"Are people being offered opportunities to succeed as their parents or grandparents did?"
Is America in crisis? Are we entering another recession, or as many of us view this as a continuing recession that never truly ended?
Which side of the aisle you stand on depends on your version of events and truths.
If you stand on the right with Republicans you'll believe the economy is strong.
If you're a left side Democrat you'll believe it's unequal.
The GDP is not a great measure nor is the U3 for obvious reasons. Yet, those interested in stats rely heavily upon both for their inaccuracies.
Keeping in mind: Unpaid labor is not counted as well as those out of the market, the working poor, those working temp/seasonal, and those out of employment longer than six months.
Unemployment doesn't adjust for differences in salary, health care, pensions, or benefits. If one loses a mid class job and takes a lesser salaried position; nothing will change on the unemployment scale.
Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post notes: "Because of globalization, technology, deregulation and changes in business norms, the benefits of economic growth have largely been captured by people at the top. The results have been- for most people, I think-an unacceptable increase in inequality of income and wealth and therefore opportunity which has polarized our politics and rendered our government dysfunctional to the point that it now threatens our prosperity and our democracy."
If you believe the Kool Aid sold by most politicians you might believe this stat: "far more job openings in June 2019, than there were hires."
For those like myself Long Term Unemployed since 2010 when I filed for child support while going through a divorce that ended in 2013- you'd come to learn that re-entry- is obsolete for those parents who gave up careers to raise families, support the homestead, and in large part assist their elderly parents.
This 'free labor' that includes 20 plus years of volunteering was originally sold to me as a great way to 'fill that gap' in employment and shows strength in a variety of fields on your resume.
Needless, to say I can't turn back the clock and that has more to do with job hires (my age) than anything else because I'm not a recent college grad but do have a Masters degree with all the accolades and honors.
Those from the 'Heartland of America' and those from smaller towns like my own in Northeastern Pa are leaving in droves to go elsewhere for opportunities. Sadly, those like self can't afford to do such after a devastating divorce, bankruptcy, long term unemployment, and child support and court visitations altered such plans.
So, to try to correct the wrongs we can invest in infrastructure, focus on smart regulations, revitalize opportunity zones, and invest in scientific research.
However, the truth of the matter is this: consumer borrowing is up right alongside economic inequality and racial segregation.
What we need to do is listen to others who have lived the 'life of hard knocks' and been out on the front line trying to re-enter the force. Using stats to project ideas is not only insufficient it's a waste of time because those numbers are not accurate.
We need to remember that jobs being offered are low wage, temp, seasonal, grant funded, and pay less than poverty wages.
In fact, truth be told: States where welfare recipients are paid more than minimum wage includes my lovely state of Pennsylvania. It's actually almost seven dollars more. https://www.cheatsheet.com/culture/states-welfare-recipients-paid-more-minimum-wage.html/
Now, we can use stats for a variety of reasons and they can be manipulated for or against every argument; but when we wish to discuss colleges and training; because we believe that's the key rather than the truth, being we are very well educated and trained, but they don't want to pay workers what they are worth with living wages; than I'll offer up this stat:
Pa State Colleges among most expensive in nation for RESIDENTS!
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/watchdog/2017/04/07/pa-state-colleges-among-most-expensive-nation-residents/100032374/
We discussed infrastructure and let me go back to that topic as here in my lovely state we have issues there too:https://www.paauditor.gov/press-releases/auditor-general-depasquale-says-pa-turnpike-facing-a-road-to-ruin-constant-toll-increases-unfair-unsustainable
In fact, my bigger issue is more with the pay to play schemes, the corruption, the nepotism in hiring, the kickbacks, the cronyisms. Non of which were discussed in this book.
Lets raise the funding to reduce child poverty: https://www.keystoneresearch.org/sites/default/files/KRC_MinWage_ChildPoverty.pdf
Things like expanding the EITC sounds great, along with the notion of higher wages but reality is different.
Sharing biz profits with employers, having universal child education, upper tax brackets with no more than 40% but no less than 40 either were all addressed here.
Raising corporation GDP in tax revenue also was brought up in these group panel discussions.
However, we need one thing," Talk to actual people who are living difficult lives."
We are currently disconnected and would rather believe the hype and myths associated with poverty and food insecurities than to address the facts.
"The -hanging- by- your- fingernails" was an accurate portrayal of the current economic situation.
The 'Forgotten Americans' was another way to introduce those left behind.
These individuals like myself want to work, don't want handouts but hand ups, and are willing to work hard for the American Dream but cannot do so on minimum wage earnings or part time duties.
These individuals need living wages which keep in mind haven't risen with the cost of living increases and have in fact stayed stagnant.
So again, is it the Republican polarization to blame?
Could the rise of the white nationalism to a larger scale be the only issue?
Is it sexual bigotry in the workplace?
More single parents are on the poverty thresholds as technology is being replaced for automation.
The lack of the chain of command with seniority, the lack of unions, the lack of a voice, or heck the lack of communication has resulted in where we are today.
Everyone has an opinion and sadly it's often those who've not been a part of this broken system with the most to say, those who aren't left behind, those who aren't on the roster for public governmental assistance.
It used to be work hard, earn a living, put your kids through college on a good paying salary.
Now, it's anybody's guess what to do, as you pray, you hope, you wonder is college even worth it since there's no jobs available?
What are we to tell the future generations?
Faced another way, "How frustrating it must be to live in a community bedeviled by dead ends."
I don't have to wonder how things can go wrong so quickly as I am one of those well educated now begging for employment. All the training, all the volunteer work, all the accolades mean nothing without money, power, connections!
What matters most isn't what you know but honestly WHO you know!
The nepotism in hiring, the placement of holds on jobs for friends and family, the hiring of non educated or experienced to fill empty spots when you have those qualified but won't hire because you know it'll cost more all around is the real problem.
Who wants to pay what a worker is truly work, when you can get away with hiring someone with less experience for half the cost w/o benefits and get rid of them before the benefits even apply.
High turnovers are the new norm.
So, I leave with this," Even as pundits & analysts talk about the American economy as though, it's never been better, for huge swaths of poor, working, and middle class Americans, life since the Great Recession has been far short of miraculous."
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