With signs of industrial Brooklyn behind him, Mayor Bloomberg gave a speech outlining six strategies to create jobs during this slow recovery... and he took time to take shots at Democrats and Republicans in power at the federal level, "Democrats now, and Republicans then, spent more time and energy conducting partisan warfare than forging centrist solutions to our toughest economic problems. This abdication of responsibility has many causes, including party primaries that take place in gerrymandered districts where moderates are out-numbered and independents are often excluded." In other words, moderates and independents, watch out for a certain billionaire's 2012 presidential campaign next year! more ›

While President Obama is catching hell from his own party for his compromise with the GOP to extend the Bush tax cuts, there's one person who is happy: Independent billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The Mayor discussed the deal yesterday, and managed to tout his leadership (natch) and slam Albany (double natch). "I was very pleased to see the president and the Congress come together. It is exactly - number one, it’s exactly that kind of coming together that we need in Washington, and we need it in Albany as well incidentally. We have it, I think, pretty much in New York City." more ›

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and former Treasury Secretary (and current White House adviser) Larry Summers expressed confidence in the economy, offering soundbites like "There is a momentum building up which is really just the beginning, and it’s got a way to go" (from Greenspan) and "Now the process of job creation has started, we expect it will accelerate" (from Summers) on ABC's This Week. Greenspan also said that the chances that the economy will retrench "have fallen very significantly in the last two months." more ›

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that 162,000 jobs were added last month, but the Wall Street Journal points out that even though job creation was "at the fastest pace in three years in March....nearly one-third came from temporary hiring for the Census, indicating the labor market has still some way to go to recover." An analyst told the NY Times (which also graphs job loss/growth), "The key message from this report is that we’ve finally turned the corner. Going forward, we should expect things to strengthen further over the rest of the year," while White House economic adviser Christina Romer was a little more measured, saying there were "continued signs of gradual labor market healing," but "there will likely be bumps in the road ahead." The national unemployment rate remains 9.7% more ›

Last night, President Obama zeroed in on the country's economic recovery while speaking to Congress and the nation in his first State of the Union address. He touted what the Recovery Act had done—tax cuts for "for 95 percent of working families.. for small businesses...for first-time homebuyers..."—but acknowledged, "I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response.  That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010... I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay." more ›

After a week of widespread Democratic opposition against his proposed Senate campaign, former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. launched his own publicity tour, which got really interesting when he sat down with the Times for a lengthy interview yesterday. There are gems throughout the far-reaching Q and A, but it's likely that no part of it will be as closely scrutinized as his statements on gay marriage — which he twice voted to ban: more ›

After the U.S. Department of Labor announced that October's unemployment rate was 10.2%, one thing that was left unsaid was the number of people who have been unemployed so long they've given up looking for work, not to mention the people who are working part-time but would rather be in full-time jobs. According to the NY Times, "In all, more than one out of every six workers — 17.5 percent — were unemployed or underemployed in October. The previous recorded high was 17.1 percent, in December 1982." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg is scheduled to give his State of the City address today, but details have already been leaked to the press. more ›

In the weekly Democratic radio address (which is also videotaped for Youtube), President-elect Barack Obama outlined his economic stimulus plan. Noting the "crisis of historic proportions," Obama wants to create 2.5 million jobs in a two-year period to stimulate growth:

"It will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jumpstart job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy. We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels; fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead."