The Administration’s mismanagement of the economy continues to take a heavy toll. In August the economy lost 216,000 jobs, roughly equivalent to the population of Reno, NV, just in case Harry Reid is interested. Over 5 million Americans had been out of work for over 6 months. Over 9 million were working at part time jobs because that was all they could get. Another three-quarters of a million were no longer bothering looking work. If workers who have accepted part time employment and discouraged workers were included with the unemployed, the unemployed rate would now be in Jimmy Carter country at 16.8%.

Speaking of Hope and Change, the Change came through in August with average hourly wages increasing by six cents, or $124.80 a year. Woo hoo, time to party like it was 1979.

There was an extraordinary development in Congress this week that got little attention. More than 100 Democrats have signed on as original cosponsors to legislation that could well start a major trade war. The bill effectively blocks all future U.S. trade negotiations, and could lead to retaliation by many of our major trading partners. And while it’s tempting to say that Barack Obama would not sign a trade bill that will ultimately be so costly and damaging to U.S. interests, the track record so far says he very well might.

Read more in my weekly column at the American Issues Project.