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed announced he was shelving a series of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects worth $22 billion in total.

https://www.france24.com/en/20180903-af ... xi-jinping

<

No, Joe, that comment is not racist. We in this case prolly pertains to Trump campaign and their supporters. You do realize KKK are anti-Jewish? And Bannon and Ivanka are Jewish?

I wish you would post you articles in a different folder.

Elizabeth Warren/ Pocahontas is not racist, but a poke at her fraudulently claiming she was part Indian on an application to Harvard, I think, so she would get preferential treatment.



Don't we owe China a bunch of money too?

I can't remember the rest of you questions and your articles shot it back a page.

U.S. Jobless Claims Fell to a 49-Year Low Last Week

By Sharon Nunn and Eric Morath

Updated Sept. 6, 2018 8:41 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The number of Americans filing applications for new unemployment benefits fell at the end of August to a nearly five-decade low.

Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs across the U.S., declined by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 203,000 in the week ended Sept. 1, the Labor Department said Thursday. This is the lowest level of unemployment benefit applications since the end of 1969.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected 211,000 new claims last week.

Though data can be volatile from week to week, the four-week moving average of claims, a steadier measure, also fell to a 49-year low. The measure dropped to 209,500.

Jobless claims have remained low in recent years, as the labor market continues to tighten and managers face difficulty finding qualified employees.

U.S. employers added 157,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell back to 3.9% in July, hovering near the lowest level since April 2000, according to the Labor Department’s latest jobs report. Meanwhile, the overall labor-force participation rate, defined as the share of the adult population either working or looking for work, has been little changed over the past four years. The share of the population with jobs, however, has steadily climbed.

Thursday’s report showed the number of claims workers made for longer than a week fell by 3,000 to 1,707,000 in the week ended Aug. 25. The figure, also known as continuing claims, is reported with a one-week lag.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-jobles ... 1536237250

You mean someone bsides Joe posts here?

Yes, but I'm the only one here that posts facts, I'm sure...

So how do you feel about Libertarians?

I'm a card carrying member. Donate once a year to keep in standing.

I donated to Austin Petersen's campaign as well. But, sorry to say, I am not a Garry Johnson fan and feel like they made a mistake pushing him to forefront last couple elections.

Petersen is a very bright and articulate young guy that could have promoted the message much better, IMO.

I do not, however, waste my vote on Libertarians during elections. I like their message and want to help them get their message out, but I feel like it is far too important to beat todays democrats (marxists and socialists) then waste my vote on a guy who can't possibly win.

I hope one day the party will grow and become competitive.

I like the idea of Johnson in the Senate. Maybe he could help Paul get Congress doing their job. It's a sad thing when party is more important than country.