Today, via Twitter:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler ‏@RepHartzler

Glad the unemployment rate is 7.7%. Sad that the reason it’s so low is because people have given up and quit looking for a job. Need jobs! 6:35 AM – 7 Dec 12

“…the reason it’s so low is because people have given up and quit looking for a job…”

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics November report which was released this morning:

….The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed….

….The civilian labor force participation rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 63.6 percent in November, offsetting an increase of the same amount in October. Total employment was about unchanged in November, following a combined increase of 1.3 million over the prior 2 months. The employment-population ratio, at 58.7 percent, changed little in November….

….The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers), at 8.2 million in November, was little changed over the month….

….In November, 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, essentially unchanged from a year earlier….

….Among the marginally attached, there were 979,000 discouraged workers in November, little changed from a year earlier….

[emphasis added]

And then there’s this one, from August 2012:

Vicky Hartzler ‏@VickyHartzler

Yesterday’s unemployment rate came out–8.3% making it now 41 months above 8%. Time to put a job creator in the White House! 9:34 AM – 4 Aug 12

Uh, that’s a significant improvement in four months despite republican obstructionism in Congress.

Today, via the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate)

Seasonally adjusted

Nov. 2012 –  7.7%

Nov. 2011 – 8.7%

Not seasonally adjusted

Nov. 2012 –  7.4%

Nov. 2011 – 8.2%

Go figure.

You’d think the republicans would be happy that all those “takers” aren’t collecting unemployment…