But we can't tax the "job creators," right? Uh huh. 

Our current unemployment rate of 8.6 percent is the lowest it's been since April 2009; we still have 13.3 million without work, though.  

That additional 1.85 percent we could gain, and just from those executive bonuses, would amount to 2.86 million jobs.

UPDATE:
The listing of 2.86 million jobs was of my own calculation, using average wages and benefits costs. When asked by commenters for more details, I went to the original source of the image above and tracked its own source.  

That original source is a recent report from SEIU, which lists the total bonuses paid by those six banking institutions to total $143 billion, and the number of jobs that could be created by that money to be 3.6 million. (Link to that SEIU document)  

I assume my use of benefits costs to be the reason for variations. 

Below is another image from the same MoveourmoneyUSA.org group, this one detailing the total number of jobs that could be created with the bonuses paid per institution. Please note that its calculations appear (to me, at least) to not be inclusive of other employment expenses aside from wages. 

It’s beginning to look a lot unlike Christmas for many in the state.

Unemployment benefits for 30,400 South Carolinians are set to expire on Dec. 31 unless congress extends them by this Thursday.

In a last-stab response, many throughout the community will join that same day for public demonstration, requesting congress to act now.

Beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, community members will join for a vigil at the local Employment Security Office (176 Lockwood Blvd. in Charleston).  All are invited to attend and participate.

“Extended unemployment benefits are still necessary because we are obviously still in the middle of a jobs crisis,” says Erin McKee, chair of the Charleston Central Labor Council. “Congress has never before let federal extended benefits expire when labor market conditions were this bad.”

Bills for benefit extensions through 2012 were introduced last month in both the U.S. House and Senate, but have yet to receive legislative votes.

The current congressional session is targeted to close for the year on the same day of the vigil, meaning Thursday will be the last opportunity for benefits to be extended.

“We urge Congressman (Tim) Scott to support immediate reauthorization and full funding of the federal extended unemployment benefits program through 2012, with no strings attached,” McKee declares.  

Rep. Scott’s 1st Congressional District currently includes parts of Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester and Georgetown counties and all of Horry County.  Their last-reported unemployment rates are 7.9, 9.8, 8.5, 10.2 and 10.4 percent, respectively.

The losses won’t affect just the unemployed, though, says the AFL-CIO, a promoter of over 50 similar events across the country scheduled for Thursday.  “Unemployment benefits are pumped back into the economy immediately, flowing to local grocery stores, gas stations, landlords and utilities,” the labor group says in its “Fact Sheet.”

For so many to lose their benefits, “the loss to communities (in South Carolina) could total $7,003,552 a week,” according to the AFL-CIO.

A recent study conducted on behalf of the U.S. Dept. of Labor found the U.S. economy to grow $2 for every dollar distributed in unemployment benefits.

The effects of benefit discontinuance would be demographically disproportionate, too. While 10.5 percent of all South Carolinians are unemployed, the rate is higher for Hispanics (10.9) and African Americans (18.2). The 20-to-24 year old age group shows a 20.6 percent rate of unemployment, the AFL-CIO also points out.

Rep. Scott could definitely use reminding of the impact that a failure to renew benefits could have on the country, and might need to be updated on the general topic, too. In a recent interview, Scott said “We are used to, we've enjoyed for a long time, less than 7 percent unemployment.”

However, the number of unemployed nationwide has been above 7 percent since December 2008, and is currently 9.1 percent. Unemployment in South Carolina has been above 7.1 percent since August 2008, and is currently 10.5 percent.

Earlier this year, Scott supported legislation to rescind funding from the American Jobs Act, which is responsible for maintaining so much employment in the country and the state.

The average weekly benefit received by the over-30,000 unemployed in South Carolina is $230.38, which is approximately 22 percent less than the national average. 

Speaking to the Family Research Council this morning, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann gave her take on how to address the high rate of unemployment in the country.

“(I)f anyone will not work, neither should he eat,” Bachmann said. 

(posted on youtube by ivolsky)

What this Republican presidential candidate is apparently overlooking, however, is that the number of job openings in the country is far, far less than the number of unemployed.

According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 3.1 million job openings in the country.

The number of unemployed, though, is 13.9 million, says BLS. That’s more than four times greater than the number of jobs available.

Add in the fact that a majority of those 13.9 million Americans (52 percent) are not receiving any unemployment benefits whatsoever, and it stands apparent that Bachmann’s goal is already underway: they have no money to buy food to begin with.

So instead of addressing this malady affecting so many in the country, Rep. Bachmann, we should make it worse and toss in other obstacles, too? Eliminate their eligibility for food stamps, perhaps?

That seems to be a typical Republican response. Cure the unemployment problem by starving the unemployed.

What might be the future job scene in America? Well, if it keeps the current path of sending our jobs overseas, according to this video, we could wind up only with "jobs that no one in China would do."

from www.ghostswithshitjobs.com 

(From True Majority, the progressive non-profit organization founded by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's fame)
What do you think is the most important issue to focus on in the last round?

• Extend Unemployment Insurance so millions of Americans don't lose their last economic lifeline.
• Repeal the Bush Tax Cuts for billionaires.
• Protect Social Security
• Reinstate the ban on offshore oil drilling until National Oil Spill Commission finishes their investigation.
• Other:

Click HERE to vote!

Extending Unemployment Insurance: 1.2 million Americans will lose unemployment benefits in less than 30 days unless Congress acts immediately to extend them. Not only is extending these benefits the moral thing to do, it is essential to protecting local retailers this holiday season. If retail sales slip, more people will lose their jobs and the disastrous cycle will continue, edging national unemployment to 10%.

Repeal the Bush Tax Cuts: Income inequality is at its greatest point in over 100 years. The wealthy continue to benefit from decades of income redistribution and it's time to put the country's interests ahead of Wall Street's interests. This issue looks to be one of the key battles during the Lame Duck session of Congress between no and January.

Protect Social Security: Americans said loudly and clearly that they will not accept cuts to the safety net – including any proposal to increase the retirement age. When they return to work, members of Congress must realize that Social Security is off limits. With your help, we could make sure that happens.

Re-instate off-shore drilling ban: After the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf, the Obama administration instituted an off-shore drilling ban only to lift that ban on October 12. More than 60,000 of our members signed a petition demanding that this ban be re-instituted. Now, with the newly appointed Nation Oil Spill Commission investigating the BP spill, there is an opportunity to push Congress to re-institute the ban.