Uncategorized

Aug 27, 2010

by Don Azarias

Still showing a lack of confidence in the nation’s economy, compa nies didn’t do any significant hiring for a third straight month in July, making it likely that the anticipated faster growth of the economy will be slow for the rest of the year. Company job openings fell for the second straight month in June, a sign that hiring isn’t… Continue reading →

Aug 20, 2010

by Don Azarias

Reeling under tremendous pressure from the electorate, President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party are trying to make sense of the impending political disaster that awaits them come midterm elections this fall. It’s a worrisome scenario for them that the speakership of the House being held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) could be vulnerable… Continue reading →

Aug 13, 2010

by Don Azarias

In one of my previous columns dated May 22, 2010, I wrote about the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) filing of civil fraud charges against Goldman Sachs & Co., the largest Wall Street’s brokerage firm, for misleading investors who purchased mortgagerelated securities. The civil charges the SEC filed on April 16… Continue reading →

by Don Azarias

Aug 6, 2010

How would you define a “double-dip recession”? Well, according to my Business and Economics reference manual, a double-dip recession is an anomalic economic cycle that occurs when gross domestic product (GDP) growth slides back to negative after a quarter or two of positive growth… Continue reading →

by Don Azarias

July 30, 2010

Even though I’m a Republican, I’m like most of those responsible Americans whose love for the coun try is of paramount importance that it transcends my party affiliation. That’s why when Democrat Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, I set aside my Republican Party ideology and wished the newly-elected president the best of luck and prayed for his success as leader of the free world.
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by Don Azarias

July 23, 2010

It seems like President Barack Obama’s political fortune is turning into misfor tune lately and it’s causing him and his Democratic allies a lot of grief. Obama’s biggest problem: He has lost the so-called independent and moderate voters who are generally given the most credit for his win back in 2008. According to the poll, 52 percent of self-described independent voters disapprove of the job Obama is doing. The poll finds Obama… Continue reading →

by Don Azarias

July 16, 2010

Although so much optimism is being floated around by both, economists and analysts, with regard to an economic recovery, I had always remained cautious and non-committal in making my own prouncement that the U.S. economy is finally out of the doldrums. I’m more inclined to follow the cautious approach of those economists who are members of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). With regard to the current economic condition, I’m of the opinion that the signals coming from various economic indicators are still not pointing towards an economic turnaround. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias

July 9, 2010

Although fighting for his own political survival in a tough primary battle in his home state of Arizona, Sen. John
McCain could be laughing in the inside eight months after losing the presidency to President Barack Obama. Why? Because no one would want to be in Obama’s shoes at this point in his presidency. As the American people know, the stack of problems on President Barack Obama’s desk keeps growing incessantly with no end
in sight. He has to contend with two wars, high federal budget deficit, an economic crisis that has been exacerbated by lingering double-digit unemployment rate, unabated home foreclosures and a fierce battle over health care. And that was just the start. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias

July 2, 2010
Some recently-released gov ernment and private eco nomic reports raised hopes for an improving job market with fewer layoffs and more hiring. But is it really true? Please read on. A wave of census hiring lifted payrolls by 431,000 in May, but job creation by private companies grew at the slowest pace since the start of the year. And, according to the report, the majority of those jobs are temporary census work. Out of the total 431,000 positions added in May, 411,000 of the positions are temporary government jobs created for Census 2010 workers. By contrast, hiring by private employers, the backbone of the economy, slowed sharply. They added just 41,000 jobs, down from 218,000 in April and the fewest since January. The overall number also fell short of expectations. Economists had forecast employers would add 513,000 jobs.
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by Don Azarias

June 25, 2010

A survey from the Pew Research Cen ter showed public confidence in the federal government at one of the lowest points in a half-century. Nearly 80 percent of Americans say they have little faith that the massive federal bureaucracy can solve the nation’s ills. Unless I calculated it incorrectly, 80 percent means that 4 out of 5 Americans don’t trust the federal government at all. And, from the political standpoint, when you talk of an 80 percent plurality you might, as well, translate that into 100 percent.

The recently-released poll illustrates the threatening political situation facing President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party as they struggle to maintain their comfortable congressional majorities in this fall’s elections. Traditionally, the party in power tends to lose more seats in Congress during midterm elections. And with the American voters showing a raging discontent against Democratic incumbents, a lot of those Democrats may soon be out of work. Continue reading →