HumanTwined.com » Cost of living http://www.humantwined.com Person to Person, Mind to Heart Fri, 14 May 2010 00:20:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Unemployment Dropped? Try again… http://www.humantwined.com/2010/02/08/unemployment-dropped-try-again/ http://www.humantwined.com/2010/02/08/unemployment-dropped-try-again/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:14:09 +0000 Rebecca http://www.humantwined.com/?p=99 I have a challenge for all of my readers to read deeply between the lines an article written by AP Economics Writer Christopher S. Rugaber.    His recent article read, “January unemployment rate drops to 9.7 percent”.  This article discussed the 8.4 million jobs that were lost in the Great Recession,  20,000 of them last month, and that even the most optimistic estimates believe that it will take another 4 years for the job market to recover.

He quotes, “The unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since August, primarily because a department survey of households found a sharp increase in the number of Americans with jobs. Analysts expected an increase to 10.1 percent.” Christopher noted here that “Seasonal Adjustments” were used in calculating.  Basically that means that the entire year was added and divided by 12 to come up with an average rather than actual figures.  Hmmmm.  Do you think when the numbers are up next summer that they will use “seasonal adjustments” to artificially lower them?  Some how I doubt that.

What happened to all of those people on extensions that fell off the unemployment roles?  Congress had approved the extensions but then didn’t approve to fund the extensions for more than a year at a time.  They missed funding it in December when it was so critical while we were all distracted by the health care bill which wasn’t and so therefore we wonder if the move was a political slight of hand so they could say Unemployment levels have dropped.   Did they forget about all those people who fell off the rolls because they used up their unemployment and there were no more extensions available?    Or did they want the people to forget?  Of course unemployment will decline and continue to decline as long as unemployment doesn’t provide a safety net for those people who are un or under-employed.  Michigan provides small amounts of help.  You can get small amounts of grocery help if you are on unemployment and believe me, it’s not enough.  No affordable medical coverage is available while you are on unemployment and once off the rolls plan on loosing your dignity, your home, your car and anything else you aren’t able to sell before any assistance is forth coming.  If you become homeless there is even a risk of loosing your children.  It is terrifying and scandalous.  Anyone out there have ideas for those of us who “fell off” the roles and therefore are no longer considered unemployed?

The jobs that are added are mostly minimum wage.   Perhaps all of our lawmakers should try to live on $7.25 per hour.   Cost of living rose 2.7% last year, and general wages rose about *2% but jobs declined by *6%.   Minimum wage didn’t recognize the increase at all.   Do the math.  It doesn’t add up. I should note here that government pay increased by 3.7%, a full 1% above the cost of living increase.  I would just like to make enough to meet the cost of living.

Bills have been submitted, such as H.R. 156 which would have prevented congress from receiving a pay raise in 2010.  It sat in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee since its introduction on January 6, 2009.  H. R. 201 would have provided that no automatic pay adjustment for Members of Congress shall be made in the year following a fiscal year in which there is a Federal budget deficit. It got stuck in the same committee and you will find that most if not all of the bills submitted that would regulate congressional pay according to Washingtonwatch.com met the same fate.  Just in case you wanted to know I have listed the committee members below.  Please write them and vote accordingly!

Democrats

Republicans

  • Rep. Darrell Issa, California, Ranking Minority Member
  • Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana
  • Rep. John L. Mica, Florida
  • Rep. Mark E. Souder, Indiana
  • Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee
  • Rep. Michael Turner, Ohio
  • Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, Georgia
  • Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina
  • Rep. Brian Bilbray, California
  • Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio
  • Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona
  • Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraska
  • Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah
  • Rep. Aaron Schock, Illinois
  • Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri
  • Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, Louisiana
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