Are We in a Recession ? Not according to Barry & Michelle

[jehu]

First Lady Michelle Obama's Servant List and Pay Scale

First Lady Requires More Than Twenty Attendants

1. $172,200 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)

2. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)

3. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)

4. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)

5. $100,000 - Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

6. $90,000 - Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

7. $84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)

8. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M.. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)

9. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)

10. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)

11. $64,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)

12. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)

13. $60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)

14. $57,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)

15. $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary to The First Lady)

16. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (SpecialAssistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide to The First Lady)

17. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)

18. $43,000 - Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)

19. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

20. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)

21. $35,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)

22. $35,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)

(This is community organizing at it's finest.)

There has NEVER been anyone in the White House at any time who has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life. One wonders why she needs so much help, at taxpayer expense, when even Hillarious, only had three; Jackie Kennedy one; Laura Bush one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower social help came from the President's own pocket.

Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air Force One to Europe .

FRIENDS.....THESE SALARIES ADD UP TO SIX MILLION, THREE HUNDRED SIXTY FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS ($6,364,000) FOR THE 4 YEARS OF OFFICE????? AND WE ARE IN A RECESSION????? WELL....MOST OF US ARE. I GUESS IT'S OK TO SPEND WILDLY WHEN IT'S NOT YOUR OWN MONEY?????

[hulk]

These two have NO shame, Huge egos, and Zero values.

[skeeterpe]

Why would we care. We don't know what's best for ourselves. They would be the perfect people to tell us how to live and what to listen to when we watch the news!

Arrogance from the likes of which I have never even read about muchless seen! I don't have much faith in any party really but, if we could bring ourselves to look deeper into the candidates and stop listening to Hollywood(who really have no idea what it's like to struggle day-to-day, pay their taxes, and take it all with a smile as we live out our lives with the knowledge that we were free to do so). My friends, the time for change was 20 years ago. Perhaps now that we've had time to slowly boil like unsuspecting frogs in a cauldren, Obama presents us with an extremely hot flame and with that, the awareness of just how devoid of personal responsibility our nation has gotten. If you don't have health insurance.... who's fault is it really. After you've blamed everyone around you; Who is ultimately in control of your future. Unwise decisions made have a consequence that comes with that choice. That's right, CHOICE! Choice to succeed beyond anyone's imagination, or remain lazy and have the entitlement mindset. This sense of entitlement will leave you fighting for everyone to give you a scrap instead of working hard for it.

Our elected officials CANNOT provide for us the same quality of life that we could ourselves if we would understand that hard work is what some of the world has ever known, the rest have their hand out and blame someone who has what they want. I grow more sickened by the idea of entitlement each and every day!! I will continue to struggle but, no one will control where my life takes me. EVER!

-Skeeter

[bamaj]

So what is a true recession? I think I have lived through several but not sure.

[Dinarinator]

The private sector is in a depression...Govt is growing= recession

[JMac]

So what is a true recession? I think I have lived through several but not sure.

The traditional definition of recession is two consecutive quarters of declining growth in GDP. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses this definition; the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) does not. That seems strange to me b/c BEA tracks GDP but NBER sets dates. Under the BEA definition of recession, the US was not "formally" in recession until the end of 1Q2009; there was a third quarter of decline in the 2nd quarter of 2009. GDP has been increasing since 3Q2009 & currently is about back where it was in 2Q2008 (http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/TableView.asp?SelectedTable=5&ViewSeries=NO&Java=no&Request3Place=N&3Place=N&FromView=YES&Freq=Qtr&FirstYear=2007&LastYear=2009&3Place=N&Update=Update&JavaBox=no#Mid).

NBER is responsible for dating turns of the business cycle (growth -- recession -- growth) though, and in December 2008 the NBER announced that the US economy has been in recession since December 2007 (http://www.nber.org/cycles/dec2008.html). So far we've had 3 consecutive quarters of rising GDP, but NBER hasn't signaled the end of the current recession yet (http://www.nber.org/cycles/cyclesmain.html). Maybe they're waiting till there aren't a gazillion people unemployed? Employment always lags though, b/c "things" have to be better or worse for a while before businesses act on conditions either by hiring more people or cutting existing jobs. Employers generally won't do either until they have no other, better choices.