Marks the second time in as many weeks that that old Soviet headline ran right to the front of my mind.  The one following a two-car race against the United States that proclaimed "Russian Car Takes Second, Americans Second to Last."  

Uh, yeah, technically I guess that's right.  I'm not going to argue.  And sure, if you listen to a couple of U of M researchers there might be some hope in Oakland County somewhere in 2009.  I hope they're right.  I really do.  Not enough to make up for what's happening THIS year alone but hey, it might be BETTER than this year so that's something.

Oakland County will lose another 4,400 jobs this year before adding about 1,200 jobs in 2009, and 5,600 jobs in 2010, according to two University of Michigan economists...

The forecast was welcome news on two fronts: The county lost 23,000 jobs in 2006-07. And as one of the most affluent counties in the nation, Oakland is expected to lead the state out of its economic downturn.

So, any sign of job growth in the county is a key indicator that Michigan's recession may be ending, economists have said.

One county might, two years from now, create a quarter of the jobs they lose this year alone.  Fire up!  I wonder if the FREEP would be offended to learn that I'm not jumping for joy just yet.  But keep your eyes on the regressisphere today.  Five will get you ten that this headline shows up prominently.  `The bleeding might stop a year from now.  Woo hoo!'

Then again, maybe it won't.  The UAW at American Axle could very well still be on strike eight months from now.  Plus, bonus, solidarity and all that, whether you like it or not.  Big Labor's anti-worker actions are having a serious ripple effect on the nation's economy and things are only getting worse.  By a lot more than the 1,200 jobs that Oakland County MIGHT (maybe) gain twenty-months from now.

According to the Detroit News:

In the seven weeks that have passed since the UAW struck parts maker American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., GM has lost more than 100,000 units of production and been forced to shuffle parts across the country to keep its factory lines flowing.

Dozens of plants across the United States, from GM factories to independent suppliers, have been either idled or partially shut down. One report put the tally of laid-off workers at more than 40,000.

Better make that 45,000.  The union bosses out in Lansing tossed in a few thousand more just yesterday when one of their fancy contract demand deadlines passed.  The Lansing State Journal reports:

The walkout by 2,300 hourly workers represented by UAW Local 602 means many other workers at suppliers that support the GM plant aren't needed. By the end of the day, 1,560 at plants other than Lansing Delta Township were without work.

Because here in Michigan there are so many other great jobs with giant wages and super-plush benefit packages just dying to be filled by anyone with a strong back and broad shoulders.  Oh.  Right.  We lost over 40,000 last year alone.  Permanently.

God bless these union members and God bless the Detroit Free Press but until they come back home to reality I hope they'll forgive me if I don't start doing jumping jacks over their best-case scenarios.

I've been living in Jennifer Granholm's Michigan for the last five-plus years.  I'll celebrate new jobs once we've got them.