Unemployment...
has not returned to Great Depression levels but at 9.1% of the workforce it is still at levels that will have nerves jangling in the White House. The last president to be re-elected with unemployment above 7.2% was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The US is a country with serious problems. Getting on for one in six depend on government food stamps to ensure they have enough to eat. The budget, which was in surplus little more than a decade ago, now has a deficit of Greek-style proportions. There is policy paralysis in Washington.
America...
in 2011 is Rome in 200AD or Britain on the eve of the first world war: an empire at the zenith of its power but with cracks beginning to show.
The experience of both Rome and Britain suggests that it is hard to stop the rot once it has set in, so here are the a few of the warning signs of trouble ahead: military overstretch, a widening gulf between rich and poor, a hollowed-out economy, citizens using debt to live beyond their means, and once-effective policies no longer working. The high levels of violent crime, epidemic of obesity, addiction to pornography and excessive use of energy may be telling us something: the US is in an advanced state of cultural decadence.
From Bigcorporationusa.blogspot.com:
Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in 1953. The top tax rate stayed frozen at 91% his entire presidency and remained so throughout JFK's.
A Republican president taxed the rich 91%. Amazing huh? Things must have been horrible in the 50's, right?...President Eisenhower:
- Presided over one of the most prosperous and thriving economies in American history.
- Balanced the budget and created a moderate surplus (The last Republican President to do so)
- Kept inflation near zero and unemployment low
- Created nearly 4 million jobs (Factor in that the population in the 50's was less than half of what it is today)
- Witnessed steady job growth in all sectors
- Expanded Social Security
- Created the International Highway System & NASA
- Increased Minimum Wage
Yesterday's dismal economic and jobs report...
casts serious doubts that our economic recovery will continue. There were just 54,000 jobs added last month and unemployment rose to 9.1%. The 54,000 number is far below the 150,000 jobs which were expected to be added last month.
President Obama...
avoided any talk of this dismal economic report yesterday as he touted the bailouts of "The Big 3." And the White House downplayed the news by stating that the economy is "headed in the right direction" - despite the fact that prices on pretty much everything continue to increase while most Americans' wages are either stagnant or heading backwards. Added to that, banks are refusing to lend to many people with "average" credit.
Productivity...
by corporations has been at an all-time high as they are doing more with less. Anyone with a decent job is willing to do what it takes to keep their job. And, for many salaried workers it means working longer hours for the same pay. And, many hourly workers haven't received raises in years. Or, if you are one of the lucky few who gets a measly 3% raise, that "increase" is eaten up by your annual health insurance increase, which this year is likely to increase 10%.
- Wow. Some reason from a Republican.
Mitt Romney Splits With GOP On Climate Change
HUFFINGTON POST: POLITICS | JUNE 3, 2011
http://pulsene.ws/1Pe4M
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) -- Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney broke with Republican orthodoxy on Friday by saying he ... read more
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- The government has failed in reviving the economy. No hope things will change for better. Only dark days ahead.
Unemployment Rises as Hiring Slows
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | JUNE 3, 2011
http://pulsene.ws/1OXkz
By Luca Di Leo And Jeff Bater WASHINGTON—U.S... read more
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ACLU Sues Rick Scott Over Mandatory Drug Testing For Florida State Workers
HUFFINGTON POST: POLITICS | JUNE 1, 2011
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/aclu-rick-scott-drug-testing-lawsuit_n_869970.html?ir=Divorce=pulse=direct
MIAMI — The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is suing Florida Gov. Rick Scott over ordering drug testing for ... read more
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http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/politics/~3/_qG6DbFjuls/
- Now the Republicans are going after school lunches, under the guise of fighting waste and inefficiency.
Republicans Break With Leaders On Homeland Security
HUFFINGTON POST: POLITICS | JUNE 1, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/5rwpkzf
Breaking with their leadership, 147 House Republicans joined Democrats to restore $320 million for firefighter grants Wednesday ... read more
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- Really?!
Boehner: Medicare A Minor Issue In NY Special Election
HUFFINGTON POST: POLITICS | JUNE 1, 2011
http://pulsene.ws/1Oe9T
Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday downplayed the significance of the Medicare debate in a recent New York special election, ... read more
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