Man, can't wait 'til you guys start sharing your proggie wisdom with the voters via mass media advertising, explaining how all those empty storefronts actually used to be government entities and how all the unemployed are actually former government workers victimized by evil austerity. Oughta be a big market in tee shirts saying "Barack lost 49 states and all I got was this informative chart." And here I didn't think it was possible for the Messiah to lose this election.
Well, govt workers, now unemployed, formed part of their customer base, just like everybody else. And, as the charts illustrate, govt employment is still falling, even as the private sector improves, if only slightly. That's a drag on total employment & total demand, isn't it? Those storefronts are empty because there's a lack of demand, and a lack of credit in the face of that. Even going concerns that relied on credit have gone under.
You don't think that the credit bubble extended just to housing, did you? Hardly. Small business debt was sliced, diced, blended & folded in with mortgage debt in a variety of securitizations. Circa 2004- 2005, they'd lend any silly swinging dick with half a plan oodles of money, because they could securitize anything.
We all do better when we all do better, not just when those at the top do better, not just when corporate America sits on record cash reserves even after stock buybacks, not when enormous amounts of liquidity are set aside doing no work at all.
So, uhh, vote Republican, because the only trickledown you'll get is when they piss on your head while your neck is under their boot.