What Recovery?

All the talking heads, from the Federal Reserve Chairman, the Treasury Secretary, politicians from the present administration and the news media have been telling us that the economy is improving.   I have to ask, one question.   What country are they talking about and where is the proof?  Maybe those guys are living it up, but all I see are students graduating without jobs or being underemployed and many other people having a difficult time.  Today the unemployment rate is 8.2%, not including the students without jobs.  We have been in the 8% range for three years or more, making it the longest length of high unemployment since the Great Depression.  Even the unemployment rate is a misleading figure since many people have dropped out of the workforce, as I pointed out in a previous commentary. 

But besides unemployment there are other disturbing indicators.  Costs are rising.  I guess everyone sees that gasoline prices are sky high but also food costs have been rising.   The USDA sees 2012 food prices rising 2.5%-3.5%.  College education costs also have been rising every year.  People’s median income has not risen but has dropped in the last few years.  We have seen this week, that home prices have dropped again for a sixth straight month to nearly a decade low.  The housing industry has never recovered.   America has a 15 trillion national debt that is growing daily.  But at least the interest rates are low, for now.  Does not seem like anyone cares.  There has not even been a national budget passed since April 29, 2009.  No hurry, no worry, the recovery is taking hold and making everything better. 

I guess the only indication these people are really looking at is the stock market, which has been in recovery since 2008.  But even this is a little bit of a false indication.  Corporations with cash have been buying back their own stock and the cautious investors such as the old and retired are forced to put their money into the stock market because bank accounts and other forms of fixed income investments offer so little in interest.  These investors who rely on fixed incomes are feeling no type of recovery in this market.  This stock market effect may not last long either, as many European countries are heading into dire straits and are facing another recession or the specter of bankruptcy.  We may see why the national debt is something that should not be ignored very soon.  If or when this happens, all the markets will be affected from Asia to the USA.  Everyone has kicked the can down the road and I cannot understand or see where we or the world has fixed any of our economic problems since the downturn of 2008.  I guess the fix was that time heals all wounds and that spending more money was the band aid to hold it all together.  But if you do not cure the disease, all the time and band aids can’t keep our problems from returning with a vengeance.

So where is the recovery?  We are not there yet and we do not seem to be close to one either.   We better realize our present situation and keep an eye out for any more hits to our economy.

Sorry, You Should not Force your Morals on Others.

Contraception Controversy

Sorry, I disagree with the author of this article.  The reason for the " controversy " with free contraception is that the President and his supporters are forcing their beliefs on others and then forcing them to pay for it.  His back step to the controversy was to say he would make the insurance companies to pay for the costs.  This is not a valid option to the traditional religiously affiliated organizations.  They still will be forced by government to give money to insurance companies, who are likewise forced to give contraceptives to people under the policies.  Contraceptives include things such as the morning after pill and other drugs that these groups feel are abortifacients (causing abortion).   Seems like the government wants these groups to accept this practice as normal, reject their own beliefs and then force them to pay for it. 

 From this article and others that I read that support this mandate, they seem to be ignorant or maybe have shown a hint of intolerance of the religious groups’ reasoning.  Seems funny that many people are usually are crying about the intolerance of the traditional religious groups and these type of groups forcing their beliefs on others.  Now we see the other side forcing their belief that sexual productive rights triumph what the religious groups feel it is their constitutional right for freedom of religion and that the government should not impose on the free exercise of it.  The author talks about the financial burden of pregnancy to the government but cost will still rise with this mandate as well.  Nothing is free, the cost of insurance will rise and the cost of medical problems with drugs will rise, etc…    Note that contraceptives are drugs so it is not like giving out aspirin.  Oh, by the way if contraceptives are free via insurance why not aspirins, vitamins and all the other drugs and supplements that help one to stay healthy.  Also I disagree with the availability and cost of contraceptives.  Generic drugs are not expensive and our given out free of charge by other government organizations.  Paid for by our taxes.  There is no need to force religious groups to lower their beliefs for what a government thinks is its higher beliefs or higher goals.  Remember the Soviet Union, all its policies were for the benefit of society as a whole or for the good of the state.  Religious beliefs there were for old, crazy or dying people.  Let’s not force religious groups to bow down to the government’s beliefs or goals because we think they hold all truths.  If they or any other private company wants to freely pay for it, then it is their choice.  Employees can work there if they choose.  Let’s not be intolerant and overstep the foundations of our country.