Friday's jobs figures showing a February gain of 21,000 jobs would show nogain at all if the government weren't hiring.

'-- the government took on 21,000 people, retailers hired an extra 13, 000 [low-paid clerical], education services absorbed another 13,000 [day care and such] and professional and business services let in 10,000 employees [very few of which were CEOs and senior management].

'-- Builders cut 24,000 jobs, likely because freezing winter weather shut down sites. Factories axed 3,000, the 43rd straight month of declining employment but the smallest loss since July 2000. The leisure and hospitality industry shed 9,000 [it's tough to even get a job turning down beds these days].

'-- A total 394,000 people left the workforce . The proportion of the population either in a job or looking for one fell to 65.9 percent from 66.1. There were 484,000 people not looking for work because they believed there were no jobs out there.

'Compounding the grim news in February, the Labor Department trimmed its first estimate for the January jobs gain to 97,000 from 112,000.' [Job Creation Disappoints 03/05/2004]

The unemployment rate remained at 5.6% and about 8,000,000, but if you added in the under-employed and part-timers and those who have quit looking for work, that rate becomes 10-12% (much higher in the 16-24 year-old group). And that's not even counting the 9.6 million who say they're self-employed ("No, I'm not out of work, I'm a consultant.")

Meanwhile, the President flies around saying "the economy is growing." And here's what Cheney had to say:

'[Interview with MSNBC] ""If the Democratic policies had been pursued over the last two or three years, the kind of tax increases that both Kerry and Edwards have talked about, we would not have had the kind of job growth that we've had," Cheney said.' [Boston Globe 03/02/2004]

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! Everybody thinks they're a comedian!

But it's not one bit funny.

Isn't it about time for a non-partisan question: "Where are those jobs, and will you pay my fare to Mumbai?"

Ask your Senators and House Representative.