But where are the jobs?

Oh, here they are:

From Larry Kudlw / Townhall.com

While it's true that big corporations are still cautious about new job hires, the fact remains that more and more people are entering the workforce. Employment as measured by the Labor Department's household survey counted 589,000 newly employed workers in November, following October's robust rise of 441,000. This measure has increased in three of the last four months by a total 1.1 million. It's why the unemployment rate has dropped to 5.9 percent from its 6.4 percent peak.

In fact, the household survey now shows that 757,000 more people are working today than in January 2001. The media may rant about big job losses during the Bush presidency, but the much different reality is that three quarters of a million more people have gone to work during the president's first three years -- which included a recession he inherited from the prior administration.

Part of this misinformation problem may be that the job-watchers in the media are not tracking all of the jobs. In the innovative 21st century information economy, it's the ranks of the self-employed that are surging. In November, for example, 156,000 new self-employed workers showed up. This sector has gained in five of the last six months by a total of 517,000, strongly implying that the labor market is healthier than the headlines suggest. When you add the number of new self-employed workers to the new payrolls in the corporate workforce, you get a total of 213,000 new jobs in the economy for the month of November.

Not only is this more proof that the "jobless" recovery is in good part myth, but it represents a cultural change inside the economy. Self-employed entrepreneurs are replacing the old-line corporate establishment. This is a transformation of America's jobs profile, and its being enabled by President Bush's significant tax cuts on small businesses and their investments.

As for the Labor Department's business-establishment survey -- which tracks old-line corporations and doesn't properly identify the new economic culture -- non-farm payrolls increased by 57,000 in November. That's not all that bad. It's the fourth consecutive rise for non-farm payrolls, bringing the total jobs-gain since July to 328,000. Meanwhile, hours worked and overtime also increased last month.

Importantly, temporary-worker payrolls have increased for seven straight months by a total of 166,000. This traditional leading indicator projects nearly 100,000 new private jobs in December and at least 750,000 in the first quarter of next year.

Looks like Dean (barring meltdown) will be the Democratic nominee, and, based on information like we see above, he will have to win based on national-security. Any bets?

When''s the last time Vermont sustained an attack from foreign sources, smartie! - Sarcastic boy

I think the last time a travelling Conservative argued his position.

Maybe working in IT I have a more narrow perspective, but there still seems to be quite a few unemployed geeks out there. I''d be curious to see what the average income level is, in relation to how it was a year ago. I''m not disputing those numbers, but self-employed could mean a lot of things. Some guy who builds PCs on the side while he looks for a programming job could be considered self-employed, but it doesn''t mean he''s making any money.