Originally posted by Absum!
reply to post by Dbriefed
Thank you. Here is some more fuel. If you have time look at the graphs on the link. It is not pretty.
We need a plan to create good paying jobs to get out of this death spiral.
CAP - Oct. Economic Snapshot
A list of 11 problems with the OP's "vision"
1. The U.S. economy is still shrinking. GDP declined at an annual rate of 0.7 % in the second quarter of 2009 after falling by an annual average rate
of 2.8% during the first five-quarters of the recession, from December 2007 to March 2009.
2. Job losses continue. The U.S. economy shed 263,000 jobs in September 2009. The economy has lost 7.2 million jobs since the recession began in
December 2007. Close to two-thirds—or 4.5 million jobs—were lost before the economic stimulus package was enacted at the end of February 2009, and
job losses have sharply declined since then.
3. Unemployment stays high among the most vulnerable. The unemployment rate was 9.8% in August 2009. The African-American unemployment rate that month
stood at 15.4%, the Hispanic unemployment rate at 12.7%, and the unemployment rate for whites at 9.0%. Youth unemployment stood at a towering 25.9%.
And the unemployment rate for people without a high school diploma remained high, standing at 15.0%, compared to 10.8% for those with a high school
degree and 4.9% for those with a college degree.
4. The unemployed are out of a job for long periods. The average length of unemployment in September 2009 was 26.2 weeks, the median length of
unemployment was 17.3 weeks, and 35.6 % of the unemployed were out of a job for 27 weeks or more. All of these indicators are at their highest level
since 1948.
5. Employer-provided benefits continue to disappear. The share of private sector workers with a pension dropped from 50.3% in 2000 to 45.1% in 2007
and to 43.6% in 2008, and the share of people with employer-provided health insurance dropped from 64.2% in 2000 to 59.3% in 2007 and to 58.5% in
2008.
6. Family incomes drop sharply in the recession. Median inflation-adjusted family income fell by $1,860 to $50,303 (in 2008 dollars) in 2008 from
2007. This was the lowest family income since 1997. White family income stood at $55,530, compared to African-American family income, which was
$34,218—or 61.6% of white income. Hispanic family income was $37,913 in 2008—or 68.2% of white income.
7. Poverty continues to rise. The poverty rate stood at 13.2% in 2008—its highest rate since 1997. The African-American poverty rate was 24.6%, the
Hispanic rate was 23.2%, and the white rate was 8.6% in 2008. The poverty rate for children under the age of 18 rose to 19.0%—also the highest level
since 1997. More than one-third of African-American children, 34.7%, lived in poverty in 2008, compared to 10.6% of white children and 30.6% of
Hispanic children.
8. Family wealth begins to recover. Total family wealth increased by $1.8 trillion in 2009 dollars from March 2009 to June 2009, but it remained $14.5
trillion below the level of June 2007—the last peak of family wealth. The two-year period from June 2007 to June 2009 thus saw a decline in
inflation-adjusted personal wealth equal to 21.4%, the second largest drop in wealth after the two-year period from March 2007 to March 2009.
9. Many houses are empty and home sales are still sluggish. In the second quarter of 2009, 10.6% of rental properties were vacant—the highest level
since the Census collected these data in 1956. The vacancy rate for owner-occupied houses was a relatively high 2.5%; prior to 2006, this rate never
exceeded 2.0%. With many homes empty, home sales are struggling. New home sales in August 2009 amounted to an annualized, seasonally adjusted rate of
429,000—3.4% lower than a year earlier—despite an 11.7% year-over-year drop in median new home prices. Existing home sales were 3.4% higher than a
year earlier, in part due to a 12.5% drop in the median sales price.
10. Mortgage troubles mount. One in eight mortgages is delinquent or in foreclosure. In the second quarter of 2009, the share of mortgages that were
delinquent was 9.2%, and the share of mortgages that were in foreclosure was 4.3%.
11. Families feel the pressure. Credit card defaults rose to 9.6% of all credit card debt by the second quarter of 2009—an increase of 126.6% from
the fourth quarter of 2007. The number of bankruptcy filings rose by 64.6% to 12.4 per 1,000 households during the same period.
(1)
US GDP declines a
better-than expected 1pc in second quarter
The Commerce Department's new estimate for the gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the country's total output of goods and services,
was unchanged from the initial figure it released last month.
(2)
Turn in US jobs data boosts recovery
hopes
(3) Not really sure why ethnicity needs to come into play here, as employers are not permited to discriminate based on race. Are these numbers higher
then years prior? or do they remain constant. And youth unemployment?? what does that matter? And of course the number of non highschool grads
unemployment rate will be high that's a given.
(4) The question to ask here is, why are the lengths of unemployment as estimated? Honestly how many of the unemployed are just enjoying the "break"
and taking some time to relax at home, how many are actively searching? There's really no way to accurately determine these numbers but I'd bet my
right leg they effect the totals.
(5) This one is a given, but the numbers started dropping in 1993 not so recently.
Changes in coverage rates, 1972-1993. The overall pension
coverage rate was relatively stable from 1972 to 1993. Over this period, the rate for full-time private wage and salary workers has changed only
marginally from the 48% rate found in 1972 to the 50% rate found in 1993 (Table B16). While overall coverage has remained fairly constant, there have
been shifts in relative coverage rates among subgroups. There have also been major shifts in the types of plans providing coverage to workers
(6)
www.census.gov...
Report from 2007, still trying to fing the 08 report.
(7)
US poverty rate rises to 13.2 pct in 2008 vs 12.5
pct
Up 0.7% from the previous year, how bad is this really? and being that this statistic is only in the 90% sure, there is a variable here although
small.
(8) explained as noted.
(9)
Existing home sales were 3.4% higher than a year earlier, in part due to a 12.5% drop in the median sales price.
How many of those empty homes mentioned were foreclosed on due to predatory lending practices or just plain over endulgence by overzealous
home buyers? How many?
(10) see above. Also to note, there's plenty of help available out there for people in trouble with their mortgages, in any case why are they in
trouble with them to begin with? unless an adjustable rate exsists wich has gone up I place over spending in other areas as the culpret with living
beyond one's means as it's sidekick.
(11) Credit cards= get it now pay latter or not at all in some cases and if you do your gonna pay as much as 21% interest so do you really need that
new watch so badly? whatever happend to saving up to buy the things you things you want? No we want them now! put em on the card honey!