I'm no expert, but December is a good month for seasonal Christmas jobs. So that could explain the drop in January.

As for your Bush remark. To each their own, but I'm of the opinion that once you roll a ball down a hill it's hard to stop that ball. Bush started the ball rolling down the hill for the US, Obama just happend to take office once that ball hit the largest slop. It's now starting to slow down. We'll see what happens next. I'm Canadian, but I own a piece of property in the US so I hope things pick up down there for more than one reason. It's sad to see so many people unemployed and broke for one, and I want my house value to go up!

comparing 2008 to 2012 is pointless.
the fall out from the 2008 credit crunch created a recession between 2009 and 2010 where unemployment peaked at 10% in the US. unemployment rates are now trending downwards.

bailing out corporations, banks and insurance companies was a huge mistake that dramatically increased the national sovereign debt. the real fault lies with the system, the banks and the stock brokers.

Well Obama scored some points

There is an irony to the statement above by osamanobama.  By that logic, the recession that Bush ended up in at the start of his administration would also be blamed fully on him, because apparently "businesses had to deal with the falling out of him entering office".  People who are partisan will go through immense mental gymnastics to make things fit their line of reasoning.

And, under the Bush administration, the unemployment rate kept climbing and never did get down to the rate at the start of his administration.

i have a little logical thinking. business were holding back hiring to do the republican "make obama a one term president" anti-american terrorism plan.

they woke up and realize the republican candidates are crazy as bat guarno

interest rates at near 0%, 15 trillion deficit increasing 1.5 trillion per year, record low percentage of population has jobs, 500 billion dollar trade deficit. Borrowing money from China to buy Chinese goods, looks like a things are great. The deficit has to keep increasing at a greater pace in order to make keep the illusion of some mild recovery going.

If corporations were so against Obama, why is Obama so successful at raising money from large corporate donors?

If you dig into the donations in most countries you will find that conservative political parties tend to be funded by individuals and small businesses, and progressive political parties tend to be funded by unions and large corporations. It isn't difficult to understand why being that large corporations and unions can lobby big governments to get huge benefits for themselves at the expense of individuals and small businesses.

Consider that, even though they are highly profitable, GE effectively pays no tax due to the massive subsidies and tax advantages that are provided by the government but small companies that are profitable pay much higher tax rates because they can't afford to lobby the government to give them money under the illusion of creating "green jobs"

i was listening to NPR today and they were saying how it's great news that consumers are borrowing more money than before, only to admit that their wages have not increased. Debt is such a wonderful thing.

avererage bush unemployment 5.2%, only once reached as high as 7.3%. 

under obama, since then nver below 8%, we were gauranteed it would never go above 8% if the trillion dollar stimulus was passed.

under obama, more people have left the labor force, are unemployed, and are under employed.

the only people doing any gymnastics, is the media, and the labor department, trying to making it look like theres growth, when in facts 2.5 million less people are working today than a few months ago. the media will do what ever they can to get obama re-elected, and people like you will lap it up.

and for the record, i have absolutely no party affiliation, and am certainly not a republican, and i certainly do not think bush was a good president. and yes, businesses did react negatively with the knowlege obama was elected, it started with bush pandering more at the end, and caving in to the will of the democratic congress to start the bailouts.

Dude, as much as I like Ron Paul, he's not getting elected. People and the media are still high on Romney/Ginrich.

I would vote for Ron if I could, but I just don't see the republicans electing hi mas a candidate. At least his message has spread and I'm sure his son will be happy to vote under his same ideals and principles in the near future.