[Vision2020] U.S. Unemployment Up; Europe Down; Way to Go Bushie!

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Greetings:

August unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.  We can no longer bash the Europeans for having high unemployment rates.

Here are some figures from the most recent issue of The Economist (9-6-08). 

Denmark: 1.9 percent.  Made possible by government job training program.
Norway: 2.6
Switzerland: 2.6
The Netherlands: 3.9
Japan: 4.0
Austria: 4.2 
Australia: 4.3, under new Labor government
Czech Republic: 5.3
Britain: 5.4
Canada: 5.4
Sweden: 5.8
Italy: 6.5
Greece: 6.6
France: 7.3
German: 7.6

With regard to GDP, the U.S. is predicted to have 1.3 percent growth for 2009 while the Euro area will have 0.9 percent. The GDP number would be much lower had it not been for the painfully low dollar making our exports much cheaper. 

Nick Gier