Bush's legacy: Numbers of poor and unemployed rise

Bush's glowing comments about the wonderful state of the economy aren't merited... and haven't been merited ever since the impact of his administration became clear. While Bush administration officials are trying to put a spin on the news, saying that it didn't "reflect the latest figures for 2004" and trying to put the blame on Congress -- the Republican led Congress.

So if you feel like things aren't going well for you economically, you're right. Time to vote for Anybody But Bush!

Ranks of Poor, Uninsured Rose in 2003
By GENARO C. ARMAS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million, the Census Bureau (news - web sites) reported Thursday.

It was the third straight annual increase for both categories. While not unexpected, it was a double dose of bad economic news during a tight re-election campaign for President Bush (news - web sites).


story.news.yahoo.com.../ap/20040826/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/census_poverty

The job situation ia yet another lie. Are we a nation of morons? Who believes wonderful economy and the new jobs being created all across this nation? There's a new report that 800 call centers are moving to Canada. That's 98,000 new jobs going to Canada. The hell with us.
Kmarts are closing in Arizona. Try to find a job and you cant because the competition is way too much.
Yet, inspite of so many terrible things going on, Bush has his supporters.
What a crying shame.

There's a new report that 800 call centers are moving to Canada. That's 98,000 new jobs going to Canada. The hell with us.

* overcome with excitment *

I could use a new job while I'm in school !

But, on a serious note, yes, it seems that Bush's war on terror has superimposed on his economic policy. While he is busy using crucial tax dollars to fight terrorists he is readily creating, he is destroying the economy.

I qoute comes to mind,

Terrorists always come up with new ways to hurt our country, and so do we.

Something of the sort.

Deep

Originally posted by ZeroDeep

There's a new report that 800 call centers are moving to Canada. That's 98,000 new jobs going to Canada. The hell with us.

* overcome with excitment *

I could use a new job while I'm in school !

But, on a serious note, yes, it seems that Bush's war on terror has superimposed on his economic policy. While he is busy using crucial tax dollars to fight terrorists he is readily creating, he is destroying the economy.

I qoute comes to mind,

Terrorists always come up with new ways to hurt our country, and so do we.

Something of the sort.

Deep

I'm glad you can use the job. Things are going from bad to worse here, and the people dont care.

"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate."
Noam Chomsky

Sorry if it sounded a bit offensive. The Bush administration has molested the American society, they have taken thier very freedoms and played God with them. So as long as you believe that Islamic terrorists are out to kill the world, and the Bush administration is the only one to stop it, you are subject to this perpetual perversion.

Deep

1.4 million people are unemployed...

Don't you think that out of 300 something million people these 1.4 million don't care to work? Or maybe would rather be on welfare?

Or what if these people are looking for work, but not looking hard enough??


I understand there are people out there out of work, I do...

But I also believe welfare bums and those who just don't care to work, far outnumber the wanting to work people...

sooner or later, those people looking for a job, will find one...

out of 300 mill, 1.4 million isn't that bad....
geez.

Approximately 35.8 million people lived below the poverty line in 2003, or about 12.5 percent of the population, according to the bureau. That was up from 34.5 million, or 12.1 percent in 2002. The rise was more dramatic for children. There were 12.9 million living in poverty last year, or 17.6 percent of the under-18 population. That was an increase of about 800,000 from 2002, when 16.7 percent of all children were in poverty. The Census Bureau's definition of poverty varies by the size of the household. For instance, the threshold for a family of four was $18,810, while for two people it was $12,015. Nearly 45 million people lacked health insurance, or 15.6 percent of the population. That was up from 43.5 million in 2002, or 15.2 percent, but was a smaller increase than in the two previous years

TrueLies,

I think this was the problem, the fact that since the Bush admin, the poverty rate has increased by 1.4 million, 45 million lack health insurance, etc, etc, etc. 1.4 million, even with your reasons given, is still alot.

Deep

Emm... if you read the data in the first post again, it's talking about the increase not the total. US unemployment currently stands at 8.196 million, or 5.5% of the population.

data.bls.gov...

I think its really weak that everyone keeps bashing Bush about the economy and how bad we are doing here in America. I think its alot of BS! The same people who actually believe the hype propigated by the liberal media are the same ones with 4 room satelite dish receivers, x-boxes, ps2's, SUV's, $400,000+ homes, etc. When I went to high school during the Clinton administration I was driving a used 70 Chevy Chevelle with faded paint and a muffler dropping off. My car was one of the many used cars fading in the sun in the parking lot. Now you drive by my same school and all you see is Maximas, Lexuses, Tricked out Civics, Grand Cherokees etc... So you all you Bush haters, tell me with a straight face that we are doing horrible and the US Economy is in pieces when people can afford those cars for 16 yr olds in HS!!!

Originally posted by TrueLies
1.4 million people are unemployed...

That's NEW unemployment.

In addition to all the others already unemploeyd.

Don't you think that out of 300 something million people these 1.4 million don't care to work? Or maybe would rather be on welfare?

Or what if these people are looking for work, but not looking hard enough??

No, those are people already on welfare. Not newly unemployed.


I understand there are people out there out of work, I do...

But I also believe welfare bums and those who just don't care to work, far outnumber the wanting to work people...

sooner or later, those people looking for a job, will find one...

out of 300 mill, 1.4 million isn't that bad....
geez.

ChemKid

It's hardly 'Bush bashing' (or whatever the buzz word for critisim and political satire is these days ) We're talking about the cold hard facts of the US unemployment situation, with facts and statistics straight from your government, and the statistics seem to say 8.196 million people currently can't afford all the crap you mentioned, and that doesn't even include the working poor.

[edit on 26-8-2004 by kegs]

Originally posted by kegs
ChemKid

It's hardly 'Bush bashing' (or whatever the buzz word for critisim and political satire is these days

) We're talking about the cold hard facts of the US unemployment situation, with facts and statistics straight from your government, and the statistics seem to say 8.196 million people currently can't afford all the crap you mentioned, and that doesn't even include the working poor.

[edit on 26-8-2004 by kegs]

Some people cant deal with the truth.

[i

Sorry if it sounded a bit offensive. The Bush administration has molested the American society, they have taken thier very freedoms and played God with them. So as long as you believe that Islamic terrorists are out to kill the world, and the Bush administration is the only one to stop it, you are subject to this perpetual perversion.

Deep

Great minds think alike. 1/2 the population here believes Bush is their saviour. And if you dare say anything, we're UNAMERICAN.
Plain and simple. There really is no more freedom of speach.

Or unpatriotic, which is even worse, for a nation that revers patriosm more than anything, what can be worse ?

Deep

I work in the semiconductor industry in New York and currently, we can't find anybody who wants to work. We are a few months ahead of the economic curve and we have been ramping up computer chip manufacturing over the past few months. This in turn requires more workers to compensate for the increased work. The latest crop of loosers that have been scraped up from the bottom of the barrel are useless! All the new hires have 0 work ethic. I have personally been told by a few of the ones that quit last week, and I quote, " Why should I work for a living when I can go back on welfare and unemployment and sit at home." This person then got into his BRAND NEW MAXIMA and drove home to his section 8 housing that is much nicer than my old apartment!!! So I totally agree with the fact that the numbers of "POOR and UNEMPLOYED" are artificially inflated due to circumstances that I just described. I know that NY is not the only place that this goes on! Come on already! My father, a 50 something overqualified engineer took a job working in my fab under me because he felt like he had to contribute to society instead of apply for unemployment and become a statistic. He worked for my company for 6 months untill he found a job in his original education field. So for all the people who say jobs are not to be found, they are half right. Jobs that they don't want to do or are less pay do exist, they just choose to be unemployed in my opinion. And lets not forget all those college kids that show up in the statistics as unemployed "working poor" that live at home with mom and dad mooching off their hard work while thay drive around in a brand new car to their "mall job" after their parents paid for a 100,000 dollar education. I also have friends that don't want to move out on their own because "life is too hard paying bills" and possibly having to move somewhere other than Deer Lick Alabama to find work. These people are the weak that bring the rest of the hard working, dedicated contributers to American society down into the abyss of "poor me". Lead, Follow or get out of the way!

Arguments like True Lies's one occur frequently in debating topics like this. technically its called "victim blaming". as in "Its YOUR fault you lazy bum that you can't find a job".

Sadly life isn't so simplistic as this, there are many good people suffering because of the current economic situation who would love to work.

Who really wants to live in poverty? Why not try seeing the unemployed as real humans who want to work just like everyone else. Not as some sub species of humans unable to work because they are lazy or disinclined.

Originally posted by TrueLies
Don't you think that out of 300 something million people these 1.4 million don't care to work? Or maybe would rather be on welfare?

Or what if these people are looking for work, but not looking hard enough??


I understand there are people out there out of work, I do...

But I also believe welfare bums and those who just don't care to work, far outnumber the wanting to work people...

sooner or later, those people looking for a job, will find one...

out of 300 mill, 1.4 million isn't that bad....
geez.

I remember this topic of the "good economy� was debated while back, for all those that sworn with the president lie that the economy was good, well there you have it, I remember that even with the statistical prove some people pro bush even insinuated that it was a lie.

This is nothing wait when the biggest pay check cut hit the regular hard working American and that is "ban overtime" you will see how is really going to look out there for the people that live pay check to pay check.

If the current unemployment rate is 5% give or take, think of it this way...Out of all the people I currently know at least 5% of them are useless slackers that complain about how hard life is. If they took half the energy they spend on complaining and put it to good use maybe the world would be a better place. This counrty was not founded on weak poor me individuals. It was founded by a people that wanted a better life so they packed up and moved here and created their own opportunities. I once saw an Oprah episode that an unemployed man started a buisness of cleaning up dog droppings from peoples' lawns for a fee. The point of the story was that at age 55 his 2 kids' college education was bought and paid for, his house was almost paid off and he was eyeing beachfront property next to one of the peoples houses he "cleaned" 5 years earlier. Now talk about turning loads into gold! That's the work ethic people are lacking in this country. We are a dying breed.

ChemKid,

Wake up the American dream does not get to be for everybody, and the polititians in this country make sure that most American will never get it.

And for slakers you should come where I live and go and tell the single mother of 2 that works from morning to night and rely on overpay to put food on the table that she is a slaker.

[edit on 26-8-2004 by marg6043]

I live paycheck to paycheck, and thats OK I have pride in what I have accomplished. As far as this Overtime paycut you speak of, it seems that most people don't even know what the new laws state! In my company, people were up in arms yelling to HR like, "How dare you not pay me overtime! Get the torches and pitch forks! Argh!" Until they realized that the new laws only reiterated what our company policy was in the first place. Hourly Factory workers still get overtime pay over 40 hrs a week. Salary employees don't get overtime. Thats how it has been here since I was hired over 9 years ago. The fine points of this law actually help out the so called working poor raising the base pay threshold for OT pay of salary employees to 24g or so. Im sorry but if my office jockys in my company come in at 8 and go home at 4 and get 100,000 a year and don't get OT pay for the 40 or 50 hours of presumed OT a year that they grusomely have to contribute to the company, WAHH! let me get my violin! Granted, certain people will be effected in a negative way but that number is far lower that the 6 million that is quoted in the paper, I read it was closer to 200,000 people. The qualifications of Exemp and Non Exempt have been clarified to alieviate bogus lawsuits claiming OT pay was not paid. Most of the cases occur in the medical field. This in turn causes doctors/employers of doctors to raise rates to compensate for the increased cost of legal expences incurred thru the year. So indirectly, this new law will keep healthcare costs from rising out of control as they have in the past to some degree. That is a connection that will never be highlighted by the media I can assure you of that!