New Math Anyone? – Massachusetts Unemployment Rate – Raises – State Gains 3500 Jobs, Additional 9,000 Added to Unemployment – the Numbers.

Perhaps going back to basics may not hurt - image from itsnotmagicitssicence.com

The State of Massachusetts announced the May jobs numbers with a bit of optimism - According to the Boston Globe, the good news is that, as there have been no jobs created in the state for 4 reporting months, there were 3500 jobs created in May! - However, when one considers that an additional 9,000 began to look for work, or “resume” looking for work, one would consider that a net loss .

What’s more, when looking at the reporting from the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance, the news looks less and less upbeat: Out of the projected working age population of 5,376,900 in Massachusetts, of those, 3,481,700 are in the Labor Force, yet, strangely enough, of that number, 3,251,200 are actually employed, the balance – out of luck, or the number given as unemployed: 230,500 – which, somehow does not make sense. If one uses a simple calculator and one takes the working age population of 5,376,900 and deducts those who are actually employed or 3,251,200 - one has a number of those that are unemployed of 2,125,700 . Of course, some of those may be stay at home moms, or dads, or teens, or early retirees, but given the simplicity of the reporting, it leaves little to suggest that the 230,500 figure is in error.

As the State of Massachusetts receives its data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one is stymied in trying to determine which department needs remedial basic math courses – or if one is trying to fudge numbers so that everything appears rosy, one might want to keep two sets of books, showing the public with fewer working age individuals, for example, in relationship to those actually employed would account for the loss of several million unemployed.

It’s Massachusetts, go figure.

Obama in Ireland – Attacking the Catholic Church – Again – Deems Catholic Schools Cause Division and Suggest Catholic Schools are Racist

One’s Catholic might be ‘up’ – given the news that the President, while in Ireland, decided to unleash on Catholic (religious) education. In a speech in Belfast, Ireland, the President suggested that Catholic Schools are the root cause of the division in Northern Island – apparently holding the belief that the Catholic and Protestant wars in that Island Nation were the direct result of politically motivated Catholic and Protestant Churches, teaching hate in their affiliated schools. (Scottish Catholic Observer)

This quote from Caholic World News, just about sums it up:

US President Barack Obama has argued that parochial schools are an impediment to the establishment of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

Speaking to a crowd in Belfast, during a trip to Northern Ireland for a G8 summit meeting, Obama said that “segregated schools” block the path to full reconciliation. “If towns remain divided, if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can't see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division, it discourages co-operation," he said.

Apparently, the President has not step foot in a parochial school in the U.S., or he’d be singing a different tune. The classes are not divisive, rather, inclusive of other religions – not unlike the racism of the U.S. during segregation, the Catholic Education System has moved forward – simply put, there is no longer division, only a much better education system. On the other hand, perhaps he wants to ensure every child receives the same substandard education put forth by the union focused public schools in the US.

It was one ball of wax to force Catholic (and by extension other religious entities) to supply abortion to their employees – against the tenants of the church – not satisfied with pushing those buttons, he’s gone onto the Catholic/Religious schools.

Being a bitter Bible clinger of Catholic Identity, it is downright insulting, and reminds one of those lovely European regimes which stamped out all signs of religion except for adoration to the state and one leader. Of course, that’s a stretch. The more probable reasoning would be the fact that the President received the same education as the rest of the public – and therefore is clueless.

There are reasons that parents decide upon a parochial education for their children, and a religious education is one of them, but not the only one. There are moral reasons, as well as the smaller classrooms, and the attention to those who need extra help, as well as to those who excel. There is the ability to challenge students to do their best academically as well as socially, reaching out to the community – not in a divisive manner, rather in one that speaks to the very tenant of Catholic as well as other Christian denominations, community outreach to the poor.

Understanding that the President is looking for a way to connect to his Irish Roots, he might try grabbing a copy of “The Gangs of New York” – which is historically accurate – the problem was definitely political, but had as much to do with power on an individual basis and a collective basis – with religion being a mere backdrop. It is similar to the Presidents constant campaigning – whereby he only uses division rather that inclusion when attempting to achieve any goal he might have in mind.

Perhaps as the blush has come off the rose, so to speak, due to his consistent inability to understand those with whom he has a grave ideological divide - given his poor showing in Germany, and the fact that he attracted less of a crowd there than say at a Tea Party Convention. One might even question his political acumen, given the fact that he is inserting his foot in his mouth at every opportunity, especially when it comes to those who may be religious and actually practice their faith.

That is the way of it in the U.S. – if one professes they have faith, or practice their faith, the “elites” find that concept to be rather pedestrian. It is, of course, a given that those millions of Catholics in the U.S. will dutifully run to the polls, regardless of who may be on the ballot and pull the lever for every Democrat on the card - therefore, the chances that any slur on their faith or their Catholic identity would fall upon deaf ears - (See Gangs of New York). It is best to keep in mind, given the divisive and competitive nature of the variety of faiths In the U.S., that it is not just a “Catholic” Problem; it is a problem for anyone of good faith, regardless of that faith.

Quabbin (Boston Water Supply) “Trespassers”, given pass by Mass Judicial System, State Police Appealing Decision. – Seven Islamic “Students” at Midnight at Boston’s Water Supply – Not One Charge?

Mass Live:has noted that the seven men and women, most of them from outside the area, all of them from foreign nations known for extremist views (i.e. Terrorism), and “All said they studied chemical engineering and were at the Quabbin because it was in line with their education and career interests, state police said.

The water supplies all of Boston and parts of Western Massachusetts, notably Chicopee, the home of Westover Air Reserve Base – a win-win if they were not actually students on an educational outing, rather individuals who might want to hit both soft and hard targets.

Of course, no one really knows what’s going on with them, since the NSA specifically does not listen in on calls to say those who may be in Mosques, or other potential Jihadist spots, that’s not politically correct! Therefore, the government is not even bothering to track these individuals, to either prove or disprove any intent to main and kill Americans.

More on recent activity at the Quabbbin and this particular bit of nonsense at BareNakedIslam.com: which have 8 X 10 color glossies, links to articles as well as indications that bolts to the water supply have been recently cut. When first learning of this particular story, it was a thought that those “students” (after nothing was found) were merely participating in a “dry run”, and that eventually they would succeed, either here, or somewhere else – Where is DC’s water supply anyhow?

Of course, Big Brother would have no clue, (see Boston Marathon Bombing where the FBI and National Security Agencies, had oodles of warnings and again, 8 X 10 color glossies of the bombers, yet, yet..They kept them on the state dole and allowed them to blow up women, children and bystanders galore – how politically correct is that? Or is it merely more incompetence from and administration and its agencies that apparently can’t get out of their own way – It’s as if the U.S. is being governed by the less intelligent cousins of the Three Stooges. I’m not even trying to be funny here.

How the President’s Falling Poll Numbers, especially among Those Under 25 - will impact the Democrat Party in the Long Run.

CNN International discusses a poll taken on the President’s approval rating, and its decline since several “scandals” have struck the Administration. The poll has dropped 8 percent in 18 months, but most sharply among those in the “under 30 crowd”. The article finishes with a suggestion by Vanderbilt University’s political science departments, John Greer who suggests that with immigration passing, the youth will come flocking back to the Democrat Party and the President – given the inclusive nature of the bill.

Bunk.

It is not so much that the youth are against inclusion, it is not so much that the youth is fairly non-judgmental when it comes to race or gender and gender identity (on the face of it) – however, they are extremely frustrated with the lack of sustainable wage jobs available once they graduate from college, many are now living in their parents’ homes, or with multiple roommates as they simply cannot afford the high costs of the loans and the high cost of living on one’s own. Couple that with the fact that most of the jobs available are in the service industry, where traditionally, those who are not citizens work, and a perfect storm is brewing. One poll one does not find is a poll on how the youth view the immigration bill – it is not necessarily about providing citizenship status to those who are already in the country – it is the implication that there may be millions more now coming into the country who will be embraced and seeking the jobs they now see as their only options. When one looks at the graduation rates from high schools in a variety of larger urban cities, one finds that the rates, in certain cases, are in the 50 to 60 percentile. Those who do not hold a high school degree are looking at the service industry as their only hope. Therefore, before assuming that all will be well with the passage of this one bill, they might want to do some actual polling.

Although the good news for those on the side of the aisle now being put under a great deal of pressure is twofold, the youth also are not enamored of the Republican Party, and they aren’t registering to vote – yet. (That’s another poll worth taking.) They are disparaged, disgruntled and disappointed in general, given the fact that the man who promised everything has apparently been a huge disappointment – and this does not refer to those who are the campus cheerleaders – this refers to those who are not seeing a way clear to the campus, or avoiding the campus, or dropping out once there, either for economic or other reasons. Should they decide to register and to vote, one might find that they are more inclined to be pro-liberty, anti-war, a different kind of “hippy” philosophy. The problem for those who are now pushed through an immigration bill that may be seen by those under 30 as an encroachment on their personal financial stability, may also have to worry about their parents – those parents who would have seen a different lifestyle for their children, one that put them in a better position financially, than their generation – that’s a group that votes.

Of course, if one takes the Massachusetts Special election, where the entire cast of notables of the Democrat Party came and supported one of the most boring candidates for Senate in history, other than the Republican whom he is running against – and should that election go to the Democrat, one might make the mistake of believing that all is well. One should not consider Massachustts as a model, either way that contest falls out. (Most suspect is the poll conducted by the Boston Globe, one that puts Ed Markey, the Democrat in double digits a week before the election – only due to the fact that the same source polled for the 2009 election which saw a 15 point lead turn into a 5 point deficit – it may be correct, but – it may be dead wrong), it will not be indicative of a national trend, and it matters little in the Senate as to the workings of Washington – if it were Harry Reid’s seat, then that would make the difference, as he holds the reigns regardless of the added seat.

The premise is that the youth will continue to consider the President as human, and approval will be subject to their personal losses or gains. As the President represents the party, so goes the youth vote.

The Massachusetts Special Senate Election will take place on June 25, 2013 – Gomez (R) vs. Markey (D) – where to volunteer – The Polls and the Probability.

The Massachusetts Special Election will take place on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013. To find your polling station visit :the Massachusetts Secretary of State – Elections Division – where do I vote. To volunteer for Gabriel Gomez, visit: call 617-249-4113, or visit Gabriel GomezforMA. If one is inclined to volunteer for Ed Markey visit go.edmarkey.com - there is no telephone number available, and neither candidate offers addresses for campaign offices on their websites – the Gomez Campaign does have a telephone number.

The interest in this campaign is extremely low, with Gomez having ground troops and holding town halls, and Ed Markey relying on Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Al Gore and even Barney Frank came out of retirement. Not even the big names in the Democratic Party appear to be moving the bar much. The Boston Globe came out with its latest poll, similar to the Brown Coakley polling done prior to the race in 2009 - being slightly less generous to Markey, thank Coakley, giving him only 13 points rather than the 15 points they gave to Coakley. In that race Coakley lost to Scott Brown by 5 points. (WBUR with analysis.) The majority of the polls indicate, however, that the lack of interest in this race is tied, with candidates holding margin of error. Take the Globe poll with a grain of sand for now – it could be that large a margin, however, history of Globe polling alone, makes it suspect. That said every local nightly newscaster is appearing quite jubilant with the Globe news breaking this weekend. Real Clear Politics poll averages, including the Globe Poll have Markey up by 9 points. Caution, the only national polling firm in this average is Public Policy Polling, with Markey up by 4 points, the balance are the Massachusetts and New England College Polls, along with Boston Globe’s poll. This suggests that the actual race will be decided by 4 to 6 points - as enthusiasm is absent in general - one might, if one is concerned one way or the other, to be sure to vote on Tuesday. The last day to register has long since past.

In the case of this election, if one wants to vote to the least boring – that would be Gomez, if one wants to vote for someone who has made a living out of politics, then vote for Markey – Gomez, for his part is not one’s typical Republican – and Markey, is a typical “Progressive Democrat”. The race, in essence, is too close to call, thus the frantic Elizabeth Warren’s call to get out the vote! (WGGB) (Again, which leads on to believe that the gap between the two candidates is not the large.)