ECON 6 economic stats that will make you want to cry

[momengineer]

http://www.ijreview.com/2013/07/64069-6-economic-stats-that-will-make-you-wanna-cry//

1. 101 Million Food Aid Recipients
"The number of Americans receiving subsidized food assistance from the federal government has risen to 101 million, representing roughly a third of the U.S. population.... That means the number of Americans receiving food assistance has surpassed the number of private sector workers in the U.S.." [CNS News, July 7th, 2013]

2. 54 Straight Months of 7.5% Unemployment or Above
"Since January 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated as president, the United States has seen 54 straight months with the unemployment rate at 7.5 percent or higher, which is the longest stretch of unemployment at or above that rate since 1948"... [CNS News, July 5th. 2013]

3. Long-Term Unemployment
"Of the 11.8 million jobless Americans in June, 4.3 million had been out of work six months or longer. There were 1 million fewer long-term jobless than last year, but their ranks remain way above the previous high-water mark of 2.8 million in 1983." [Huffington Post, July 5th, 2013]

4. Labor Participation Rate
"[T]he number of people not in the labor force which in March soared by a massive 663,000 to a record 90 million Americans who are no longer even looking for work... And even worse, the labor force participation rate plunged from an already abysmal 63.5% to 63.3% - the lowest since 1979! [ZeroHedge, April 2013]

5. Disability Recipients
"The total number of people in the United States now receiving federal disability benefits hit a record 10,962,532 million in April, which exceeds the 10,815,197 people who live in the nation of Greece." [CNS News, May 2013]

6. Poverty Rate Skyrockets
Finally: "As the president began the first year of his second term, the U.S. poverty rate rose to a level not seen since the 1960s... The Census Bureau says that 50 million Americans, roughly one in six — almost 17% — are living below the poverty line... apparently 20% of the nation's children are living in poverty." [IBD, April 2013]

 

[Sleeping Cobra]

1. 101 Million Food Aid Recipients
"The number of Americans receiving subsidized food assistance from the federal government has risen to 101 million, representing roughly a third of the U.S. population.... That means the number of Americans receiving food assistance has surpassed the number of private sector workers in the U.S.." [CNS News, July 7th, 2013]

That really jumped. Last i read it was 53 Million and that was earlier this year.

Link: http://www.google.com/search?q=101+....0...0.0...1ac.1.15.heirloom-serp.sOa8Rp9LqIs

 

[Oilpatch Hand]

1. 101 Million Food Aid Recipients
"The number of Americans receiving subsidized food assistance from the federal government has risen to 101 million, representing roughly a third of the U.S. population.... That means the number of Americans receiving food assistance has surpassed the number of private sector workers in the U.S.." [CNS News, July 7th, 2013]

That really jumped. Last i read it was 53 Million and that was earlier this year.

Link: http://www.google.com/search?q=101+....0...0.0...1ac.1.15.heirloom-serp.sOa8Rp9LqIs

The figure of 101 million probably includes not only SNAP/AFDC and WIC recipients, but participants in the school lunch programs as well.

 

[momengineer]

I did some digging on that...its a bit of a misleading statistic.

page 11 of the USDA report found here: http://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/27001-0001-10.pdf

The report was to identify duplicate programs...so yes, oilpatch, you are correct. Still, I think we are edging ever nearer to the tipping point, imho

"FNS estimates that a total of 101 million people currently participate in at least one of its programs, including over 47 million in SNAP, a historically high figure that has risen with the economic downturn and expanded eligibility and funding of food assistance programs"

The 47 million number was based on FY2012 data...so yes, the 53M is probably correct as well

 

[tanstaafl]

I don't know where to look for this particular statistic, but various folks have talked about this a few times the last couple of months. It's the total number of hours worked, and it DECLINED even as there were MORE jobs added. That means on average fewer hours worked per person. To me that suggests more part-time jobs and even multiple part-time jobs for the same person, where the hours are being reduced to get under the thirty hour mark for ObamaCare. There is no way a growing (albeit slowly) pool of people working fewer and fewer overall hours can possibly be a good thing in this economy.

 

[mzkitty]

Now read this one that was posted by Dozdoats earlier:

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...The-Second-Largest-Employer-In-US-Is-...-...-...

 

[Richard]

what happens to the sub 30 hour week workers regarding provision of healthcare under O Care, none at all or Govt subsidised?

 

[Richard]

NAP Caseloads Dip in April 2013

Caseloads Reflect Economic Need

April 2013 Participation Tables — 1-Month Change, 1-Year, 5-Year Change, and State-by-state analysis (pdf)

SNAP national participation in April 2013 decreased by 175,902 people over the month to 47,548,694 people, but was 1.3 million persons higher than in April 2012. The Program provided an important nutrition safety net across the country.

Overall, unemployment and underemployment in most states and efforts to enroll more eligible needy people are factors in SNAP caseload trends.

More than one in seven Americans receives SNAP – that percentage (15.2 % percent) is comparable to the percentage of the American workforce affected by unemployment or underemployment (13.9 percent) in April 2013 according to US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics U-6 Measure.

State-by-State Trends

Increases in SNAP caseloads between April 2012 and April 2013 occurred in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The three states registering over-the-year percentage increases of eight percent or higher were MD, IL, WY.

Still Missing Eligible People at a Time of Food Hardship

Despite recent SNAP caseload growth, gaps in participation remain. One in four people eligible for SNAP go unserved. Implementing SNAP policies that improve program access, ensuring staff capacity to process applications, and mounting outreach campaigns to get the word out to the public can help communities maximize the federal recovery dollars available to help local families and businesses.

High rates of unemployment, underemployment, and poverty are contributing to great need. In 2012, nearly one in five Americans struggled with “food hardship,” according to a FRAC analysis of data (pdf) collected through the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project.

SNAP Effect on Participants and Communities

For struggling families, SNAP is making a huge difference on their economic well-being and health. Reports from the U.S. Census Bureau and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) show that SNAP benefits, if counted in income, would have lifted 3.9 million Americans—1.7 million of then children–above the poverty line in 2011.

A Children’s HealthWatch brief (pdf) documents health improvements for young children whose households received increased SNAP benefits provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Researchers compared samples of young children before the recession, before the SNAP benefit boost, and then during the two years following the ARRA SNAP benefit increase. Following the increase, “children in families receiving SNAP were significantly more likely to be classified as ‘well’ than young children whose families were eligible but did not receive SNAP.”

SNAP also matters for local economies. Based on USDA research, it is estimated that each one dollar in federally funded SNAP benefits generates $1.79 in economic activity.

See Historic Trends: 1998 – 2012 for more information.

http://frac.org/reports-and-resources/snapfood-stamp-monthly-participation-data/

SNAP participation has more than doubled since 2001 see link

 

[mzkitty]

what happens to the sub 30 hour week workers regarding provision of healthcare under O Care, none at all or Govt subsidised?

I'm not sure, I think the government will bill you or take it out of any tax refund...

The working poor are not exempt, everybody pays one way or the other.

 

[Richard]

I'm not sure, I think the government will bill you or take it out of any tax refund...

The working poor are not exempt, everybody pays one way or the other.

this is the problem with O Care no-one knows about these important exceptional conditions, if the Govt bills them they (sub 30 hour workers) won't be able to pay

once it comes into force then many people will be utterly screwed, you need a better/simpler system

although they spent years drafting the legislation, remember Bill Clinton wanted to introduce it, the complexities and consequences have not been thought out and that's obvious to me although I'm not resident in the US

 

[Countrybumpkin]

You can't get blood from a turnip-how is someone with a family trying to survive on part time gonna have the cash to buy ins? At least now they can do without and pray everything holds together-but forcing them to pay with money they do not have...gonna be interesting.

 

[etc]

> Of the 11.8 million jobless Americans in June

I don't believe this. This the same bogus rate that does not include long-term people who drop out of the search.

Why do people mindlessly believe BS stats cites by the MSM? We are closer to 20%, not 8 or 9% like they say.

 

[blueridge]

Looking forward to yet another "Summer of Recovery" with ever so slow-simmered econ. stats from the Ministry of Truth.

Served up piping hot with a sauce of long-withered Green Shoots.

Clowns - they are...and worse.