Posted on 04/25/2010 3:51:15 PM PDT by blam
Growing Anger At Collapse Of U.S.A. Standard Of
Living Politics / US Politics
Apr 25, 2010 - 07:03 AM
By: Global Research
Hiram Lee writes: A series of recent studies conducted by the Pew Research Center shed new light on the scope of the economic crisis in the US and the level of hostility the majority of the American population holds for the US government.
Released in March, before the passage of the Obama administration’s health care legislation, a survey entitled “Health Care Reform—Can’t Live With It, or Without It” indicates that 92 percent of Americans give the national economy a negative rating. No fewer than 70 percent of the respondents report having suffered job-related and financial problems in the past year, an increase from 59 percent the year before. Fifty-four percent report someone in their home has been without a job and looking for work in the past year, up from 39 percent in 2009.
The poll saw an aggravation of conditions in every area of economic life studied the year before. Increasing numbers of people are reporting difficulty receiving or affording medical care (26 percent) or paying their rent or mortgage payments (24 percent). More Americans faced problems with collections and credit agencies (21 percent), or had mortgages, loans or credit card applications denied (19 percent).
As could be expected, the poorest Americans are suffering the most. Some 44 percent of those making $30,000 per year or less report difficulty obtaining medical care, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 per year or more. A similar gap can be found in the category of rents and mortgages, with 37 percent of those making $30,000 or less reporting difficulty making rent or mortgage payments, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 or more. However, the percentage of those facing difficulties paying rent has increased dramatically for both groups since 2009.
Large numbers of workers polled in the study say they have little confidence in job security and prospects for the future, with almost half (49 percent) saying it is “very or somewhat likely” they will suffer “job-related financial stress” in the next year. Twenty-five percent of workers say they expect to be forced to take a pay cut this year, while 24 percent expect to be laid off.
The Pew survey found that 85 percent of Americans reported difficulty finding jobs in their communities. This and other statistics revealing the increasingly dismal employment opportunities facing millions of Americans are provided context in another study released this month by the Pew Economic Policy Group.
“A Year or More: The High Cost of Long-Term Unemployment” reports that no fewer than 44 percent of unemployed Americans met or exceeded the standard measure of long-term unemployment (six months or more) in March 2010. This marks the highest rate for long-term unemployment levels since World War II.
In addition to this, the Pew study reports that “23 percent of the nearly 15 million Americans who are unemployed have been jobless for a year or more.” This translates to 3.4 million people, “roughly equivalent,” the study points out, “to the population of the state of Connecticut.”
These alarming numbers should be considered along with findings in another recent Pew research study entitled “The People and Their Government,” released April 18. This report finds that “by almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days.”
Only 22 percent of Americans say their government can be trusted, according to the new survey. The report puts this among the lowest measures of trust in the government in half a century.
The study also shows across-the-board declines in approval ratings for numerous federal agencies, including the Department of Education, the Food and Drug Administration, the Social Security Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forty-three percent say the government has a negative effect on their daily life, up from 31 percent in 1997.
While approval ratings for the government are remarkably low, with 65 percent saying the federal government and congress have a negative impact “on the way things are going in the country,” the approval ratings for other major institutions are as low or lower. Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed say banks and other financial institutions have a negative impact on the way things are going in the country, while 64 percent say “large corporations” have a negative impact. Some 57 percent say the national news media has a negative impact, while 49 percent say labor unions have such an impact.
The report states that “more than six-in-ten (62%) say it is a major problem that government policies unfairly benefit some groups while nearly as many (56%) say that government does not do enough to help average Americans.”
Taken as a whole, the Pew studies from March and April offer additional insight into the growing social misery under conditions of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the outrage it is generating.
Wide layers of the population, who have seen trillions of dollars funneled from the public treasury into the coffers of Wall Street executives while their own living standards have been assaulted, their jobs slashed, their children’s schools closed, and vital social programs such as Medicare cut by billions of dollars, have no faith in the US government to secure their most basic social needs.
The corporate-controlled news media, along with the major institutions overseeing the nation’s educational needs and basic food and medical resources, are considered corrupt and untrustworthy, contributing to the suffering of millions.
President Barack Obama, continuing to pose as a populist man of the people when he finds it necessary or beneficial, stands exposed as the chief representative of the interests of the American ruling elite and the standard bearer in the assault on the working class.
The restructuring of society taking place, in the direct interests of the corporate-financial elite and at the expense of the working population, is not occurring unnoticed. The American and international working class will inevitably find itself drawn into struggle against the present, untenable form of social organization.
The one person who makes slavery possible is the slave.
You have, apparently, forgotten which party has controlled the purse strings (ie Congress) for the PAST THREE FRICKIN YEARS. Hint: it ain't the party of Bush. It IS, however, the party of "Bush's fault".
Which party do you represent? Really?
In case you're not believing your own lying eyes yet, what's going on is the planned and deliberate destruction of our countries economy, borders, military, relationship with our best allies (GB, Israel), our culture, our world class technical leadership, our manufacturing ability, our medical system, our educational system, and the world economy. There are probably several things that I have left out.
Has anyone met one of the 22%? Number seems kind of high...
The put out that crap that it was because he was from Hawaii and that is a crock of sh*t. He’s been in Chicago for 25 years. He gets cold because he’s skinny and does drugs and probably has some medical issues.
I apologise for this little glitch, but my post 163 was meant for Sgt_Schultze. I think it was a FR glitch, as I quoted fron post 84, not 85. anyway, sorry.
George Soros: “I joined forces with Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Harvard University, who was advocating a similar program, and sponsored his work in Poland through the Stefan Batory Foundation . . . The IMF approved and the program went into effect on Jan. 1, 1990. It was very tough on the population, but people were willing to take a lot of pain in order to see real change.”
Al Gore - “transforming today’s society from a state where over consumption threatens to devour the earth’s resources into one ensuring respect for the earth and its new sustainable ethic will be a wrenching transformation .”
http://www.keepourrights.org/transformation.htm
Al Gore - This project paves the way for compliance with United Nations policy established first in 1976, by the U.N. Conference on Human Settlements, and reaffirmed in greater detail in Agenda 21, adopted in 1992. The United States signed both U.N. documents. Some points from the 1976 document:
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27419
Just a few of many quotes by different political figures. Things are going according to their plans.
Whatcha gonna do when the Marxists place an “imputed value” tax on every property you own if you can’t rent them? If you have a 4 bedroom house, they’ll tax you on the assumption that you rented to a family of 5 even if/when you didn’t or couldn’t.
Assuming you CAN find someone that can still afford to rent them during a depression, you’ll probably be facing a landlord’s nightmare x ten, since the renters will probably be less than desirable tennants and might make the residence uninhabitable (it’s been done a lot).
And then of course, there’s always that ole USSC ruling that your property can be taken over by anyone for commercial use that can show it’s to the betterment of the community to do so. Under Zero, that means pretty much anyone’s property can be .....apprehended.
Bottom line, don’t be so cock-sure that you won’t be negatively affected. Murphy’s Law states that you will be, especially since you said or thought otherwise.
Nationalized housing?
What makes you think the statists will stop at nationalizing our industry, our banks, education? People still think the government isn’t doing enough to help them. Government is in second gear on their way to redistributing the wealth of America. If health care is a guaranteed right? Why not housing?
You move makes as much sense as anything in where to stash money. Just saying that the future is always full of surpises.
ROTFL!
With the heavy debt we're carrying - inflation's next - the Greeks will know it's sting soon...
Tens of millions of voters ARE idiots. President Obama is the proof.
I can't even say "President Obama" without it sticking in my throat.
Anyway, my fear is that the number of raw idiot voters is set shortly to pass the numbers who are not idiots. When that happens, we are doomed, because no longer will the voice of reason from the intelligent voters save us all from the actions of the idiots.
It is coming.
The movie “Idiocracy” turned out to be a documentary.
Our dominance in space technology and the ability to put manned vehicles into space.
I Just watched a doc that showed how the next big money making frontier is manned outer-space flight for mining asteroids and tourism and colonizing the moon.(this doc was made in 2008)
The people interviewed in the doc were from all over the world including Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic (The company which is setting up to take paying customers into space using the same type of technology as did Scaled Composites used to get the first private manned spaceflight into space and back down again using a reusable launch system)
All of them said that the USA was eons ahead of the rest of the world in Space delivery systems for manned spaceflight. And it would take years for any country to catchup.
Now of course Obama has set us back decades by canceling all our manned spacflgiht capabilities so he can pay for Obamacare.
That’s what I’m Talkin’ About!!!!!!
(you mean it’s too late to vote for the white guy?)
Obama told us what he was going to do when he told Joe the Plumber that he was going to “spread the wealth around.” Unfortunately too many middle class bought the story that only the “super rich” were going to pay. Saw way too many Obama bumper stickers in upper middle class neighborhoods in Nov. 08. Wonder how they feel now about their vote....
“What makes you think the statists will stop at nationalizing our industry, our banks, education? “
They already have been doing it for over 10 years.
Hud won’t allow bids other than 1st time owners or owners that will occupy and any other bids are only accepted after the mentioned bids fail.
They also give 1st option to non profits that give housing to the homeless, but they and their assets are very limited.
Their nationalization is slowly being implemented on housing that goes back to FHA, Hud, Fannie and Freddie, and can’t get buyers for.
The problem is that their low end buyers can’t finance them and have to revert to being renters.
“They’ll suddenly say you are right, and come and visit you en masse when the grocery store shelves are empty. Lock and load.”
Yea - that will be tough. I do make it a point that none of my neighbors have any clue. Overall, if people are going house to house looking for food - we lose. More likely though, will be the Soviet model - where people are fed ‘enough’ (at least in Moscow) to live - but have to wait hours in line for that food. Likewise for other stuff. I see the future more in terms of trying to have a comfortable life - while others live third world, rather than a starving society (I reserve that outcome for something like an EMP attack...certainly possible, but not the same as a dollar crash).
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