America is a mess... We are now watching shooting incidents take place on a weekly basis as the US Government continues to push for gun control legislation to strip its citizens of their last line of defense against their own leadership's rush to tyranny. At the same time, we see the US government pushing for wars across the planet as a way to keep their ponzi US dollar alive as the world's "reserve currency". We also see an American people having their minds turned to mush by the brainwashing and lies of their own media as well as the severely poisonous chemicals in their genetically modified food and water.... It is truly sick to see, as a Canadian, how bad my neighbor to the south has turned into a hell hole of despair, poverty, and despotism.For this article, I want to present the following report that comes from Michael Snyder, who writes for the "Investment Watch" blog, at www.investmentwatchblog.com. It is entitled: "19 Reasons Why You Can Laugh When Anyone Tells You That The Economy Is In Good Shape" and takes a point by point look at how truly bad the economic outlook is in the United States at this very moment... I have that report right here for everyone to read for themselves, and as always my usual thoughts and comments to follow:19 Reasons Why You Can Laugh When Anyone Tells You That The Economy Is In Good Shape June 10th, 2014 By Michael SnyderHave you heard the one about the “economic recovery” in the United States? It’s quite funny, but it is not actually true. Every day, the establishment media points to the fact that global stock markets have soared to unprecedented heightsas evidence that the economy is improving. But just because a bunch of wealthy people have gotten temporarily even richer on paper does not mean that the real economy is in good shape. In fact, as you will see below, things just continue to get even tougher for the poor and the middle class. Retail stores are closing at the fastest pace since the fall of Lehman Brothers, the rate of homeownership in this country is the lowest that it has been in 19 years, one out of every five families do not have a single member that is employed, and one out of every five children is living in poverty. We are working harder, earning less and going into more debt. With each passing day, the middle class gets a little bit smaller and the ranks of the poor get a little bit larger. But at least the stock market is doing great, eh?If the U.S. economy really was doing well, government dependence would not beat epidemic levels.If the U.S. economy really was doing well, we wouldn’t have more than a million public school children that are homeless.If the U.S. economy really was doing well, the percentage of Americans that have a job would not be lower than it was when the last recession supposedly “ended”.Nobody that takes an honest look at the numbers can honestly say that the U.S. economy has recovered. The following are 19 reasons why you can laugh when anyone tells you that the economy is in good shape…#1 RadioShack just announced that it is going to close an additional 200 storeson top of what it was already planning to close.#2 During the first quarter of this year, reported earnings by major U.S. retailers missed estimates by the largest margin in 13 years.#3 One out of every three grocery store workers in the state of California is on some form of public assistance.#4 The percentage of Americans that believe that it is a “good time to buy a home” is the lowest that it has been in four years.#5 According to one recent survey, 52 percent of Americans cannot even afford the house that they are living in right now.#6 Sadly, only 36 percent of American adults under the age of 35 currently own a home. That is the lowest level that has ever been recorded.#7 According to one new study, half of all college graduates are still relying on their parents financially when they are two years out of school.#8 The number of planned job cuts by U.S. employers is on the rise again…
Job cuts climbed to the highest level in more than a year, as U.S.-based employers announced plans to reduce payrolls by 52,961 in May, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
#9 Right now, one out of every six men in their prime working years (25 to 54) do not have a job.#10 The percentage of Americans not in the labor force is still at a 36 year high.#11 53 percent of wage earners in the United States make less than $30,000 a year.#12 The average age of vehicles on America’s roads has hit an all-time high of11.4 years. Are we making them better or is it just that people simply cannot afford to buy new vehicles anymore?#13 According to Pulitzer prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston, the economic recovery following the depths of the Great Depression was far superior to what we are experiencing today…
The most eye-opening measure of how poorly the vast majority are faring these days comes from comparing the periods after the Great Recession and the Great Depression.The 90 percent, the vast majority, saw their income decline in 2012 compared with 2009, the year the Great Recession officially ended. Average annual income was down $556, or almost 2 percent, adjusted for inflation, to $30,997.But in 1936, three years after the Great Depression ended, the vast majority enjoyed 31 percent more income than in 1933. The average increase, in today’s dollars, was $2,146 per household.
#14 The U.S. economy did not experience any economic growth during the first quarter of 2014. In fact, it actually contracted.#15 The growth of furniture spending has just gone negative for the first time in about two years.#16 More than 20 percent of all children in the U.S. are living in poverty, and49 million Americans are dealing with food insecurity.#17 As I have written about previously, approximately 20 percent of all American families do not have a single member that is employed at this point.#18 According to a recent Gallup survey, “Unemployment/Jobs” represents the number one concern for U.S. voters.#19 After adjusting for inflation, median household income in the U.S. is nowabout 7 percent lower than it was in the year 2000.NTS Notes: I am not shocked at all by these findings and I absolutely concur with all the points presented here...Points #1 and #2 for example are absolutely true, and the failure of Radio Shack in America is just the tip of the iceberg about how bad the retail market is right now in the US... Anyone living in America only needs to just go to their local mall to see that there are almost no shoppers present, and retailers are all in danger of bankruptcy.Point #7 brings home the disaster of the US college system right now, especially where graduates can no longer be guaranteed jobs and instead are saddled with college debt that they can never ever repay.Point #11 is troubling.. With no proper income, most Americans can no longer to make huge purchases which of course fuels the retail business disaster that is covered in points #1 and #2.....Same as point #12.... Retail auto markets have their newer vehicles priced to the point that most Americans can never purchase a new vehicle.... The logic would dictate that all auto manufacturers should be LOWERING their sticker prices for new vehicles, but due to their want for greed that is impossible...Point #16 is the saddest of all.... Children should never ever be living in poverty. But the US government would rather spend money on wars and Israel than actually work on feeding the most cherished and needy part of their population.And of course point #19 brings home the fact that America is in steep decline.. Fewer people with disposable income in a nation dependent on consumer spending to drive its economy.One other note.... For those who are living in Canada, what is happening in the US definitely does reflect on the trends in this nation as well.... I have seen a drastic reduction in consumer spending in retail malls here as well and there are indeed many retailers that are either going bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcy. The fact is that what happens in the US absolutely does severely affect Canada simply because our major trading partner has always been the US. I said before that when the US sneezes, Canada always catches the cold....The bottom line is that the US economic collapse is no laughing matter, and to me those who honestly think that the US economy (and Canada's as well) is on the "road to recovery" or is in "good shape" are living in a dream world.... They need to wake the hell up to the truth and very quickly..More to comeNTS