Want to know what has happened to our economy? Here's an answer.

America's dying industries: List of top 10 declining business revealed
By Daily Mail Reporter
It is a telling snapshot of how our lives, and what we buy, have changed over the last 10 years.

A list of the top 10 declining U.S. industries was revealed today - and it's as varied as it is predictable, encompassing everything from garment manufacturing to video post production.

While traditional manufacturing features heavily, more modern businesses such as DVD and computer game rental have also succumbed to the inevitable march of technological progress.

The report by business consultants Ibis World shows 10 industries that are in the decline phase of their life cycle.

It will make bleak reading for President Obama as he today launched his campaign for re--election.

The report highlights the industries that, during the 10 years from 2000 to 2010, experienced a sizeable contraction in revenue.

To be in the list of 10, they also needed to forecast further deterioration for revenue growth and establishments over the five years to 2016.

There is more to the story but here are the top ten.

• Manufactured Home Dealers
• Record Stores
• Photofinishing
• Wired Telecommunications Carriers
• Apparel Manufacturing
• Newspaper Publishing
• DVD Game and Video Rental
• Mills
• Formal Wear and Costume Rental
• Apparel Manufacturing

Read the whole story here.

Those 23,000 Jobs really were just a drop in the Obama layoff bucket

When I wrote about them Idid not research beyond that story.  Sister Toldjah has the details on what Obamacare is already doing to jobs.

The price of Obamanomics: ObamaCare division
Posted by: Phineas
In an earlier post, I had described the deliberate sacrifice of 23,000 jobs in the Gulf region as a necessary part of President Obama’s economic amateurism: unfamiliar with how business operates in the real world, he was willing to eliminate the livelihoods of thousands in the magical belief that they would all come back as soon as he allowed drilling to resume.

Now we’re seeing the same processes and consequences in other sectors, as insurance and other companies begin mass layoffs thanks to our shiny new health-care reform law:

* Assurant health cutting jobs ahead of health reform implementation: “Milwaukee-based Insurer Assurant Inc. is cutting its workforce in various locations around America ahead of health care reform implementation.”
* NC’s largest health insurer to cut jobs: “Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will contract with Dallas-based Sourcecorp for some data entry work… The company wants to cut its total operating costs by 20 percent, or $200 million, by 2014. That’s when much of the federal health care law takes effect.”
* WakeMed begins $87M cost-cutting effort: “Wake County’s largest hospital system plans to slash annual operating costs by as much as $87 million as it makes changes recommended by an outside consulting firm… efforts likely will include eliminating jobs in some departments… The hospital also may phase out some services where it’s not the market leader, such as providing chemotherapy and other cancer treatment.”
* Houston Employers chop 17,000 jobs in area: “Finance and health care companies are holding back on hiring because of uncertainties about recent federal regulations, he said. The moratorium on deep-water drilling has also caused energy companies to be more cautious about domestic expansion.”

Be sure to check out Doug Ross’ post for the rest of the cheery news. Regardless of Obama’s smooth assurances that health care reform would bend the cost-curve down and save the country money, this is the reality: thousands of people are going to lose their jobs because businesses will have to adjust to the new expenses imposed by ObamaCare. And it won’t be just job losses: companies will also raise the premiums charged consumers or get out of the health-insurance business altogether.

The real world is going to make us pay for the progressives’ fantasies, so let’s make them pay in November.

RELATED: And speaking of reality messing up a fun fantasy, here’s one for all the college students who helped make history by voting for Obama: Congratulations, your school may have to discontinue your student insurance. You’re welcome.

(Crossposted at Public Secrets)

Jobs and how to create them

I've been listening to Meet the Press and the commentators are discussing "job creation." Of course, their emphasis is on "government job creation." All of their offerings are  what government can do to create jobs. NO ONE seems to get it. The private sector creates job growth.

NO ONE mentioned how jobs are kept down in the energy industries, coal, oil and gas, and yes, even nuclear, by restrictions. Government created restrictions. I kept wanting to shout at them, "open up drilling, stop threatening the coal industry. Stop the restrictions. Let us drill baby drill, let us create new nuclear power plants, let them put in wind power off Ted Kennedy's estate."

How many jobs could be created in that way? what are they thinking? Well, they just aren't thinking. They have the liberal blinders on.

Is the Gov't Preventing Jobs Growth

An editorial from the Washington Post provides some suggestions.

By Charles Lane

With unemployment stuck around 10 percent, President Obama has pledged "to take every responsible step to accelerate the pace of job growth." Here's a thought: Instead of trying to "create" jobs by tweaking this tax break or increasing that spending program, why not stop doing things that destroy jobs?

I suggest starting with these three job-rescuing policy changes, none of which would cost taxpayers a dime.

-- End federal protectionism and price supports for sugar.

-- Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act.

-- Reduce the federal minimum wage.

These are just the bones of the article. Go here to read it all.