(Melchizedek Communique, MC010910) In the Aughts, there has been zero net job creation. (Background: "Reich: Economy On Steroids", http://www.shout.net/~bigred/mc010810.html)

Sidetracking this is an exquisite peccadillo: Do the Aughts end in 2009 or 2010? It is as if to say, "Never mind about $2.5 trillion in government debt being offered. Look at the love life of golfers instead."

Letters to the Editor in the local newspaper yesterday addressed the Aughts controversy. "Decades begin with zero," claimed one writer. Someone born January 1, 2000 would now be 10-years-old.

"Common language trumps mathematics," offered another of the letters. It is by common convention we consider the decades to be counted from 0 to 9, and not from 1 to 10.

Another sidetracking issue was the Batman movie fuss during the Summer of 2008. How about a Batman movie where the Riddler tries to confuse people on when the decade ends?

Confirmed in a report yesterday is that the entire past decade "was indeed a lost decade for job creation. We're beginning 2010 with just about 131 million jobs, only 129,000 more than at the beginning of the decade. This is despite the fact that the U.S. population has grown by roughly 25 million people since 2000." [1]

NAFTA is a flop. It didn't create more jobs, just more Mexicans. Besides zero net job creation with a population increase, Americans must compete for wages with our amigos arriving from south of the alleged border.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, there was a controvery dubbed "NAFTA-gate." In Ohio, there had been much political posturing over NAFTA. Then, news erupted that Barack Obama's chief economic advisor "had met with Canadian officials at the Chicago consulate and assured them the senator's public anti-NAFTA rhetoric should be construed as 'political positioning.'" [2]

A new book by Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, reportedly claims the "political positioning" NAFTA story was "dirty tricks." In The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, Plouffe reportedly denies any truth to the NAFTA-gate memo. [2]

A key backer for NAFTA had been Vice-President Al Gore. He debated Ross Perot on the Larry King television show and handed Perot a cute photo of Reed Smoot and Willis Hawley. Later, Gore handed out photos of cute polar bears.

Here in the Midwest, polar bears might find an agreeable climate at this time. A deep freeze has settled in. Be glad if you at least have a roof over your head. Not shivering in the cold can be good for your health care.

------- Notes -------
[1] "Jobs: Aughts for Naught", by Lawrence Mishel. Huffington Post, Jan. 8, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-mishel/jobs-aughts-for-naught_b_416562.html
[2] "NAFTA-gate re-emerges in book", by Robert Benzie. Toronto Star, Jan. 6, 2010
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/746620--nafta-gate-re-emerges-in-book