Written on November 4th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
In a Nut Shell
Employment in America is increasingly challenging. Although there are reports of unemployment decreasing, this only accounts for those that are still eligible for unemployment benefits. A lot of Americans are no longer receiving benefits and are not necessarily getting work as a result. So what is happening to them? These are the people that are becoming, and by effect increasing, the nations poor.
The unemployment rate is being noted as approximately 9 percent, currently. However, another survey that concentrates on a wider scope of people that are not working, or are working only part-time in lieu of full-time work, brings the number to over 16 percent—this is a huge difference.
Some out of work job seekers feel they have exhausted all reasonable avenues, and have stopped looking for work. It becomes such a job, looking for a job, they become exhausted at what seems to be a matter of running in circles. According to some experts, the government really has to step it up to understand the full scope of who is unemployed and reach out with services to them all. This is the only way that a difference may be seen anytime soon.
Public jobs are decreasing while the private sector continues to increase. This is no doubt by an increasing amount of professional or expert services being offered by smaller companies. For a few lucky ones, this has been a catalyst for starting up a new business. However a problematic situation may occur if there is a lack of an ability to control costs, and maintain customers in such a cooling economy. Those that would tread those waters should do so with extreme care.
For others, there is the reality of seeking out public assistance. A lot of those that are able to utilize food stamps are still working—they have become the working poor. Demographics are shifting at an alarming rate as a direct result.
Metropolitan areas are a foreground for a growing number of poverty stricken families. Although food stamps are a non-monetary aid for families, this staple is considered to have decreased the official child poverty rate. However, the poverty rate of the elderly has recently “doubled,” according to a recent report released by the Associated Press.
One city town in Michigan has found it necessary to take a drastic and extreme turn by taking off the entire city’s funded street lamps. Not only did they cut off the electric current to public lampposts as a result to their indebtedness of over $55 million dollars, city officials have removed the lamps from the ground. The shutting off of a basic service that may sacrifice public safety is a sure sign of the drowning state of things for some communities that have more “people than they do jobs.”
The gap between the rich and the poor or the ‘haves and the haves not’ has increased tremendously. As a matter of fact, while the average American has been brought down to their knees, the nation’s rich have only gotten richer over the last thirty years. According to reports (AP), the nation’s wealthy have increased their wealth by almost 300 percent.
Resources:
Associate Press: http://www.ap.org
Contrary Indicator: http://finance.yahoo.com
Written on September 14th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
Highest in Decades
The American dream has been a driving ideal for those born here, and for immigrants seeking a better way of life. Along with this sentiment is a common vision, of this better way of life – a beautiful three-bedroom house, with an emerald green lawn, white picket fence, and friendly recipe-sharing neighbors. Perhaps the dream has had some new additions or modifications such as having a larger apartment within a bustling city, and a room with a view. All in all, it adds up to a want for the most desirable contemporary life experience.
The Associated Press has released information from a Census Bureau report regarding a study conducted in 2010. It states that almost one out of every six Americans is living in poverty. That is a huge amount of people: over 45 million Americans are. This is up by .8% from 2009.
The reasoning for such increasing numbers is the lack of jobs in America today. As I have reported recently, the unemployment rate in the US is rising at an exponential rate. According to the report, the last three years have had the highest increase rate from any three-year timeline since the ‘80s, and the highest amount of Americans living in poverty since the late ‘50s.
For these reasons a lot more Americans have had to rely on social services such as welfare, and food stamps. Reuters has reported the same amount of people on food stamps – 15%. Up “74% from 2007, just before the financial crisis and a deep recession led to mass job losses.” However, some of those receiving these food stamp benefits may be working as the underemployed. These are astonishing numbers – absolutely incredible.
Hopefully, Obama’s job plan will be acceptable and get Americans back to work. Economists are fully behind his plan. However, some are still reluctant to change financial “growth forecasts” for the remainder of this year, and going into the next. Predictions are still being “trimmed at a percentage point,” according to reports (AP). The US needs to produce about one-quarter million jobs on a monthly basis, to even begin to combat the high unemployment rate. A “rapid” job creation increase is what Americans need, according to the same report. Without that, we may continue at the currently over 9% unemployment rate.
At any rate, we need something extremely positive to happen quite quickly.
The census has determined that those living on less than approximately “$22,314” for a household of four, and less than “$11,139” for any one person are considered to be living in poverty.
The statue of liberty has a greeting meant for all that have chosen to live here. It states: “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Now it seems that we are the tired, the poor, and “huddled masses yearning to breath free…”
Resources:
Associated Press: http://www.ap.org
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com
The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.: http://www.statueofliberty.org
Yahoo! News – The Lookout: http://www.finance.yahoo.com