4 in 5 in U.S. Face Near-Poverty, No Work

[Nova78]

Exclusive: Signs of declining economic security | US National Headlines | Comcast

Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream.

Survey data exclusive to The Associated Press points to an increasingly globalized U.S. economy, the widening gap between rich and poor, and the loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs as reasons for the trend.

Hardship is particularly growing among whites, based on several measures. Pessimism among that racial group about their families' economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987. In the most recent AP-GfK poll, 63 percent of whites called the economy "poor."

As nonwhites approach a numerical majority in the U.S., one question is how public programs to lift the disadvantaged should be best focused — on the affirmative action that historically has tried to eliminate the racial barriers seen as the major impediment to economic equality, or simply on improving socioeconomic status for all, regardless of race.

America has turned for the worst ..............

 

[Nova78]

We are all living in a false phony economy based on borrowed money. The tax base is getting smaller and smaller.We all want to believe a recovery is here, but indicators are that it's not. We're getting swindled again by banks and politicians.

Smoke and mirrors are used to make us believe the economy is real, but it's all an elaborate illusion.

Out of one side of the establishment's mouth we hear excitement about "green shoots", and out of the other side comes breathless warnings of fiscal cliffs and the urgent need for unlimited bailouts by the Fed.

We hear the people begging for jobs and the politicians promising them, but politicians can't create jobs. We see people camped out to buy stuff on Black Friday indicating the consumer economy is seemingly thriving, only to find out everything was bought on credit.

Meanwhile the financial media makes the economy seem complicated and they ban anyone who speaks truthfully about the economy from their airwaves.
Is it any wonder why people are angry and confused about the economy?
Well, hopefully these signs that we live in a false economy will help clear up some of that confusion.
Fake Jobs: It's not just that the "official" unemployment numbers are a fraud, the actual jobs are fake as well. Ask yourself how many professions actually produce something of value? 80% of jobs could disappear tomorrow and it wouldn't affect basic human survival or happiness in the least. Yes, in our society we need money to survive - and jobs equal money - but that doesn't mean a "job" has any actual benefit to society.

 

[justme335]

Pessimism among that racial group about their families' economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987. In the most recent AP-GfK poll, 63 percent of whites called the economy "poor."

The people of the United States have extremely high standards. Poor economy is in the standards of many other nations a thriving economy. This is a good thing, because it means people will be working hard to push the situation to a better situation.

How do you do that?
I hear everyone complaining about the situation of the economy in the United States, yet no-one ever suggesting a solution.

 

[oldfart]

Sorry to be late posting; this thread really raises an issue that needs discussing. Historically the lower merchant class and the working class have always been economically insecure and were regularly wiped out by the frequent panics and depressions. This began to change in the 30's and for a period (50's & 60's) it looked like the next generation would all be middle class. Most people no longer accepted the inevitable existence of a poverty-striken lower class. Obviously that has changed.

We are all living in a false phony economy based on borrowed money. The tax base is getting smaller and smaller.We all want to believe a recovery is here, but indicators are that it's not. We're getting swindled again by banks and politicians.

We had a consumer credit bubble, and it was a bad one. Some deleveraging was necessary, but we are doing it at far to great a cost. A good insight is to look at who is thriving in the economy and why. Generally it is the bad actors who created the destruction and they are able to do it by controlling the political process. Economic power is used to obtain political power which in turn is used to garner more economic power.

Fake Jobs: It's not just that the "official" unemployment numbers are a fraud, the actual jobs are fake as well. Ask yourself how many professions actually produce something of value? 80% of jobs could disappear tomorrow and it wouldn't affect basic human survival or happiness in the least. Yes, in our society we need money to survive - and jobs equal money - but that doesn't mean a "job" has any actual benefit to society.

I'm not sure where you are headed with this. Existential angst is fun for wallowing, but what kind of solution does it lead to?

 

[Nova78]

Pessimism among that racial group about their families' economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987. In the most recent AP-GfK poll, 63 percent of whites called the economy "poor."

The people of the United States have extremely high standards. Poor economy is in the standards of many other nations a thriving economy. This is a good thing, because it means people will be working hard to push the situation to a better situation.

How do you do that?
I hear everyone complaining about the situation of the economy in the United States, yet no-one ever suggesting a solution.

Quit importing people to take our jobs when they are already scarce.

 

[koshergrl]

And quit shutting down industry and production at every turn.

 

[SteadyMercury]

Quit importing people to take our jobs when they are already scarce.

Tell that to all the farmers leaving crops rotting because they can't find sufficient labor to pick them.

 

[Nova78]

Quit importing people to take our jobs when they are already scarce.

Tell that to all the farmers leaving crops rotting because they can't find sufficient labor to pick them.

The Government is not importing 100,000 a month to pick fruit........