Just how deep does the rabbit hole go?
Posts tagged jobs
The Slow, Agonizing Death Of The American Worker
15 days ago
Source: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com
10 Amazing Charts That Demonstrate The Slow, Agonizing Death Of The American Worker
The middle class American worker is in danger of becoming an endangered species. The politicians are not telling you the truth, and the mainstream media is certainly not telling you the truth, but the reality is that there is nothing but bad news on the horizon for workers in the United States. In the old days, when the big corporations that dominate our society did well, that also meant good things for American workers since those corporations would need more of us to work for them. But in the emerging one world economic system that our economy is being merged into, those corporations have other choices now. For instance, the big corporations can now choose to limit the number of “expensive” American workers that they employ by shipping millions of jobs to the other side of the world. And from their perspective, it makes perfect sense. They can make much bigger profits by hiring people on the other side of the planet to work for them for less than a dollar an hour. If they can get good production out of those people, then why should they hire Americans for ten to twenty times as much, plus have to give those Americans health insurance and other benefits?
Another major factor in the slow, agonizing death of the American worker is technology. We live during a period when technology is advancing at a pace that is almost unimaginable at the same time that it is steadily becoming cheaper and cheaper. That means that it is going to become easier and easier for companies to replace workers with robots and computers. As I have written about previously, it is being projected that our economy will lose millions of jobs to technology in the coming years. Yes, some of us will still be needed to help build the robots and the computers, but not all of us will. And of course the overall general weakness of the economy is not helping matters either. The American people inherited the greatest economic machine in the history of the world, and we have wrecked it. Decades of very foolish decisions have resulted in the period of steady economic decline that we are experiencing now.
America is simply not the economic powerhouse that it once was. Back in 2001, the U.S. economy accounted for 31.8 percent of global GDP. By 2011, the U.S. economy only accounted for 21.6 percent of global GDP. That is a collapse any way that you want to look at it.
Today, American workers are living in an economy that is rapidly declining, and their jobs are steadily being stolen by robots, computers and foreign workers that live in countries where it is legal to pay slave labor wages. Politicians from both political parties refuse to do anything to stop the bleeding because they think that the status quo is working just great.
So don’t expect things to get better any time soon.
The following are 10 amazing charts that demonstrate the slow, agonizing death of the American worker…
#1 Wages And Salaries As A Percentage Of GDP
As you can see, wages as a percentage of GDP are hovering near an all-time record low. That means that American workers are bringing home a smaller share of the economic pie than ever before.
#2 Average Annual Hours Worked Per Employed Person In The United States
We are an economy that is rapidly trading good paying full-time jobs for low paying part-time jobs. The decline in average annual hours worked that we have witnessed represents the equivalent of losing millions of jobs. There has been an explosion of “the working poor” in the United States, and this trend is probably only going to accelerate in the years to come.
#3 Manufacturing Employment
As you can see, there are less Americans working in manufacturing today than there was in 1950 even though the population of the country has more than doubled since then. The United States has lost more than 56,000 manufacturing facilities since 2001, and yet our politicians stand around and do nothing about it.
#4 Employment-Population Ratio
This is one of my favorite charts. It shows that there has been absolutely no employment recovery at all since the end of the last recession. The percentage of working age Americans that have a job has stayed under 59 percent for 44 months in a row. How much worse will things get when the next major economic downturn strikes?
#5 Labor Force Participation Rate
This is how the Obama administration is getting the “unemployment rate” to magically go down. They are pretending that millions upon millions of Americans simply do not want to work anymore. As you will notice, the decline of the labor force participation rate has accelerated greatly since Barack Obama entered the White House.
#6 Duration Of Unemployment
The average amount of time that it takes an unemployed worker to find a new job has declined slightly, but it is still far above normal historical levels. It is a crying shame that it takes the average unemployed worker two-thirds of a year to find a new job, but this is the new economic reality that we are all living in.
State Capitol Hill Review Weekly Updates
0Source: http://www.bcpublicrecord.com
By Tona
Each week while the State legislature is in session, a weekly update will be posted here for your review. These weekly updates are not written by BC Public Record. BC Public Record expresses no opinion on these bills by posting these updates. Discussion of bills will be posted separately. The weekly updates are posted for your information, since there is so little media coverage of State government in Blount County.
State Government
Each week while the General Assembly is in session, updates will be posted here. These updates are not written by BC Public Record. No opinion on these updates is expressed here. For news and commentary on legislation please read the articles on our home page.
The Tennessee General Assembly
House of Representatives
CAPITOL HILL REVIEW
A weekly wrap-up of legislative news
Contact: Cade Cothren, 
(615) 741-5185 cade.cothren@capitol.tn.gov
(615) 741-5185 cade.cothren@capitol.tn.govGeneral Assembly hears State of the State Address
Governor unveils budget proposal
Governor BillHaslam delivered his annual State of the State Address to a joint convention this week, unveiling his budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. Haslam addressed multiple issues during the State of the State, the most prominent of which include job recruitment and workforce development, investments in both K-12 and higher education, lowering taxes, and a continued push to make government more efficient and effective.
House lawmakers were pleased with the governor’s priorities, and look forward to moving his agenda forward through the legislature. Among the key points in the governor’s speech was a focus on balanced budgets, low taxes, and fiscal responsibility. As Washington, D.C. and other states are mired in partisan gridlock with out of control spending, the governor emphasized that Tennessee has made responsible decisions that will continue to ensure the state is positioned to be a top leader in the country on jobs.
Job Recruitment and Workforce Development
Building on the success of legislation passed during the 107th General Assembly, Governor Haslam’s $32.6 billion balanced budget makes major investments in job recruitment and workforce development, including:
- $16.5 million budgeted to provide technology and equipment related to workforce development programs for community colleges and technology centers across the state.
- A new technical education complex at NortheastStateCommunity College in the Tri-Cities to help train for manufacturing related jobs.
- A much-needed lab building at Nashville State Community College to help train the next generation of students in Middle Tennessee.
- A new state-of-the-art technology center in Smyrna that will be managed in conjunction with Nissan to provide training for area businesses looking for high-skilled employees.
In addition, the Governor’s budget includes strategic capital investments statewide that will help fund programs to ensure Tennesseans have the skills needed to obtain well-paying, 21st century jobs after graduation.
K-12 and Higher Education Investment
A large portion of Monday’s State of the State Address was committed to improving education, an issue that both the Governor and legislators have made a priority. The budget proposal calls for:
- 100% funding for the Basic Education Program (BEP) formula.
- A $76.9 million increase in K-12 public school funding, including salary increases for K-12 teachers.
- A school choice program that will allow low-income families who have kids in the lowest-performing schools to attend other schools.
- $307.3 million committed for capital improvements (buildings and infrastructure) at our higher education institutions.
- The investment in an online university focused on improving affordability and access to higher education for the more than 800,000 Tennesseans that have obtained some college credit but have not yet graduated.
In addition to these education proposals during the State of the State, Governor Haslam also announced a strategic initiative called “Drive to 55”. This new initiative, the goal of which is to ensure Tennessee has the best-trained workforce in America, will seek to increase the number of Tennesseans that have earned an Associates degree or higher from 32% to 55% by the year 2025.
Tax Cuts
Multiple tax cuts were passed during the 107th session of the General Assembly, including eliminating the gift tax, lowering the sales tax on food, and phasing out the death tax. Similar to last year, the Governor’s 2013-2014 budget includes additional tax cuts for Tennesseans, including:
- A further reduction of the sales tax on groceries to a flat 5%.
- A cut to the Hall Tax which will raise the income exemption level from $26,000 to $33,000 for individuals and $37,000 to $59,000 for joint filers.
- A plan to fully fund the property tax relief program to help low-income seniors, veterans, and the disabled.
- A further reduction of the death tax that raises the income exemption level from $1.25 million to $2 million.
These tax cut proposals by Governor Haslam reflect an agreement with lawmakers to prioritize the needs of Tennesseans in a fiscally responsible manner that encourages job growth statewide.
Other Budget Highlights
Other highlights of Governor Haslam’s 2013-2014 budget include:
- A plan to spend $48 million in Corrections to compensate our local jails for housing more state prisoners.
- A proposal to streamline and better utilize the Criminal Gang Enhancement law, making our streets safer.
- A commitment to add $100 million to the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
- A proposal for worker’s compensation reform that will focus on fairness in the system for both the employee and the employer.
- Upgrading nearly 200 case manager positions in the Department of Children’s Services.
- $4.3 million for the MontgomeryCounty veteran’s home.
- $8 million for a statewide tourism fund to support the work of the tourism commission.
The week ahead…
FULL STORY
10 Signs We Live in a False Economy
15 months ago
Source: http://www.activistpost.com
Credit: http://www.economist.com/node/13527329
It’s time to admit that we live in a false economy. 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.
The corporate media does their best to distract us from seeing anything real. We see the media glorify Kim Kardashian who got rich by being famous, and became famous merely by being rich. She got front page coverage on Huffington Post this week because her cat died. Enough said.
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.
55 Reasons Why You Should Buy Products That Are Made In America This Holiday Season
16 months ago
Source: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com
By Michael Snyder
Economic Collapse Blog
Credit: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com
This is the time of the year when Americans run out to their favorite retail stores and fill up their shopping carts with lots of cheap plastic crap made by workers in foreign countries where it is legal to pay slave labor wages. By doing this, the American people are actively participating in the destruction of the U.S. economy. You see, buying products that are made in America is not just a matter of national pride. It is a matter of national survival. If we do not support American workers, they are going to continue to see their jobs shipped out of the country.
If we do not support American businesses, they are going to continue to die off at a staggering rate. Last year, the United States had a trade deficit with the rest of the world of 558 billion dollars. More than half a trillion dollars that could have gone into the pockets of U.S. workers and U.S. businesses went overseas instead. If that money had stayed in the country, taxes would have been paid on that mountain of cash and our local, state and federal government debt problems would not be as severe.
As a result of our massive trade imbalance, we have lost tens of thousands of businesses, millions of jobs and trillions of dollars of national wealth. Both major political parties have sold us out on these issues, and we are getting poorer as a nation with each passing day. We desperately need a resurgence of economic patriotism in the United States before it is too late.
Yes, I know that it is very tempting to buy foreign-made products. After all, they are almost always cheaper.
But most people don’t often think about why they are cheaper.
Unfortunately, in the name of “free trade” American workers have been merged into a global labor pool where they have to compete directly for jobs with workers on the other side of the globe that live in countries where it is legal to pay slave labor wages. This makes employing American workers a tremendous liability.
If a company hires you and pays you 10 to 15 dollars an hour with benefits, how is it going to compete with another company that pays workers a dollar an hour with no benefits on the other side of the planet?
Both major political parties are pushing this emerging “one world economic system“, but it is absolutely killing American jobs. We have already seen a mass exodus of jobs and businesses out of this country, and wages for the jobs that remain in the United States are being forced down because there are hordes of unemployed workers that are willing to take just about any decent job they can find.
It has become painfully obvious that our politicians are not going to do anything to help us on these issues, so what we need is a mass awakening among the American people.
We need to educate people that buying things that are made in America is good for the economy and that buying things that are made elsewhere is bad for the economy.
But for now, most Americans are clueless. They will line up on Black Friday morning and trample one another in a desperate attempt to save a few bucks on cheap plastic devices that were made on the other side of the planet.
And they will pay for much of this “shopping” with credit cards.
Credit card debt is on the rise once again. In fact, average credit card debt per borrower was 4.9 percent higher in the third quarter of 2012 than it was in the third quarter of 2011. It looks like most of us didn’t learn our lessons from the last financial crisis.
But not all Americans enjoy the shopping that is typically involved with this time of the year. One recent survey found that approximately 45 percent of all Americans think that there is so much financial pressure associated with the holidays that they wouldn’t mind skipping them completely.
Health Care Workers To Feel A Slight Prick
17 months ago
… and that slight prick will come from the end of a virus filled hypodermic needle. Under the guise of the greater good for the greater numbers many hospitals are now requiring mandatory vaccinations of their employees. Below are two such recent stories of mandatory vaccinations being used as new terms of employment. The fist report coming out of the state of Colorado.
Hospital Employees’ Jobs In Jeopardy If They Don’t Get Flu Shot
CBS Denver
Oct 6, 2012
Hospital employees across Colorado are being threatened with their jobs if they don’t get the flu shot by the end of the year.
Also, this story out of Rhode Island.
R.I. becomes first state to mandate flu shots for health-care workers
Felice Freyer
providencejournal.com
October 5, 2012
Rhode Island today became the first state in the nation to mandate seasonal flu shots for all health-care workers.
Overriding the objections of health-care workers’ unions and the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, Health Director Michael D. Fine filed new regulations requiring seasonal flu shots for doctors, nurses and others — employees, temporary workers and volunteers — working for hospitals, nursing homes, home-care agencies and other health-care organizations.
Obama to Legalize Illegal Immigration by Decree; Will Add 800,000 Voters In November
011 months ago
Source: http://www.shtfplan.com
By Mac Slavo
In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression in which millions of Americans have lost jobs we can expect even more competition in the employment marketplace.
According to AP sources, President Obama will speak today about a new administration policy that will grant immunity from deportation for some 800,000 immigrants who have entered the country illegally.
The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.
The policy change, described to The Associated Press by two senior administration officials, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation.
…
Under the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed.
Source: AP
Opponents of the new policy argue that the move will not only add pressure to an already struggling economy, education and healthcare system, but will likely strengthen Obama’s position in the upcoming Presidential election by adding hundreds of thousands of new voters sentimental to democrat candidates.
While it is illegal to vote in a Presidential election unless you are a U.S. citizen, the only thing a would-be voter needs to cast a ballot is proof of residency (in most States, not even that is required), which is easily obtainable once immunity or legal status is granted.
“If I wanted America to fail”
011 months ago
The environmental agenda has been infected by extremism—it’s become an economic suicide pact. And we’re here to challenge it. On Earth Day, visit http://freemarketamerica.org/
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[CIM]
I am unfamiliar with the group that put out this video and what their motivation is but agree with the contents of the video. I will check out the organization as time permits. Should you have any thoughts please feel free to share.
Ron Paul has crazy economic ideas
012 months ago
Source: http://www.dailypaul.com
By mindwalker55
Show this post to anyone who thinks Ron Paul has crazy economic ideas
Ron Paul’s understanding of the economy is a matter of public record.
In 1983 he predicted the 1987 recession.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FmlsK_nJKU&feature=related
In 1998 he predicted the 2000 dot com crash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4837NXWxpMA
In 2001 he predicted the housing bubble crash and what the Fed would do in response.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KONpt9a6HrI&feature=relmfu
And of course he has told us this year Mar. 2012 about the Bond Bubble currently forming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0c4QgpEpGM
In fact he has accurately predicted very single economic down turn in the last 3 decades, with an explanation of why he believes they will happen.
No other politician that I know of has this track record. In fact no member of the Federal Reserve has this track record. And most noteworthy there are very few people in the financial sector with this impressive record of accuracy.
To put our trust in the people that never saw these coming to fix the problems makes no sense, especially since their fix is doing more of what Dr. Paul has identified as the cause.
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[CIM]
The time is NOW to take back our personal liberties and freedoms!
Ron Paul 2012: Restore America Now
http://www.ronpaul2012.com
Please visit Ron Paul’s official campaign site by following the link below and donate today!
This is a work in progess, a self learning tool and fun little project. Please excuse the slow development as it seems the needed proper time is always lacking. It is my hope that the combination of content and links to other sources of information in this simple blog may help awaken a few of the sleeping masses and encourage and inspire others to initiate their own research, ultimately for each person to be a light to help awaken others. Opinions expressed belong to me, myself and I. Also, a big thank you to all that take the time to visit, it is appreciated :)
