splash of cold water this their face. the economy isn t taking off. you know, we might be doing a little bit better than we were a year ago, but this is still an economy that s struggling to produce many jobs, and that s what today s report says. as far as the unemployment rate goes, it s coming down in part because people are leaving the labor force, and it s a complicated trend. people are leaving the labor force because they re discouraged, because the work force or is getting older and they re retiring, and also because they re going and taking up disability benefits. there s a lot of different things going on here. jenna: and some argue that s one of the reasons why we should extend unemployment benefits, because you receive unemployment benefits when you re able to work, you re looking for work, and it s a way to kind of keep track, some argue, of what s really going on with the labor market. harry reid had this to say after the jobs report came out, he says: today s report shows
of the stuff in the bills from the tax enpen dithers and stimulus spending that charles is talking about to the tax hikes at a time when the economy isn t taking off. that doesn t sound like a great overall package. if would be like if i ordered a huge plate of nachos right now and pointed to the tomato as the nutritional value. we should focus on the tomato. bret: i think i have seen this happen. and the sauce and jalapenos. those are vegetables. a huge plate of nachos isn t good for you. focusing on the tomato doesn t make it any better for you. it is just focusing on the tomato. bret: there is something about the tax cuts being and liberal democrats arguing that the bush era tax cuts are going to help the economy, that is that some conservatives find refreshing. there is sort of a fun hypocrisy pop if you are a conservative or in favor of bush tax rates for the last decade and you know how