Frank Wallace, who is unemployed, displays a sign during a vigil
for the unemployed at the Arch Street Methodist Church in Philadelphia
With recovery in full swing and unemployment dropping to an Obama administration near record low of 8.2%, the US economy seems to be bouncing back stronger than ever. Unless, of course, you look at the numbers no one in mainstream media, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, or the administration is talking about. As many of our readers already know, the official unemployment rates released monthly by the BLS (U-3, U-6) fail to account for one very key figure – those individuals who are no longer in the labor force.
The number of those folks – the ones that don’t matter anymore because counting them would hinder the President’s reelection bid – is absolutely staggering for what is supposed to be the engine of the global economy and the world’s only super power:
Were it not for people dropping out of the labor force, the unemployment rate would be well over 11%.
Over the past several years people have dropped out of the labor force at an astounding, almost unbelievable rate, holding the unemployment rate artificially low. Some of this was due to major revisions last month on account of the 2010 census finally factored in. However, most of it is simply economic weakness.
…
In the last year, the civilian population rose by 3,604,000. Yet the labor force only rose by 1,315,000. Those not in the labor force rose by 2,289,000.
The Civilian Labor Force fell by 164,000.
Those “Not in Labor Force” increased by 310,000. If you are not in the labor force, you are not counted as unemployed.
Those “Not in Labor Force” is at a new record high of 87,897,000.
Source: Townhall Finance
With some 248 million people over the age of 15, nearly one in three Americans in this country are not working.
While the participation rate includes people like those in retirement and stay-at-home moms (because they definitely haven’t worked a day in their lives, as was recently noted by democrat strategist Hilary Rosen) who have no intention of joining the traditional labor force, the last four years have seen an unprecedented drop in the rate of labor force participation as well as unemployment overall. Charlie McGrath of Wide Awake News explains:
The government… pretending everything is getting better because we spent trillions of dollars bailing out firms we now call too-big-to-fail. But the fact of the matter is, in order to get this kind of 8.3% fictitious fantasy number they had to lower the participation rate.
In the last four years we’ve lost 10 million people out of the participation rate. Just to give you an idea of how many people that is, it would take the city of Dallas, Salt Lake, San Diego, Spokane, Roanoke and Cincinnati… the people living in those city limits. If you double that number that gives you the number of people that have left the participation rate that are no longer in the working pool.
Yet, that isn’t stopping the mainstream media from reporting that things are getting better. We’ve spent this nation into absolute financial servitude.
…
Understand that when you turn on the mainstream media you are being fed propaganda.
The Obama administration is pulling out all the stops. If the real story came out – that the true unemployment rate in this country (those out of work plus those who the government deems as no longer participating) is almost triple that of the official BLS U-3 rate of 8.2% – confidence in the financial markets and the government’s ability to mitigate the crisis would be lost almost immediately. So, too, would Obama’s hope for another four years of fundamentally changing America.
But just because the President and his media conglomerates are preaching of recovery doesn’t mean that everyone believes it. A large portion of Americans, especially those millions of people without jobs, are not going to be swayed by the mainstream propaganda. They are living in a modern day depression right here and now, and they, too, will be headed to the polls in November. And, as Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup, recently pointed out to RT, they don’t care about anything else except for their personal economic and financial circumstances:
RT: What are the dynamics in terms of opinion polls as far as the economy goes, among the American people, the way it was four years ago and the way it is now?
JC: We were going just fine in 2007, first part of 2008, then we crashed down. Now it’s coming back a little bit.
RT: Enough to win President Obama the next election?
JC: I don’t think quite yet… According to the Gallup poll, if we vote tonight, Romney will beat him… They are not voting for Romney – they just vote against the president.
RT: What are the main reasons not to vote for the president?
JC: Strictly unemployment. Just one reason. Foreign policy plays no role at all right now. If something really big happens… that will only make a little bit of a difference. Americans don’t want to hear about foreign policy. They should, but they don’t. Gallup shows real unemployment is close to 20 per cent in America. Not 8.5 but 20 per cent. 30 million people are out of work. 60 per cent of them told Gallup they have no hope of getting a job. That is 18 million.
RT: Do Americans blame the president for that?
JC: There are two questions here. Do I think they should? No. Do they? Yes.
President Obama most certainly inherited this crisis from his predecessor(s), but he’s taken no steps to change anything for the better. The hope many had that life would improve under policies designed to redistribute wealth to the masses by taking from those with the ability and giving to those with the need is rapidly diminishing. The trillions of dollars backed by human collateral that has been thrown at the crisis has done nothing to fix the underlying issues that caused it in the first place. All of the problems we faced in 2007/2008 are still here, and they are only going to get worse.
If you think 88 million not participating and 20%+ unemployment is bad, give it another four years.
Right now the safety nets are in place to help most of those who can’t find work – at least for 99 weeks until they are no longer counted as unemployed. But those safety nets, including medical care and food assistance, can only take so much before they snap. That moment is rapidly approaching.
It Took 22 Years to Get to This Point
Speaking to author and podcaster Dana Parish, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
The United States just made a decision that could lead to World War 3. The current ruling class...
This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The Economic Collapse Blog. This...
These warnings from Russia, are likely falling on deaf ears. Moscow has not followed through on...
Commenting Policy:
Some comments on this web site are automatically moderated through our Spam protection systems. Please be patient if your comment isn’t immediately available. We’re not trying to censor you, the system just wants to make sure you’re not a robot posting random spam.
This website thrives because of its community. While we support lively debates and understand that people get excited, frustrated or angry at times, we ask that the conversation remain civil. Racism, to include any religious affiliation, will not be tolerated on this site, including the disparagement of people in the comments section.
last
Count me among the invisible, by choice and hard work in overcoming the inconvenience of living without the corps numbers and papers. I don’t do without anything except for a corporate job.
I would suspect that I am not the only one who disappeared on purpose. I feel sorry for those that are still counted.
Gods Creation
I would love to do as you have done but here you cannot bank, work, even use a library if you are not in the system.
The only way I can think of that would allow this in the UK would be if you had enough cash to start with that you could drop off the map entirely, build a home, hidden otherwise the charges for that would undo you, and have enough money to live off for the rest of your days.
Sadly for me at least it is not possible.
Take care
So why dont you hop on a plane, Come to the states and live like a king like all the other illegals??
Bed Bugs at the UN
He is serious when he is funny and he is funny when he is serious. And, boy, is he on point.
(…dotsub.com/media/b5ee5ada-5b37-4b0b-9916-e0896337ec4b/e/m…)
@Burt—-
GC has his GIRL carting his ass around in HER car, and lives in HER house while SHE goes to work. It’s EASY to drop out that way…he is a loudmouth loser is all.
This election is black and white…..NOW, Who do you want to live like??
Explains the ridiculous 8-9% unemployment figures. More like 15-20%.
This is a good article. Can you please write about the lies of the cancer industry. Here also a good article:
————————
http://www.naturalnews.com/011701.html
I am among ‘the counted’ that Are Working.
It is Fine,
for now, until it changes.
I am preparing for that too.
(Note: Not same Joe as above but you can tell from our writing styles – I added a number to make it obvious)
FATCA will certainly help you get there faster. It’s designed to punish investment into and working outside the USA. A lot of banks refuse to accept our money now, because of it. Investors are avoiding the USA like the plague. Guess what happens to jobs when the economy goes into lockdown mode like that.
It would be interesting just to see how you pulled this feat off. I have had the thought for some time, but just did not have the job security(hense the nerve) to pull it off. Drop me a line at: [email protected]
Don’t worry, I am just a poor boy trying to get by.
“Quantitative easing” or (“QE2” as it has come to be known) is a foolish and destructive fiscal policy practiced by our current Administration & the “Federal Reserve”. It was a failed monetary policy, practiced by other Governments in the past such as the “Wiemar Republic” of Germany, Zimbabwe, Yugoslavia as well as many others.
Simply put, it is a monetary practice of “expanding” (or rather more correctly) “inflating” the money supply by simply printing paper currency and/or digitally adding zeros (i.e. legalized counter-fitting) to our nation’s central bank i.e. the Federal Reserve who then loans that fiat capitol to our Government to increase spending in the federal budget in a futile attempt to stimulate economic growth! Also known as “liquidity”. Since it is fiat money with no backing its consequences are obvious and predictable! Hyper-inflation, soon followed by the total collapse of the national currency!
they can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of us
“President Obama most certainly inherited this crisis from his predecessor(s), but he’s taken no steps to change anything for the better”
…..lets not remind anyone “President” Obama was “Senator” Obama in the last 2 years Bush was in the White House and he and his party were in control of both houses of the legislature at that time. Na…lets not remind anyone of the facts like Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and Phil Graham making it possible for banks to lend money to people who couldn’t possibly pay it back so they could live like everyone else – only to ruin it for everyone else.
Obimbo “inherited” nothing ‘he’ couldn’t fix! How quickly the election cycle rhetoric is forgotten. Once “in office” everything was/is 8 years of “the shrub” administration. Obimbo says: ” I just couldn’t have imagined what I was up against”. THEN PERHAPS YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE RUN/STOLEN THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT you FN liar/moron/zionist puppet.
I am no ‘BUSH’ fan, but our CURRENT CHIEF-JACK-ASS is doing a splendid job of making everything worse…IN OTHER WORDS, THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION ON STEROIDS.
Obimbo says: “I don’t want to sign this evil NDAA, but I will cuz I will never REALLY USE IT”. Wake me up when REAL HOPE AND CHANGE are on the agenda…aka REVOLUTION!!!!
When he ran in 2008 he said more than once he had a “plan”. So he must of known had bad it was. OR he didn’t really know how bad it was. But wait, wasn’t he a US senator? If he didn’t know how bad it was, then he’s a moron and had no business running for POTUS. If he did know how bad it was, then only an idiot would think you can spend more than you have to get out of debt.
Oh yeah, his “plan”. Spend two trillion dollars and lower the deficit. I guess besides flunking constitutional law, he also flunked math.
Here is a link to Jessie Ventura’s “Conspiracy Theory” show…covering Fusion Centers, FEMA Camps, & Martial Law.
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=mBzdhI1JDL0&feature=related
It is about 45 minutes….but very interesting. You will love the pare about no oversight & accountability at these fusion centers. Or the part about the Board of Governors that brakes the USA down to 10 geographic zones…. It’s just great……NOT !!
Knowledge is power. Stay Safe Y’all .
Montgomery County Texas
~Yental~
Per your post….I say to all…..read it &….weep!!!!
Truth is oftentimes painful.
Thumbs up!!!
It is a stage play, every four years the actors may change but the script stays the same! It is a grand performance staged for the American people, for the masses of gullible stooges who actually think they are getting something different when they elect a Democrat one election cycle and then a Republican the next. The American people like to think they are doing something, and perhaps even hoping that this election will be different than all the rest, but the reality is that until there is a drastic change in the hearts and minds of the people then the stage production will continue until it can no longer maintain the ruse because the whole thing implodes.
This is the Pelousy,Reid,Frank,Dodd and Obama disaster. For the last three years of Bushs term crap head Nancy would not allow one single Republican bill to the floor out of committee. She and Reid also rammed Obama care up our butts. Not saying Bush had no blame but the big spending started with the above suspects and then was increased by Obama.
I am at a loss at how blind people are. I live in a nice area, and it has not been affected too much, so everyone around us are going on like the economy is booming. I’m just waiting for the boom…These sheeple will have no clue what hit them.
Rusty I’m willing to bet there are a large number of people in your area “keeping up appearances” and actually out of work, have relatives living in their attic, or some such situation.
,,yup,, very few have a clue… But!!!! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Seems like there are those who think we are frogs parboiling in the ever-heating pot, and those who think we will have an identifiable event, that will forever be recognized as a series of days or a day marking a collapse into insanity, shortages, and grief. I’m of the latter camp. And it seems most are. There are just too many single events that could start the process, …Grand Duke Ferdinand moments. See Mac’s earlier article ‘Fifteen Events …..’.
The most likely one I see is the refusal of our international trading partners to accept dollars for ther goods, and raw materials, like oil, and as reserves for their banks. Collapse of ther banks retuns those recently minted reserves lent them by the Fed to the velocity or ‘churn’ in the money supply, increasing inflation manyfold. This in turn will induce savings to join in the action or lose by passivity.. We will die by inflation simultaneous llow production, and high employment.
Practically any autonomous action by government at this point, only makes it worse. It has to play itself ou,t if ever. The decline and fall….
I can not imagine how long the lines would be if everyone that is on Govt assistance had to stand in a line at a soup kitchen for thier meals as they did in the 30’s. It is all hidden by the EBT card.
Mentioning, I heard on TV today that in NJ a man got money (cash) from his EBT card to get money to to post BAIL……
whats tv??? is that the thing in the corner that’s coverd in dust? and say’s sony????!!
good point, there are a lot of people on those cards and if they had a chance to work somewhere like fast food would they? probably not and that is the sad part so many certain races are so lazy and try to sue or cause problems. but good point on the EBT cards.
I’ve seen areas where the population is 95% white and they’re all on EBT too. There are not very many people who will eschew the gov’t teat when offered it (I’m one of those but we’re very rare).
Wow!
I know a women that works three quarter time, volunteers at her children’s school, drives to soccer practise and games, can afford to pay rent, utilities, gasoline, but without EBT, that family would probably go to bed hungry some nights.
She doesn’t have time to stand in Food bank lines.
Maybe if she gave up her job, oh, but then she wouldn’t have a home and a place to cook anyway!
Problem solved. (Sarc).
It doesn’t help when you can get more money on the dole than at McDonalds, who hates to hire old people.
I worked a holiday rush at Kmart a few years ago–with my exuberant, out-going, pleasant personality, I was opening at 7:30.
In comes an ebt user, and buys a few things and takes $50 cash from my drawer; being that I had just opened, leaving me to close and go to Cust. service to borrow cash(that’s how Kmart did it).
The whole week, I wondered how ebt cards got cash.
there are at least two programs funded to the individual via the EBT card. the food stamp program is one and there is also a cash assistance program. rather than send out welfare checks as they once did, money is now accessed via the EBT.
It’s how my brother’s card works. They use a standard debit card with some restrictions on nonfood items from one of the accounts. JP Morgan I believe does the backing of funds for the state. The state gets an account with them for you and transfers it in electronically every month. He is considered mentally handicapped by the state and definitely isn’t faking. He gets very little since we help support him. My pride and beliefs makes me wish that we didn’t need the extra money that was essentially taken from others, but it seems that everyone is struggling nowadays and we faced tough choices. 🙁
Re Tina’s comment:
“I cannot imagine how long the lines would be if everyone that is on Gov assistance had to stand in a line at a soup kitchen for their meals as they did in the 30s.”
Have you seen those old b/w photos? The lines were horribly long but the men in them – who had lost EVERYTHING – behaved like gentlemen! They wore hats and suitcoats. No pushing, no shoving, no cursing, no stealing, no rushing the door, etc. These folks were grateful that food was available for them. Can you imagine what it would be like today with the entitlement crowd being hungry and desperate? I would not want to be working the counter when those doors opened for the day. Absolute bedlam…
Actually they DID have riots back then too – but it was rare…
Pray to God or whoever you believe in or even just rationality and humanity if you don’t, that you NEVER, EVER see a food riot in person. People that desperate will slaughter each other just for the chance to be alive next month, and doubly so if they have kids. This includes attacking police officers who may have done nothing more than try to keep people from attacking each other.
I’ve been to a (pre-Christmas weekend) food line with a family member to help them carry everything (they also usually have donated clothing and books) and it wasn’t disorderly at all. I’ve also volunteered at a meal sponsored by a regional grocery chain and observed mostly the same thing. People were actually behaving fine. However a big caveat is that they were not there because of rationing or a massive shortage or anything like that. That would make for a heck of a difference in practice!
Dignity & self-respect – wonderful manly virtues long lost WestVaFolks by our “gimme” generation : (
Is this a great country or what? That’s the can do American spirit for you.
If you gave 2′ of standing room to each of the 47,798,708 food stamp recipients ( per US debt clock) and then divided it by the 5280′ per mile your soup line would be 18,105 miles long. Given the earth is 3,959 miles around on average the soup line would go around the earth 4.57 times. This is just for the U.S. EBT recipients. Claifornia to New York is 2413 miles if you average flight distance. This would make the line go back and forth 7.34 times. New York to Chicago 716 miles and your line would go back and forth 25.28 times. Given the width of the normal interstate 12′ wide per lane this would take a 2 lane highway with gravel edges from Chicago to New York City to create a soup line to feed all the hungry people here in the U.S. Wait! I meant just people recorded on the goverment site as in need of EBT. Keep in mind there are 3 meals a day. Now if we need to make a line within reason, lets say 1000′ long so people wouldn’t have to wait so long. You would need… well I could go on and on. I think we all understand the gravity of the situation. However the quetion is asked at the end of the article about how long we can keep this up before the system snaps. I’m thinking someone with the inside edge needs to answer this one. Sorry for the long post.
Anon, you started out ok, but got lost in the dimensions.
The earth is not 3959 “around” on average…It is about 24,870 (the CIRCUMFERENCE).
Your line would make it almost 73% of the way around. To me, that is still quite a long line 🙂 18105 miles…
The earth’s RADIUS is about 3959. Imagine a tunnel going straight through the earth, then you could have your 4.57 times
And i got lost …2.286 times through the earth (dummy me)
3959 x 2 = 7918
apologies
Radius=half the width (diameter) and it’s longer going from equator than the poles.
And yes, Wikipedia got this one right in both the relevant math and geology articles. A picture says a thousand words for geometry of the Earth! 😉
I dropped off unemployment over a year ago and although I have had three temporary positions, none of them lasted long enough to be counted again once they were over although the government probably considered those three temporary positions as three new job creations.
I try to keep a good attitude and am fortunate (defined as a saver) to have a self-sufficient retreat to work on and an infant child to care for at home. We get by OK on my wife’s pay since I drive a 23 year-old truck. She will know by summer whether funding is available to continue working past February.
Try to keep your head up Paster. We are all praying for you.
Sorry i misspelled PastOr
I like reading your posts and how you prepare. where do you live? you dont have to give address but like city thats all. you dont have to answer either was curious, your on here daily like me.
PP you are great.
I don’t count because I was self-employed. Tons of people around me don’t show up in the stats, and are just improvising a life for themselves somehow. We live in “non-standard” housing, work underground or grey-market jobs, etc. And we make far, far less than we used to. Minimum wage would be riches to any of us.
And the self-employed, who worked long hours and pinched pennies to start and manage their own businesses, are the ones who will hurt the most with this evil unconstitutional health insurance mandate. A neighbor of ours has his own lawn care business. One heckuva nice guy. He has three men working with him, all 20- & 30-somethings in good physical health. He CANNOT AFFORD insurance for them, let alone for himself.
And how about the piano teachers, the home health aides, the plumbers, the electricians, the computer repairmen, the mom-and-pop store folks, etc.? All provide valuable and much needed services, yet many are not under the “umbrella” of a school system, hospital, corporation or major retail store chain.
This nation was built by private enterprise and, until recently, even encouraged it. What is happening is nothing less than a travesty.
Today, April 15, 2012, is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the R.M.S Titanic. She hit the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. The deck chairs would have started to slide at approximately 12:45 a.m., with the entire ship going under around 2:20 a.m.
It is now 12:55 a.m. Dig in your heels, folks…
Prepared Pastor,
The gov’t probably counted that as 3 jobs created. I read recently that jobs that only lasted for 1 day…we’re each counted as a new job created.
On Drudge Report there is a report that the gov’t Requires the media to use gov’t computers to view the new jobs data and to write their news report on. The media is not allowed to bring their own laptop, etc. with them when view the data and write their article.
Manipulation here big time!
Here is the link…
FEDS FORCE MEDIA TO USE GOV’T COMPUTERS…
The Feds are new limiting the number of journalists and “selecting partipants” they will allow to view the monthly jobs data and write news articles.
New rules now – Journalists are not allowed to bring their laptops, cell phone, or other equipment with them when they view or write their reports.
(campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/dol-forcing-media-use-government-computers/479421)
This is on Drudge Report.
Hmmm…guess we should expect more accurate and truthful job/unemployment reports in the future. (NOT!)
From the article…
DOL now will allow only “selected particpants” to view the jobs data and write reports.
“Big Changes… in how the Department of Labor (DOL) manages its “pre-release media “lockups” on sensitive data like weekly jobless benefits and unemployment.”
The Feds are now “limiting and selecting participants” they will allow to view the monthly jobs data and write the jobs report.”
All journalists must resubmit a “credentials request” to be included in the small group (about 20) allowed to view the jobs data.
Also, journalists are now not allowed to bring their own laptops, cell phones, or other equipment to the “lockup” as in the past. They must use the Feds computers to view the employment data and write their report.
Hmmm… Guess if you make a “bad” (read that a true or accurate) jobs/unemployment report, they will know who wrote it and good chance you won’t be be reporting on that in the future.
hello KY mom I am from kentucky too and I wanted to join a liberty group are you by any chance in Paducah kentucky or can you give me some advice on joining a group devoted to freedom
Funny: I’ve seen real estate software that only worked if you were using some old computer running IE6 and without certain security updates. Yeah, I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that’s just one of the reasons for this absurdity. That or they’re afraid their password stored in plaintext that works for both reading and writing will get copied. If you’ve worked in IT for government, you’ll probably not be shocked to see this actually be the case. I’m not saying that it is, but it’s not unheard of with proprietary software.
Pastor – we know about old cars. My 12-year-old Buick Century has to be repaired – estimate from trusted mechanic is $1200-#1500 but still cheaper than a “new” used model. Hubby’s car OK at this writing. Tomorrow? Who knows! But we’re grateful both are PAID FOR, as is our 80-year-old home. Don’t have a lot but what’s ours is OURS, not the bank’s!
Here is the EBT Fraud Story
http://video.foxnews.com/v/1559866169001/new-face-of-welfare-abuse
i dont see how anyone could vote for the demoncrats this year, it boggles the mind…
it boggles my mind that you think the GOP answers to different masters.
I concur. Romney is simply “0bama lite”.
they may be “invisible to the government as far as the real number of unemployed..but they arent ” invisible” if they speak out against this administration on line or in a protest
Do your lot do what our do….only count recipients of job seekers allowance as unemployed?
Disabled people on disabled benefits are not counted.
Single mothers with children of pre-school age are not counted
People re-training are not counted
Part-timers who want full time are not counted
People with savings are not entitled to benefit so are not counted
People laid off are not counted until three months later
Those who could retire but want to work are not counted
Part-time students are not counted
In other words to be included in the statistics you need to be totally fit, available for full time employment, have no savings, no children under 5 and be between 18 and 65.
This possibly cuts a few million off the figures.
I think it was one of your Countrymen that said;
There’s lies, damn lies and statistics….he got that right.
Take care
yep, and those that have already exhausted their “benifits” are also..not counted
This is why our country is shot….benefits do not become exhausted. This is why people elect to spend their life on them rather than work for a living. Let me show you:
Me on benefits=
Rent allowance £525.00 per month leaving me to pay £75.00 per month
Council tax allowance £89.00 per month leaving me to pay £12.00 per month
Child tax credit ££236.00 per month just paid for having a child
Child benefit £81.00 per month just paid for having a child
Disability allowance £398.00 per month
As months vary in length let’s call it £1200 a month for a woman and child. I will tell you that my outgoings excluding food and diesel are £468 per month. I spend about £350 a month on food which is expensive here and about £100 on diesel. All in comes to just over £900 a month.
Still leaves me a nice bit of play about money.
Me working. I get to pay all the rent, all the council tax plus my regular outgoings without the benefits comes to about £1400. Then I have extra travelling expenses and a child care bill of £18.00 per day for pre and after school care, this puts my outgoings at £1550 per month.
I need to pick that up just to survive…without mony left over for clothes for my child, a couple of toys for Christmas or the odd treat.
£1550.00 per month net is around ££1998.00 per month gross required just to survive.
So far I am about even, but it’s close, there’s a chance by the end of the year I will be out of pocket.
The government gives away so much money it really does not pay for anyone without a very good hourly pay rate to go to work.
Even the allowance they give to low paid workers does not equate to what they can get staying home all day.
We all slate the entitlement tribe, but ask yourself…going to work to be substantially worse off, I can understand why they don’t.
Take care
Now you know why half of the third world wants to live here.
Take care
Woah, Now I see..
Sadly I have an utterly useless cousin who left school at 16, and has been fully supported by the state from then to his current age of 46 with no sign of anything ever changing. He’s utterly unemployable now, and doesn’t pay a penny to support the innocent child he fathered – that’s the taxpayer’s job apparently.
I’ve forbidden him from contacting me as I don’t want that kind of pathetic influence around my child. I can’t abide the bone idle.
Yet every winter the number of elderly who die of hypothermia because they can’t afford to heat their homes AND eat rises, and don’t get me started on the trials & tribulations of those with bone fide poor health or disabilities.
Such is life in the UK.
On a personal note the red tape involved in self-employment makes it almost impossible to fulfill my childhood dream of emulating the lady in proverbs 31. (I blame DK for reminding of David and Goliath for this comment!).
Geez Burt you live off of the gov’t. At least you’re honest about it.
Kinda like a panhandler with a sign: WHY LIE I WANT A BEER
Domestic Terrorist ~
I don’t think that is what Burt was saying at all. I think she was pointing out the issue that people are not being paid an amount on which they can live.
Money could be allocated far differently in ways that would encourage people to work and in ways that would encourage people to hire.
The best part is that you are now a second class citizen in your own country that in one more generation the “Asians” as you PC Brits call them will have run you out of. Same thing is happeneing here in the US and most of Europe. White mans guilt will get us all killed.
I was laid off after 17 years. I waited until I was 41 to have kids to make sure we were financially stable (able to do it on one or the others salary). I Made just over 60k a year, as does my wife but we bought a 1600 square foot house that we could afford if we lost one income. After it happened, I started to look for jobs, and the fare is crappy. I have a 3 year old and a 4 month old. Daycare ALONE would run a McDonalds type job into the ground. Even at 40+ hours a week, I would barely break even for gas and daycare, and I wouldn’t see my kids. The State pays me $545 a week, and has for over a year now. I have no debt save a house payment. The unemployment I get goes to preps, such as several new M4s and ammo, a years worth of food, $1000 STOMP bag, etc, etc, etc. I figure the government is spending enough of our money into debt, we’ve got less than a year until the breakdown, I might as well let them pay for my preps for their F-up!!!!!
BTW I’m not counted as “UNEMPLOYED”!
Burt
UK figures also don’t include married women looking for work
Anyone on a “government training scheme”.
They’ve also changed how they count the unemployed 30 times so far since 1979 – no fiddling the figures there then?
Lone
Yep, forgot those.
Take care
Domestic
No, I work, that was what I was getting during a spell when I wasn’t working last year.
I was trying to be clever and show a comparison…obviously I am not as clever as I thought lol
Take care
Domestic
I have just re-read my post, it does not come across as I intended, I can see why you took me wrong. Sorry about that.
Take care
But, Burt, your incident does happen…I understand what you were trying to say.
I have a cousin in Indiana. I remember when she was so proud of finding a job at McDonald’s until she reported it and the amount she received in aide wasn’t decreased; it was cut off completely.
Now, what incentive was there for her to try and support herself if ALL the aide was gone….she did move in with my granny and kept the job at Mc–the only way she could make it.
Hello Burt the Brit ! I read your post comparing being on the Gubberment dole, to working ….& I understood what you were saying. It is sad that you can end up better of by collecting….than by working. I think that it was our Benjamin Franklin who said “People should be uncomfortable in their poverty” ! The idea was that while society should help someone down on their luck…..it was not supposed to be enjoyable. There needed to be an incentive to get back on your feet as soon as possible. Her is the US we now pay for housing, food, cell phones, pet care….and more. Somehow the lines between necessities….& luxuries have become blurred. Until we all find a way to reform the system…it is going to get worse. I see reform coming when the whole diseased system comes crashing down. Then we Preppers need to survive the turmoil & work to rebuild things the way they should be. Stay Safe.
Montgomery County Texas
USA has the most highly trained non-working class in the world. They finish one “program” and immediately get into another.
I kind of disagree with some the things a certain Samuel Johnson said about ‘Americans’ but he was a good writer as well. You have to admit that he had a point about slavers complaining about enslavement.
BTW: It was supposedly actually a BRITISH prime minister who originated the claim but the famous Mark Twain that popularized it in the USA. Great artists steal, as Pablo Picasso said.
Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson had some very good writings as did John Locke. If you’re into US history and don’t know of their writings, I surely can’t figure out how you missed them.
The company I work for could use about five sales people but right now, we can’t afford to hire them. Need sales people to increase revenue, need revenue to hire sales people.
a very vicious circle
VRF
It’ s amazing isn’t it? And it has to stop. I am not in any way advocating that safety nets are removed but when you get into a situation that people cannot afford to go to work something is very, very wrong. Ther are children over here that have never known a time when a member of their family is working, not just their parents but aunts, uncles and even grandparents. To many many families they now see all this as their right, they see no reason to work and truly have the belief that they should not have to and it is these people, with this mentality, that are dangerous, they threaten the well being of us all.
There are others, that have worked, that have skills and want to work but really cannot afford to, there just are not the jobs available that will pay them at a level where they can support their families to the same level that they can on benefits.
There is only one way out that I can see, the entitlements have to stop at some point and the money saved, which would be billions, must be put into getting this country back to work.
I have been on benefits and hated it, but at the time I needed that help. I would not have cared if they had given me vouchers to spend on food in the supermarket as long as I could feed my child, and that is the issue here, suggest such a thing and all hell breaks loose…the vast majority want the cash.
A person in true need will accept whatever help they are offered. The cash supply needs to be reserved for those that work and need a top up if they are in a low paid job. Those that refuse to work should have the money tap turned off.
Take care
a very very dangerous slope, and it was so avoidable but all these governments seemed to run head long right into it at full speed.
keep your head down, hope for the best, prepare for the unknown, or gut feeling. I wish you the best
EBT cards are handle by JP Morgan Case pay by the states.
If the safety net was gone how many business would also be gone? Fewer Drug stores, Food stores and Gas stations.
How more new people would be living on the street?
Congress House, past a bill last week or so back, so they show what they are willing to do in cuts and with that money save and paying down was very small part where the money would have gone in their plan. And I also do not see any of Congress willing to cut their retirement for them self or the ones who got us in this mess. Spending the money my mother and my generation Pay in since our teens as well Medicare.
Johnson borrow and Nixon forgave and said if there was shortest the government would have to cover. When they said that in early 70’s I knew we were in trouble.
Every Dept. in government borrow from that pile of money and now they say so sorry. And many of you will let them get away with it believe their lies. With no protest. All those IOUs by our wonderful government to past Generation and now yours. And some how it all the generation’s vault. And not the Government’s.
Our safety net has morphed into a hammock.
Maybe they should try to find a few sovereign Men to go to work for them. No taxes, no benefits cost to pay, and perfectly Lawful with an agreement.
The reason companies can’t afford to hire anyone is because neither they nor their potential employees understand that government franchise (SSNs,W$’s, etc.) is VOLUNTARY. The use of these papers and numbers is the SOURCE of the obligation, and requires consent from BOTH the employer and employee.
The penalty for not consenting? NOTHING. The corp can only penalize you if you consent.
If your employer needs people, there are plenty. Just don’t involve the government. Unless the company works only on government contracts, then it should be shut down anyway.
Companies who wait for the government to make it possible for them to hire someone will be left behind after the collapse.
GC…Although you are correct, if you go to an interview for a job and refuse to give them a SSN or fill out a W-4 they will escort you out the door. They know by coercion they will get you to do their bidding. The whole corp system from top to bottom needs to be rooted out and replaced. It is extremely difficult to own property without paying corp “rent”. There are websites that discuss this, but I haven’t seen any real solutions to this problem. It seems unless you submit to at least a few of the corp “privileges” you may as well live under a bridge.
whats weird is where i’m at unemployment is around 10 percent but nobody puts in applications. we may not hire permenent but could use help in the summer. the only problem is you really have to work not just show up and have half a brain.
88 million nay be invisible to government when it comes to employment, but all 310 million are invisible except election time. NO ONE in Washington gives a rat shit about ANY of the unwashed masses. They are all self-serving scum, interested in building a personal nest egg. Nothing more. There will be no great savior to turn this situation around. Scum replaces scum, all beholding to special interests and Bankers. If the serfs want a change, they’ll damn well have to fight for it!
Those “Not in Labor Force” is at a new record high of 87,897,000
that would be the same as the ENTIRE populations of these states not being in the work force
Wyoming
Washing DC
Vermont
North Dakota
Alaska
South Dakota
Delaware
Montana
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Maine
Hawaii
Idaho
Nebraska
West Virginia
New Mexico
Nevada
Utah
Kansas
Arkansas
Mississippi
Iowa
Connecticut
Oklahoma
Oregon
Kentucky
Louisiana
South Carolina
Alabama
Colorado
Minnesota
Wisconsin
now take into account these government employment numbers only count those over the age of 15 – so i am showing the entire citizen count – so it would probably add in a dozen more states if you only counted the over age 15 citizens that are not in the work force.
so if that is not frightening enough of a statistic – NOW add in 30 million illegal immigrants all taking tax dollars and not counted because they are not citizens of this country – taking dollars and not paying anything in to the system.
how does paying taxes feel now? how do you feel about the democrats who want to keep increasing handouts (to keep buying the votes of the dependent)
how much do you trust the government numbers of “unemployment” that are dropping?
enjoy…
Now you know why the deficit has to be so large. There simply are not enough workers earning enough to pay the taxes necessary for this fantasy economy to operate. Half of our economy is based on money that is created out of thin air.
whoops i actually only counted up to 80 million – so add in
maryland
missouri
to get just slightly above the not in workforce numbers
There are some numbers being thrown around (zh) that 40 million jobs are govt funded by being employees, contractors, receiving subsidies, on some sort of assistance, military, etc. etc.These jobs should in reality, be shown as ouy of the labor force also. They are merely existing by taking money from taxpayers.And so what if they say they pay taxes too. Their taxes come out of the productive taxpayer pocket first.
What, crushing national debt, onerous regulations and the highest corporate income tax in the world aren’t solving our economic problems? Say it isn’t so!!
The Progressives launched an all out war against Western Civilization over a hundred years ago and they’re close to bringing it to its knees now. Will they inherit the future and enslave us all? They’re going to try. And they won’t care if a few hundred million or so die in the attempt.
Now if someone tells me Barack Obama is really a Muslim my day will be completely ruined…
Mal
Taxes are bad enough but the compliance with stuff like F(u)BAR is pretty bad on it’s own even if you end up owing no taxes because you already paid enough in the country of residence. People working overseas are getting nailed for essentially not costing the government a damn penny and that’s even if they’re not ‘lucky’ enough to make over about $90K in which case they get taxed twice. Ouch!
Hilary Rosen stopped by our house today. She was in the neighborhood tryng to promote the Kenyan in chief for another term, I guess. The wife was out in the garden and spoke to her. There was more to the conversation, but here’s the part I heard.
Rosen: Hi! You folks registered voters?
Mrs Okie: Say, aren’t you Hilary Rosen?
Rosen: Why, yes I am! Very pleased to meet you-
Mrs Okie: The same Hilary Rosen who said Mrs Romney never worked a day in her life? That Hilary Rosen?
Rosen: Well, uh… yes but what I meant was-
Mrs Okie: The same Hilary Rosen who used to hang around DC peddling influence and buying off sleazy congressmen on behalf of the record industry? The same industry that worked so hard to stifle new technology developments for file sharing, whether they had anything to do with music or not? THAT Hilary Rosen?
Rosen: Look, you don’t have to be so-
Mrs Okie: The SAME Hilary Rosen who thinks stay at home moms don’t do any REAL work?
Rosen: (indignant)Oh, I get it. You’re one of those types who thinks a woman doesn’t need education or skills, huh? Just stay barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen. No real world experience is needed, eh?
Mrs Okie: Actually, I own several pairs of shoes, and I haven’t been pregnant in 25 years. But, you’re right, I AM a stay at home mom. Guess I don’t do much REAL work though. All I’ve done today is plant 200 strawberry plants, replaced 9 fence posts, changed the oil in the rotor tiller, tended the animals, cooked a meal and delivered it to my elderly neighbor, stocked food for a couple hours at our church’s food pantry,…oh, yeah. I almost forgot, I also wrote my weekly opinion column for the states second largest newspaper, finished a few assignments for my on-line MBA, and….let’s see. Oh! I remember now! I painted the bathroom to match the new fixtures I installed the other day, cooked breakfast and washed the dishes, threw in a load of laundry. Of course, all that was after the hubby and I had our morning session of…(winks) well, let’s just say he’s still pretty frisky for a man his age. -OH! I forgot, you wouldn’t know anything about MEN, would you?
Rosen: Now, look here! My sexual preference is none of your-
Mrs Okie: (pats her on the head demurely) I understand, dearie. Some women evidently have such struggles with their sexuality, or is it their feelings of inadequacy? Or perhaps they’re just to damned unpreposessing to get a man and keep him satisfied. Don’t worry, sweety, I’ll be praying for you, no matter what the cause is…
Rosen: (stomps off down the driveway)
I never had any part in the conversation, but I did what I could. While the wife had her preoccupied, I plastered 3 Ron Paul 2012 stickers on her Prius. One over the Obama sticker, one over the PETA sticker and one over the left windshield wiper. Maybe she’ll notice that one.
Snowball/Flying Pig 2012
Mrs. Okie,
Your husband is a lucky man.
On a scale of 1 – 10, Oakie slams a 99.99%. Well done. Now keep “shining/protecting those rifled barrels” with some high quality “police state protectant oil”. We don’t want any “delivery system foul-ups” due to lack of maintenance in the now “revealed” coming conflagration. Yippe-Ki-Ya……just north of me in OKIE country.
From the foothills of the TEXAS hillcountry. BBQ,ROCK-N-ROLL,and THEIR BUCK will stop HERE!
Onward through the fog!
And we have another Smokin Okie classic….that was spot on ! Your posts are many times the highlight of my day!
Montgomery County Texas
JRS
That was the key trick of our last gov in the UK. Creating government non-jobs.
My personal favourite wanted ad was a £22k a year “real nappy advisor” (nappy = diaper for you US peeps). We were swarming with all kinds of unelected quangos for all sorts of things from “healthy eating”, to “Islamic Femiminits in the NE”.
None of these quangos have gone despite lots of hot air from Cameron, they’ve simply changed the name on the letterheads of a load of alphabet agencies. Oh and sacked a few genuinely useful front line government employees like binmen to prove to the populace that they are implementing “austerity measures”.
Public employees are not part of the productive economy, a sensible society understands that it is manufacturing etc that actually produces real wealth. Some of that manufacturing income is then fed back to provide what essential services (clean water, sanitation?) as society deems to be necessary to support the smooth running of that society.
In the UK at least the welfare state was originally conceived as a hard-won short-term saftey net to protect the vulnerable until those that were able could get themselves back upon their feet & provide a pension after a lifetime of hard work. It’s morphed into a monster that neither protects the old and sick yet sucks the life out of the productive economy http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1089933/More-25-000-elderly-die-cold-fuel-poverty-hits-pensioner-households.html
What we’ve seen in the UK since the 1970’s is an increasingly desperate smoke and mirrors effect to try and disguise the fact that we are nation that exports nothing of tangible value but corrupt financial “services” & arms.
Skewed, bias, slanted, all the same meaning, numbers fitted to make the leadership look better. The same thing goes on with disasters and insurance claims, wrong numbers tilted in the right direction to hide the true impact. Just look at how British Petroleum hide the actual REAL numbers of just how much oil was spilling out. All the while extremely valuable esturies had layers of crude on top of them. Didn’t matter about the financial impact killing of all those that fished these areas, the NUMBERS showed ONLY 1000 barrels a day by what BP was saying, it was more like 50000-100000 barrels a day.
This Deepwater Horizon should truly point out what mule sh%^ we are fed by those that don’t want us to know the actual numbers, yet the plain obvious numbers are right in front of us. Oil hundreds of miles wide, 1000 barrels per day didn’t add up. Just like this vomit about 8.2% unemployment doesn’t add up. I want everyone to think about what 8.2% unemployement really means.
It means that everyone that can work, 91.8% are employed. When over 9 in 10 employed times are good, real good. When times are tough 8 in 10 are less are employed. It has been said that 6 people can make up for the lose of jobs created by 1 person being unemployed. When someone is employed they create more jobs because of the money they noramlly spend. IF ONLY 8.2% of those that could be employed, were not, this would be excellent. Forget about those on disability, worker’s comp, etc. 8.2% unemployment should mean that 91.8% of the population is employed and contributing a lot to the economy. This ain’t happening at all.
When I see this horse feces numbers of unemployment I automatically double or triple it, because this is far more accurate. One has to exercise much caution when looking at numbers because numbers can be made to fit anyone’s agenda. Just like that 8.6 earthquake that doesn’t look that big, but when one sees it was a horizontal earthquake, one the biggest horizontal earthquakes I have ever seen as well as everyone else, it becomes enormous. Numbers can be real tricky, and the governments of the world are grand masters at manipulating those numbers to fool the masses.
I’ve been self-employed since 2008 due to loss of job in IT industry. Its been a rough going to say the least, but I managed to keep doing what I am skilled in but on a part-time basis, which effectively counted me out as employed by employment statistics.
The problem is with U.S. Government not wanting us to have meaningful jobs, but to be poor, landless serfs, so that they could put us all in communal dwelling and ration our food and healthcare.
The Banks and the U.S. Government are killing us on purpose. Sometimes I wonder about what would it take for a bloody revolt, but judging by the amount of Welfare handouts and dumb TV shows, vast majority of Americans have already lost it beyond hope.
We have no future unless we become self-reliant. This means getting back to the land and learning again how to live off the land. There’s no other way.
Agreed, but add to that that even back-to-the-landers need support services and *stuff*. Back to the land communities foster artisans, inventors, various types of hand manufacturing and any sort of enterprise that is needed by others, on a local basis.
Health care will also always be a specialty within a given community, for example. So will some sort of organized, specialized security apparatus, since everyone needs to sleep, sometime, and it is difficult to farm all day (or do any other sort of labor) and also patrol at night.
I don’t recall the exact figures, but it takes a relatively large number of sheared sheep to provide work for a moderate number each of wool cleaners, dyers, spinners, weavers and knitters, for example. The carpenter needs someone to fell the trees,someone to mill the boards and someone to competently dry the lumber. The wheat farmer needs a miller and someone else would be the logical choice to do the baking for a majority. All of this then requires some sort of transport, since even small agrarian communities by necessity are spread out, geographically. American farmers have always over-produced and the excess production needs to be processed, stored and distributed.
Anyone who has attempted the totally self-sufficient lifestyle knows that it only really works for the relatively young and for large, healthy families. Even then, there needs to be provisions for the old and the infirm, as well as the temporarily ill.
Localism does not necessarily mean that everyone is busy producing the necessities only for themselves. Once the local economy is thriving, there will always be excess to be traded elsewhere. Some people will so excel at whatever it is that they do, that their expertise will become known outside their immediate locality and people will travel to use those services/trade for those products. So, while a post-crash or pre-emptive agrarian social setup will be small and individual, to start, eventually, it will grow into a dynamic economy that spreads outward. If not, it will eventually die off.
The trick, then, is to not allow a political, bureaucratic,authoritarian, controlling (but I repeat myself) class to emerge. This seems to me to be the trap humanity always enters, at some point.
they cant fix the budget, the deficit, the employment picture, europe…what else is there left to do ….yup, crash it all or exterminate a large portion of the population so that WE can be controlled…
I think extermination is in the works myself…
i have been unemployed for over three years..and sadlly, even when i had a paying job i was invisible because i did not work enough hours a week and had no benefits to follow such as unemployment. and even if i did there are no jobs period being offered in the entire county i live in. thank goodness i own five acres of farm and timberland that is paid for, get homestead exemption and married to a retired military vet. we dont have much but what we got is ours…to supplement our meagre pension, we garden, do alot of volunteer work, and i sew for others.
You know what would be a hard core indication of just how many people are actually not working would be the actual number of hours per year that someone has worked and been paid for that work. A normal 40 hours a week schedule with 2 weeks off would translate out to 2000 hours a week. So IF averaged out ANYONE that has worked LESS than 1000 hours for the year would be considered NOT full time employed. Part time is considered 20 hours or less for most statistics. Anyone working part time probably is doing this because they want to, or becauase they are not allowed to or can’t find enough work.
Mac, I don’t know how to find this stat, but it would be compelling to see just how many people have worked 1000 hours or less for the past year. If they were employed for 6 months then unemployed for 6 months this would be horrible. If someone can only find 1000 hours of work a year this would be horrible. If you have over 20% of the population that have worked less than 1000 hours for the year then this country is spiraling down like a boulder off a cliff.
If the overall average of total work average hours for the year is less than 1500 hours, then the U.S. is head level manure. An unemployed person for the entire year will have 0 hours worked, but 3 people working full time for 40 hours a week will average this out to 1500 hours. People working overtime should further raise this to much above 1500 hours. If not, OUCH!
This is a statistic that the government could not easily fudge. They use a similar system to gauge sunshine hours per year for areas for solar output, growing seasons, etc. I want to know the actual number of hours people work. I want to know how many people have worked less than 1000 hours. I want to know just how far flushed down the drain the U.S. economy is. Mac, or anyone out there, have any ideas on how to get these figures?
The IRS knows this but isn’t talking.
…..then you have a complicit media so willing to spoon feed the government propaganda to the American public. The First Amendment is all but dead….
We have been in depression level unemployment for three years now, so what else is new? My opinion is unemployment is 24% to 27% already if we include welfare recipients, which are technically unemployed too we are into the 40% range.
The whole system is starting to crumble under its own weight and there really is no way out. Is there really a difference between communist state and a welfare state? We could argue the terminology, but the result is the same.
All the politicians will say the have a plan, but they can’t be trusted. You see our trust and their best thinking is how we got into this situation in the first place.
We will grind to a halt and then collapse like the Soviet Union. Look at the bright side once the USSR collapsed they bounced back pretty quick, didn’t they?
At age 18-
co-worker #1: Yee haa! Got my income tax refund! I’m gonna buy a Yamaha!
co-worker #2: Got mine too! I’m gettin’ new chrome rims for the Gremlin! What are you gonna get, okie?
me: I think I’ll get that Marlin .22 with a scope and spend all the rest on ammo.
Age 22-
co-worker #1: Oh boy! Income tax refund! I’m trading up to a new Harley!
co-worker #2: This is awesome! I’m buying a new pool table!
me: I found about $500 worth of stuff in the Lehman’s catalog. Plus it’s free shipping!
Age 25-
#1: I’m getting a new tattoo and some riding leathers!
#2: My wife is so excited! We’re putting a down payment on a new minivan!
me: My wife says all she needs is a new starter on the old Pontiac. And she insists I order the ham radio I been wanting.
Age 30-
#1: Finally! I can pay off all the back child support to my ex-girlfriend. Still got enough left to get drunk.
#2: Careful, buddy. Isn’t that how that child support started in the first place? Seriously, though, me and the woman are getting new carpet for the whole house!
me: I just heard of a brand of water filter called a Berkey. They’re pretty expensive, but we’re getting one anyway.
Age 35-
#1: I’m getting some hair plugs and a new convertable. They say you’re only young once, but I’m going back for seconds!
#2: We’re remodeling the kitchen…(groan)…again. Oh well, it keeps the wife quiet. For a while at least.
me: We found a little owner-financed farm! And if we pinch pennies it’ll be paid off in 4 years!
Age 40-
#1: Damn those divorce lawyers. They took my refund before I even got to see it!
#2: Looks like we’re expanding the garage..(groan)…again. I thought for sure that 3 cars were enough.
me: I’m doing a complete motor overhaul on the tractor!
Age 45-
#1: I got just enough to cover the deductable for crackin’ up the old ‘vette.
#2: We refinanced the house..(groan)…again. Just realized, I’ll be 80 years old before it’s paid for.
me: I’m ordering a food dehydrator, and putting a new roof on the chicken coop!
Age 50-
#1- Refund? What refund?
#2- Job? What job?
me: I can’t decide. I’m torn between a few more solar panels…or another 1000 rolls of toilet paper.
And on it goes….
There I was, all along. And didn’t even know it.
I WAS PREPPER, WHEN PREPPER WASN’T COOL!
But another 1000 rolls of toilet paper…a testament to a piece of “heaven-on-earth”. Especially if a “she” is a member of “the prepper party”.
No derogatory intent to the “she’s”, I kinda like them. But let us be real, OAK LEAVES, DRIED CORNCOBS or CHARMIN…what are the “she’s” voting for?
Yeah, that is what I thought. And quite frankly, ME too!
Here in my part of Tennessee,the tri-cities area, we have gained back every job that was lost and then some since 2008. Some are low paying jobs, others like mine our good paying jobs. I’m sure that living in a right-to-work state had something to do with it. The unions are killing the north and sending what jobs are left to states like Tennessee.
some financial facts and figures that you probably don’t want to know about
http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/08/12/financial-terrorism-america-1-million-deaths-annually-62-million-people-net-worth-economic-elite-46-trillion-54921/
Wow, I read the whole thing and was amazed at the numbers. It kinda gives me a better understanding of the occupy crowd, at least the ones who are there because they understand what is happening to our country. I don’t believe in wealth redistribution but neither do I believe in injustice. The corporate theives need to pay and pay dearly along with the majority of our elected officials.
Thanks for a very interesting article.
Great post. Don’t know why folks cant see through this penumbra of an Illusion of Economic Recovery
I used to feel sorry for people in the USSR and Red China, because of the extensive propaganda machine they had to deal with. Now I know exactly how they felt. Our propaganda machine is much more smooth. I know many adults who think if it’s on TV it must be true. Don’t forget, when the balloon goes up, the MSM is fair game.
http://beyondmoney.net/2012/04/05/iceland-takes-a-more-rational-approach-to-the-finacial-crisis/
Worth a read – an update from Iceland. Looks like people power means they are a nation back on track (unlike the EU & US with the constant taxpayer funded bail outs etc).
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-28/icelandic-anger-brings-debt-forgiveness-in-best-recovery-story.html
Sorry this is a better summary of Iceland.
2 years ago I had a good paying job,now unemployment gone,been looking for 2 years and found nothing at a third I used to make but I’m over qualified or my field in telecommunications is a dying field and that’s what everybody sees is your last job only so ten years at the phone company means if you dont get something at another one your pretty much screwed but I keep trying.
After being unemployed for about 6 months, I found a job. Making the same thing I was making 6 years ago, meanwhile food and energy are much higher than they were 6 years ago.
Isn’t hope and change wonderful!!!!
I almost fainted the other day. I was watching Focks News when the news honey says, “If unemployment was counted via the old U6 method, the unemployment rate in the United States would be 15.6%”. Say what?! Can’t believe that ANY of the so-called news channels would actually let that cat out of the bag.
As for leaving the work force, yes, I have done that as well. Got tired of supporting so many loafers and slackers so decided to call it quits and retire early. Man, was that ever the right decision! My taxes are about 15th what they used to be and no more FICA payments. If anyone reading this can make that work for them, go for it. It beats the corporate BS and being a government ca$h cow all to hell and gone!
I suspect that the three young men who ransacked my neighbor’s house yesterday while both he and his wife were away at work, are amongst those who are officially NOT counted as unemployed. In a sense they are employed, in the private sector wealth-redistribution industry, which seems to be thriving nowadays.
Just in case you have friends or family who don’t yet have a firm grasp of the language of our government, here’s a handy Glossary Of Political Terms- What Politicians Say and What It Means To Them
My Fellow Americans: you ignorant sheeple
Constituents: the sheeple residing in the district of a particular politician
Fly Over Country: The uninteresting wasteland inhabited by constituents; geographically it is all the land area not within DC or Hollywood
Revenue: taxes taken from the constituents
Revenue Enhancement: more taxes
Your Fair Share: even more taxes
Invest In The Future: still more taxes
It’s For The Children: see ‘invest in the future’
Fix Our Crumbling Infrastructure: see ‘it’s for the children’
Mis-spoke: lied
Was Mis-quoted: lied through my teeth
Was Taken Out Of Context: see ‘was mis-qouted’
My Esteemed Colleague: a fellow politician as corrupt as I am
My Esteemed Opponent: the no good sob trying to move in on my turf
Essential Services: taxpayer-financed bribes used to buy the votes of the sheeple
Essential Government Personnel: half a million bureaucrats who live in my district
My Staff: 4 cute young women with poor typing skills, 2 home-town buddies with indictable evidence on me, plus 12 semi-literate drunken relatives who would be otherwise unemployed
Key Staff Members: my buddies plus the two typists I’m sleeping with
Transparency In Government: don’t hold your breath, all the key witnesses have been bought off or killed
An Unspeakable Tragedy: a golden opportunity to further my political aims
A National Emergency: and I won’t let it go to waste!
Okie, thanks for the entertainment.
What our politicians lack in scale they compensate for with sheer incomptence. You would have a field day in Tasmania.
Entertainment?
I find it to be completely true. No, really. We laugh at it because of the immorality of it not for its lack of truthfulness.
*Absurdity based in reality*
Netranger- you just exposed the foundation of all my posts. Thanks, but you’ve blown my cover. Now I’ll have to find a whole new style! 🙂
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the Star of David!
Todays Pop Quiz Question:
Of the 4 original members of the rock group KISS, How many are Jews? (Original members:Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss)
All kidding aside, I have a question or three. When I was a kid I noticed something unusual in the credits that run at the end of tv shows and movies. It seemed like there were an awful lot of Jewish sounding names in the entertainment industry. And it didn’t matter if it was a new tv show or a real old movie. Just lots of names ending in stein or berg or whatever. Later I was told that some of the names were German but not necessarily Jewish. Is that true?
This perplexed me. Why would so many Jews be interested in the entertainment business? Was there more money in Hollywood than on Wall Street? Were they just naturaly talented at producing movies and tv shows? If they make up just 1 or 2% of the US population, why do they comprise 25 or maybe 50% of the bigwigs in Hollywood?
This anomoly is still present today. Dreamworks SKG- S(pielberg) K(atzenberg) G(effen) 3 Jews. MGM or Metro-Goldwyn Meyer. Goldwyn, Meyer- 2 Jews. 20th Century Fox…oh wait, that one won’t work. Still, lots of Jews represented in Tinseltown.
Plus, I later learned, many of our most famous movie stars, going all the way back to the silent era, were Jews. Many changed their names to hide their ethnicity. Are they just more talented actors than the Gentiles? Jack Benny, Kirk Douglas, (son Michael too of course), Betty Grabel, Jerry Lewis, the Marx brothers, Billy Crystal, and about a zillion more. Possibly even Jerry of Tom & Jerry, but that’s unconfirmed. Plus, you never see anybody eating a ham sandwich in the old classic movies. Coincidence? Maybe not…
Is there a Jewish conspiracy to influence the culture through entertainment? I’m not trying to stir up controversy, I ask these questions because I honestly want to know.
By the way, the answer to the Pop Quiz– at least two of the members of KISS, Stanley and Simmons are Jews. Frehley is Dutch(dad) and German(mom). Criss is Italian and as far as I know, neither are Jewish by ethnicity. By religion, all 4 members, far as I could determine, are a mixture of Rastafarian, Jedi and Scientologist. It’s called Rastajedologist. That’s why they wear those costumes.
I’d have to say I noticed the names myself….very interesting, isnt it?
Okie ~ If you think about it, what is more influential on a massive scale than “entertainment”? It pacifies those who don’t have the attention span to watch the news (not that the news is any more realistic than movies these days) and provides them with their view on the world, since they can’t be bothered to come up with their own opinions.
A monopoly on “entertainment” can sway more people than any other type of propaganda – it’s easy brainwashing for those who do not think critically.
If you and all your “good ole boys” club, control/own the majority of the worlds banking/entertainment/utilities businesses; what’s left to control? Answer: PEOPLE
smokin….are you sure this is not part of the adam sandler 8 crazy nights song?
Theres nothing more i enjoy than sitting on my porch an counting invivible people … i learned it from msm polls
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=FsNNt8GZ2YA
The actual unemployment rate is more like 20%.
Fema camps idea now in Europe.
This article shows an update on the Greek camps
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/2021/379/Concentration_Camps_Opening_Across_Greece._Descent_Into_Barbarism..html
For me the existence of these camps is another “red flag”, as I’m not buying the illegal immigrants only story. Sadly I think political dissenters will be herded here, if history is anything to go on( I think intellectuals, freedom lovers, artists and scientists/technological innovators willalso be culled)
I’d love to get the thoughts of Manos on this
Wake up America ……Martial law is just around the corner.Fema Camps ……Oh My!….Half a billion 40Cal. man shredder rounds…..30,000 armed drones…..Uncle Barky has got something special planned for most of us.So kick back, turn on the “game,race,porn” crack open a cool one, all is well.
Define ‘drone’.
Do you mean a jet plane adapted to use robotic controls?
Did you mean a flying robot with a small-caliber gun or explosives?
Do you mean something like a quadrocopter or hand-sized to lunchbox-sized flying cameras following a programmed route broadcasting over WIFI?
You should be very specific, I think. Most people are assuming that you mean something like the second example, since 30 thousand full-sized (many tons) jet planes with robotic controls would be enough to scare even some big and heavily-armed governments. Don’t even put weapons on them. Just drop them in a nose dive from 50-thousand feet. Gravity and the resulting impact will do the rest. It would be the most expensive minute in history and that’s just for the attacking side. Oh, and not one bit of radioactive pollution (‘fallout’) so you don’t have to worry about sterility and cancer.
Heck, get your enemy to waste all their money on that and then lure them into false targets or invest in (much cheaper in comparison) antiaircraft energy weapons to force them to almost harmlessly break up. Hit them after they’re bankrupt and no one takes their money. 😛
Of course I’m not serious about actually making and using 30K jet planes that way. It would be freaking stupid even by military-spending standards! This is something like out of Warhammer 40K or some other RPG (read: game) with insanely powerful sides. Define insane as: Able to destroy solar systems full of planets in one attack. Yeah, not very realistic.
If you are still unemployed, you are lazy and taking advantage of a broken system. The American economy IS rebounding. The only real tragedy is underemployment. I suffered a layoff 3 years ago. Was unemployed for 2 months, but worked odd jobs during that time. Underemployed for another year. Was forced to relocate and change careers, not to mention suffer a drastic pay cut. I have now worked my way back up to livable pay grade, and have witnessed ALL friends and family members do the same. Mind you at least 40% of my friends found themselves in similar circumstance. If you are STILL unable to find work, you are not looking hard enough.