Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly

New unemployment claims rose in the week of June 28, to 472,000. The four-week average is up to 466,500, the highest level since March.

This is interesting: The number of people collecting benefits rose in the week of June 19 to 4.9 million. Some 600,000 people fell off the rolls between June 1 and June 19 due to the stalling of the extension bill.

How will the economy ever get going again if nobody has any money to spend? Somebody needs to get money flowing to the middle class again, even if it means Wall Street bankers have to forego their million-dollar bonuses. Some degree of wealth re-distribution is the only solution.

Unemployment Rate Falls in Honolulu as Tourism Up

Honolulu's unemployment rate fell in May to 5.3 percent as tourism was up.

I'm glad somebody still has the means to take a nice Hawaiian vacation, even if most of those people are probably Japanese or Chinese.

Las Vegas Said to Have Highest Unemployment Rate

Las Vegas' unemployment rate of 14.1 percent is the highest of any city in the nation, according to the Labor Department.

What about Detroit? Oh, right -- nobody lives there anymore.

Congress Prepares for Summer Vacation After Leaving Americans High and Dry

Must be nice to be able to take a week off to relax and still draw a salary. I suppose this is what they imagine it's like for the unemployed, living high on the hog on $400 weekly unemployment checks and not having to do anything but apply for jobs in return. We pay for their vacations, but they won't help the most desperate among us. Monsters...