The Decline of the American Way of Life

J. D. Powers Research Group a nationally recognized research company has published a video report based on statistics gathered from various sources.  This report is THE BEST one I have heard as it gives the hard cold stats and facts on the real condition and situation we have here in this country. 

Some of the bullet points: Emphasis is added.

• "To save money, 46% ignore cracked teeth and lost fillings and 13% do repairs on their own brokeen glasses"  Source: The Press Association, July 2009
• "People are eating out less, clipping coupons, and staying home.  When they do eat out, fast food value meals under $5 is thier meal of choice."  Source: Times Free Press, July 2009
• "Prices for consumer goods have increased every year since 1955 and are currently 803% higher."  Source:  The U.S. Department of Labor
• Energy prices have increased 438.1% since 1960 (rising faster then income).  Source:  The US Energy Information Administration
• "Since 2005 the average home's value declined a record 31.1%."  Source:  S&P/Case-Schiller, May 26, 2009
• "$6.1 trillion in home values have been lost since 2006."  Source:  Zillow.com, Feb 3, 2009
• A mountain of debt:  "In 2006, the United States Census Bureau determined that there were nearly 1.5 billion credit cards in use in the U.S.  A stack of all those credit cards would reach more then 70 miles into space== and be almost as tall as 13
  Source: NY Times, Feb 23, 2009
• We are getting poorer:  "As household wealth has declined in the downturn, more American families are facing financial distress due to high debt burdens.  in 2007, before the recession began, 14.7 percent of U.S. families had debt (payments) exceeding 40 percent of their income."  Source:  U.S. Congress' JointEconomic Committee, May, 2009
• "Household debt as a proportion of disposable income is a whopping 128%." Source:  Wall Street Journal, July, 2009
• "The U.S. has now lost about 7.2 million jobs since the recession began."  Source:  US News and World Report, July 2009  More job loss is on the way.
• "For the first time since the Depression, the American economy has added virtually no jobs in the private sector over a 10 year period.  The total number of jobs has grown a bit, but that is only because of gevernemtn hiring."  Source:  NY Timnes, August 7, 2009
• Outsourcing massacre:  "The IUE union, which represents General Electric workers, has estimated that during the last five to seven years, GE has fired more then 100,000 workers, one of the nations biggest "outsourcing massacres."  Source:  Executive Intelligence Review, Nov, 2003
• "Economists predict unemployment to be at the current level or higher until 2011."  Source:  Wall Street Journal, June, 2009
• "Americans receiving unemployment benefits total 6.88 million, which is a new record high and more then double what it was this same time last year."  Source:  The U.S. Department of Labor, July 2009
• "Unemployment Insurance benefits replaced only 33% of an average worker's lost earnings."  Source:  Economic Policy Institute.  This is causing people to choose between paying for necessities like food and making mortgage payments. 
• "Consumer delinqu3ncies hit a record in the first quarter of 2009."  Source:  Wall Street Journal July 2009
• WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? 
•          Not a phase or a trend, but a reality of the new world new economy
•          Your career, income, retirement...All at risk
•          The age of an uninterrupted, employment is over
•          Career income streams will be interrupted with long periods of no earnings
•           Paychecks, earnings, benefits, retirement funds will be drastically impeded, reduced and sometimes eliminated
•           Traditional employment will not even come close to providing for your needs and wants
•           Off-shoring will eliminate whole careers, millions of jobs and entire      industries

The report is NOT optimistic.  It is real and very frightening.  It negates all the optimistic "feel good" propaganda issued by our media and driven by our government.  This is a must hear and see for all.  What it is telling us is that life as we knew it is all but over. 

Our wealth and ability to gain wealth, at any level, is being made impossible.  As this crisis continues so will the decline of the average American.  The American Dream is now the American nightmare.  The future for us and our children will at best be bleak.  Jobs not paying enough to meet everyday obligations  will create the need for each of us to have more then one job and definitely more then one household income - a further deterioration of the "family unit".

Struggling to survive on a daily basis will be the norm not the exception.  Affordable home ownership will be gone and what will be affordable will unattainable due to limited credit facilities for mortgages.  The same will hold true for automobiles, education financing and consumer credit.  With no cash and no credit NO recovery is possible.

It will take years, decades at the very least to begin to even reverse the cycle which government and our overgrown financial corporations have and continue to excercise.  They are still raping America, transferring what wealth is left to themselves for themselves leaving a "have" and "have not" society - a Third World nation.

Only the truth known can lead us individually out of our crisis.  Unless we know the truth we cannot adequately prepare ourselves and change our ways in order to survive.

To survive we need to know the truth and act accordingly.

Wake Up America.  We need to lead not follow.  We need to take back control of "our" country and our lives.  As long as the Constitution is still recognized then it is up to us to insure that it is followed.  We elect and we govern.  Do not let those that we elect take control and do as they like.  That is not the American way.

Click here...to hear the entire report courtesy of Originator Times