February Job Numbers: Caused By Heavy Snow, Or A Blizzard Of Bad Policy?

By Sofia Sanchez -University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

While the White House says last month's 'snowpocalypse' helped keep the nation's unemployment rate at nearly 10%, a Republican from Texas attributed the numbers on Friday to a "blizzard of bad policy proposals."

“The administration attempted to spin these numbers as a result of storms in the northeast, but in truth it is a blizzard of bad policy proposals, higher taxes, health care mandates [and] dangerous levels of debt that is the real reason businesses are delaying key investments in hiring,” said Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), during a Joint Economic Committee hearing on the newly-released statistics.

Brady's remarks disputed those of White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Dr. Christina Romer, who said Friday that the snow did play a factor in keeping businesses from operating, and people from working.

“As many analysts have discussed in recent weeks, the large snowstorms in the Mid-Atlantic region in mid-February likely had a substantial negative impact in this number,” she said.

In a statement released Friday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) agreed with Romer's assessment.

“It’s widely acknowledged that this number [36,000] would have been better except for the snowstorms that hit the Northeast last month."

Administration officials and Democrats in Congress contend that the weather forced individuals to miss work, thereby keeping them off monthly payrolls. Brady, however, said he doesn't buy that argument.

“I know the President and Congress are well-intentioned in all these efforts [to restore jobs], but I am puzzled by the President's economic approach. I don’t know what you call it, maybe ‘Blame-onomics?'"

Congressmen Ask Geithner To Resign

By Julianne LaJeunesse - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Hopefully, no one told U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that pitching the Obama administration’s financial reform plan to Congress was going to be painless. During a heated Joint Economic Committee hearing on Thursday, U.S. Republican Reps. Michael Burgess (Texas) and Kevin Brady (Texas) called on Geithner to step down, telling him that his work is not adequately serving Americans.

“Conservatives agree that as point person, you failed,” Brady argued. “Liberals are growing in that consensus as well. Poll after poll shows the public has lost confidence in this President’s ability to handle this economy... for the sake of our jobs, will you step down from your post?”

Geithner responded to Brady by saying he’s privileged to serve in his position, but did not give the Congressman an answer. Responding to Brady’s concerns over unemployment and the types of jobs lost, Geithner remarked, “Almost nothing in what you said represents a fair and accurate perception of where this economy is today.”

The purpose of Geithner's visit to the Hill, his second in as many days, was to encourage lawmakers to include four elements that he argued, “are critical to a strong package of [regulatory reform] legislation.”

Among them: Forcing non-banks who act as banks to be subjected to the same safeguards as recognized monetary institutions; accountability that includes a proposed council that will ensure that banks, regardless of size, work on a level playing field; a more capable financial system that will better absorb shocks and failures and adoption of a “no institution should be considered too big to fail” motto, which Geithner explained would be enforced by the government under “resolution authority.”

“This emergency authority, what we call resolution authority, has to be designed to facilitate the orderly demise of a failing firm...not ensure its survival,” he said. "Any risk of loss, must be recouped from the largest institutions, in proportion to their size. The financial industry, not the taxpayers, need to be on the hook.”