Obama, Biden stick to vacation schedules despite Ukraine crisis

The White House brushed off concerns Friday that, with the crisis in Crimea intensifying, now might not be the best time for President Obama -- and his vice president -- to go on vacation.
The travel schedules of both the president and Vice President Biden have come under scrutiny, given the rapidly changing situation in Ukraine. Obama, already in Florida to talk about education, was planning to spend some family time this weekend in Key Largo, Fla., where he arrived late in the day. Biden, meanwhile, will be in the Virgin Islands.
Despite some apparent discussion over cutting the president's trip short, White House spokesman Josh Earnest indicated the president would be able to handle the crisis from out of the office.
"The president over the course of a very busy week has maintained his schedule and his ability to monitor ongoing events in Ukraine. I would anticipate that he'll do the same thing this weekend," Earnest said. "And the fact of the matter is what the president is doing this weekend in Florida is essentially what the president will be doing if he stayed back at the White House. It's just that the weather will be a little warmer."
He said Obama plans to spend time with his wife and daughters while in the Keys. "There are some recreational amenities on the property, including workout facilities, tennis courts, a couple of golf courses," he noted.

Michelle to Take Week-Long Trip to China

First Lady Michelle Obama will visit China from March 19-26 – and it’s all for the children!

Which children, I’m not sure. Chinese children I think. But she’ll be looking to educate American children and promote interconnectedness and other great buzz words.

And she’ll be doing some fantastic sight seeing on behalf of the children! Also, her daughters Sasha and Malia and mother Marian will be coming along on this important mission, which will no doubt cost taxpayers hundreds of thousand of dollars, and probably well north of $1 million.

All to be paid for with borrowed money from . . . China!

Everything You Should Know About Friday's Payroll Numbers

By Mike Shedlock

Initial Reaction
Nonfarm Payrolls rose by 175,000 vs. a Bloomberg consensus expectation of 150,000.
The employment change for December 2013 was revised up by 9,000 (from +75,000 to +84,000), and the employment change for January 2014 was revised up by 16,000 (from +113,000 to +129,000). The overall effect was a modest two-month upward revision of +25,000.
Beneath the surface, things look worse again. The household survey shows a gain of employment of only 42,000 while unemployment rose by 223,000.
February BLS Jobs Statistics at a Glance

Nonfarm Payroll: +175,000 - Establishment Survey
Employment: +42,000 - Household Survey
Unemployment: +223,000 - Household Survey
Involuntary Part-Time Work: -71,000 - Household Survey
Voluntary Part-Time Work: -138,000 - Household Survey
Baseline Unemployment Rate: +0.1 to 6.7% - Household Survey
U-6 unemployment: -0.1 to 12.6% - Household Survey
Civilian Non-institutional Population: +170,000
Civilian Labor Force: +264,000 - Household Survey
Not in Labor Force: -94,000 - Household Survey
Participation Rate: +0.0 at 63.0 - Household Survey

Additional Notes About the Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate varies in accordance with the Household Survey, not the reported headline jobs number, and not in accordance with the weekly claims data.
In the past year the population rose by 2,257,000.
In the last year the labor force fell by 213,000.
In the last year, those "not" in the labor force rose by 2,253,000
Over the course of the last year, the number of people employed rose by 2,044,000 (an average of 170,333 a month)

The population rose by over 2 million, but the labor force fell by over 200,000. People dropping out of the work force accounts for much of the declining unemployment rate.
.....The official unemployment rate is 6.7%. However, if you start counting all the people who want a job but gave up, all the people with part-time jobs that want a full-time job, all the people who dropped off the unemployment rolls because their unemployment benefits ran out, etc., you get a closer picture of what the unemployment rate is. That number is in the last row labeled U-6.
U-6 is much higher at 12.6%. Both numbers would be way higher still, were it not for millions dropping out of the labor force over the past few years.
Labor Force Factors

Discouraged workers stop looking for jobs
People retire because they cannot find jobs
People go back to school hoping it will improve their chances of getting a job
People stay in school longer because they cannot find a job
Disability and disability fraud

Were it not for people dropping out of the labor force, the unemployment rate would be well over 9%.
Synopsis
On the surface this month modestly beat expectation with a decent report of 175,000 jobs. Beneath the surface, things looked worse.

Fema Trains Pastors to Prep for Martial Law: Confiscation and Forced Relocations Reportedly on the Horizon

Two pastors have come forward and blown the whistle on a nationwide attempt by FEMA to train up religious leaders as secret police enforcers who teach their congregations to “obey the government” in event of martial law, natural disasters, or a flu pandemic.
FEMA warned the pastors that citizens would stand up for their second amendment rights and to be prepared for rebuttal. In return they were promised to be of the first vaccinated in event of an outbreak and were given assurances that they would be covered by full compensation in the event of problems.
Furthermore they encouraged the pastors to preach from Romans 13 – a chapter devoted to solely to ‘government submission.’
Here are the pastors disposition on the matter:
“We get the picture that we’re going to be standing at the end of some farmer’s lane while he’s standing there with his double barrel, saying we have to confiscate your cows, your chickens, your firearms,” said Pastor Revere.
The Pastor elaborated on how the directives were being smoke screened by an Orwellian alteration of their names.
“They’re not using the term ‘quarantine’ – this is the term they’re going to be using – it’s called ‘social distancing’ don’t you like that one,” said the Pastor.
He also highlighted how detention camps had been renamed to give them a friendly warm veneer.
“Three months ago it was quarantine and relocation centers and now it’s ‘community centers’ and these are going to be activated at the local schools,” he said.
Pastor Revere outlined the plan to carry out mass vaccination and enforced drugging programs in times of crisis such as a bird flu outbreak.
“In the event of an outbreak or a bio-terrorist attack, there’d be a mass vaccination….they have a program nationwide ‘Pills in People’s Palm In 48 Hours’,” said the Pastor who was told that Wal-Mart had been designated as the central outlet of this procedure.
Pastor Revere said that many attendees believed in the necessity of the program and were completely unaware to the motivations behind its true purpose and were offered incentives to become volunteers such as preferential treatment and first access for themselves and their families to vaccines and food shipments in times of emergency.
Which roads to close off after martial law was declared had also already been mapped out.

Ben Carson Bolsters Conservative Activists: ‘Don’t Let The Left Shut You Up!’

By Becket Adams
Speaking in low and steady tones and pacing for applause, Dr. Ben Carson on Saturday encouraged conservative activists to get involved in their local elections and to not cower in the face of heated criticism.
“Don’t let the left shut you up!” he said, prompting applause from the audience.
Carson told attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference held just outside Washington, D.C. this year, that Americans with common sense have been “beaten into submission” by the left and the liberal media.
“Stop being intimidated,” he said, pleading with his audience.
“I will continue to defy the PC (politically correct) police who have tried, in many cases, to shut me up. I actually find them pretty amusing,” he added.
He continued, listing a number of supposedly controversial statements he has made in the past that he says the left has distorted and taken out of context.
They “repeat these lies over and over again because they cannot argue the actual facts,” he said.