Are Jobs in America held down on purpose

Jobs in America, are we being held down on purpose?

So what is the big deal about jobs and the unemployment rate in America?  First, let’s clear up the myth that just because the unemployment rate declines it means people are back to work.  On the contrary, these numbers are erroneous and do not reflect how many people are working.   It simply means fewer people are collecting or applying for unemployment.

You have to look at the workforce participation rate and the U.S. labor force participation rate in 2013 was the lowest since 1979.  So the people without a job, who have stopped looking for one are no longer counted as unemployed. 

That's why the U.S. unemployment rate dropped in despite weak hiring.  If the 496,000 who left the labor force last month had still been looking for jobs, the unemployment rate would have risen to 7.9 percent.

So what are we doing to put people back to work?  It is easier to answer what we are not doing to put people back to work.

Let’s start with the national debt which is at $19 Trillion http://www.usdebtclock.org/ this is money we have borrowed to cover expense of things we can't afford, including interest payments on the debt.  Keep in mind it does not count all of the unfunded obligations.  The current administration wants you to believe by borrowing money and pumping it into the economy adds jobs.  Here is one example of how they are wrong. 

Currently China owns 25% of our debt which is which is used to prop

up both economies. The US wants to pump billions into the economy so it borrows it.  China does not want all that cash from the products we bought pouring into their economy because it would cause the value of their dollar to rise and make the products they sell to the US less affordable.  So they lend the US that money. Very Nice arrangement right?  Wrong… at least for the jobs in the US.

You see the US manufacturing level verses GDP have declined for years.  Imagine what would happen if China could not artificially devalue their dollar and if they would have to compete with the US for manufacturing.  Remember built in America.  Now it is just bought in America.

Let’s look at energy production in the US and how it might be hurting jobs and even helping terrorism.

1. By not using our oil and natural gas resources we must import more oil.  If we started producing more oil and using more natural gas it would have an impact on the global market, hitting Russia and the Middle East the hardest. 

This would put thousand to work in the US in our oil fields and refineries.  Where do you think most terrorist get their funding?  From oil rich nations and if the price of oil dropped below $70 a barrel they could no longer afford to rage war on the US.  This would cripple Iran.  Bam.. two birds with one stone.

2. By not exporting coal to China it cost jobs at the mines and the shipping ports.  We have enormous amounts of coal still in the ground and stock piled above the ground.  By not exporting it to China we have a double negative impact.  The mining industry has been cut in half and the loss of revenue from China.  If we shipped all this coal to China it would create thousands of jobs at the mines and ports and the sale to China would help balance out our GDP. By balancing our trade debt with China we would be able to pay down that debt we are leaving our children.  A Twofer

3. The new coal fired power plant regulation makes it more expensive if not impossible to produce power and will cause more manufacturing jobs to be moved offshore.   What is the one thing all manufacturing plants in the US use?  Electric power and they need lots of it and need to get it cheap.  So what about the impact on the environment?  If you shut down all the coal power plants it would reduce the carbon output by .02% 

4. Here is the weird one, using solar panels.  We are installing millions of solar panels each year and in the process, millions of pounds of polluted sludge and contaminated water are create through the manufacturing process.   Here is the twist, most of those panels are made in China and the failure rate is 5.5% to 22% over 18 months.  Here is an example of that, solar panels covering a vast warehouse roof in the sun-soaked Inland Empire region east of Los Angeles were only two years into their expected 25-year life span when they began to fail.  A Double whammy!

5. OK.. so let’s produce our energy with wind, there is a problem there too.  They take up vast amounts of space and only produce power on windy days.  Wind farms can cause climate change, according to new research, that shows for the first time the new technology is already pushing up temperatures.  Man-made Global warming! 

What else is impacting jobs.

Taxes… that dirty little word.  When you tax people more and more of what they make they have less to spend on buying those things we manufacture or service we provide in the US.  So when we buy fewer things and services, the fewer things we build and the fewer services are needed.  I don’t call it trickle down, I call it the water fall effect and here is why.  Now we are all making less and paying fewer taxes but the government keeps spending at the same rate or higher, so they raise taxes on some groups to make up the difference and so it continues.  Farmers, Rancher and the American Indians all knew this, don’t over use your resources or soon you will not have enough to support the family.  The taxpayer is that resource which is being over used.

Government services are not unlimited and cannot sustain everyone, there is a tipping point. According to the Census Bureau, there are over 100 million people on welfare and another 8 million on Social Security Disability.  This is 1/3 of our population. 

So what do you do?  Change the system; everyone must be accountable for their input and output.  It is OK to take out of the system if overall you put back more than you took.  I suggested that everyone on Welfare be retrained as part of their benefits and if they don’t participate, they lose their benefits.   This will get rid of the drug addicts, they won’t show.  Change the name officially to WorkFare, when not in training they are working, I see a lot of streets that need to be repaired and cleaned, sidewalks needing to be repaired, public housing needing renovation.  All of this work will give them self-esteem and new skills.

Education and the debt required to get a four year degree.  You want to invest in America, invest in our greatest resource, the people.  The greatest resource many countries have are the talents and brains of the population.  Do you realize we import 70,000 smart people every year thorough our H1 visa program.  These are the guys and gals running many of our corporate computer systems, among other things.  This does not count the talent we tap into from India and other countries because it is not available locally.  

So how do you pay for this investment in education? When you open up federal land for Oil and Gas exploration use the dividends from the Federal Oil wealth is to invest in education?  It is already being done.  Alaska citizens (man, women and child) receive between $800 and $2,000 every year from the permanent fund.

Punishment... why and for how long?

What if you made a mistake and someone rubbed your nose in it every day..... for the rest of your life?

So many people who are trying to get their life back on track are tripped up by the very system they are told is there to help them. I know so many on parole and probation who say their parole officer changes the rules regularly, put obstacles in their way to trip them up. They tell me, they believe it is to make them fail so it looks like the officer is doing their job.

Does the system treat everyone one the same, unfairly.... because there are so many who abuse the system, lie, cheat and steal at every turn, tainting the officers and making them cold and callus. Are the officers so overloaded they have to treat everyone as a number not a person with potential?

So what happens to those who are really trying, to do the right thing, turn their mistakes into positives. Some just give up, and say " what's the use" and they go back to their old ways and just waits for the enviable. Back to prison.

Does the system reward the wrong behavior from the officers. Does it reward them for how many possible crimes they may have prevented... I don't know how they are rewarded, but I know the system is broken. Maybe it should reward them for how many people they get back on track and not back in jail... Why do 76% end up back in jail?

Prisons and Parole/Probation unions employ a lot of people and have a lot of money to lobby our elected officials.

Are we just Feeding the beast...

Life of a Felon...

Have you ever thought about what happens to someone who has been arrested and charged with a felony?  What if that felony was because of multiple arrest for drug use or stealing to support their drug use?

Here is the problem, there are limited options for treatment and so without proper treatment, they relapse 80% of the time and end up becoming a habitual drug users and then habitual offenders.  What usually happens is they are arrested multiple times, and finally charged with a felony and sent to prison and may even go through some form of treatment while in prison.  Once they are released from prison they have a parole officer, a curfew and fines and fees to pay.  That’s where the problem really begins.  There are not many employers who will hire a felon, if you apply for a job and are truthful and put on the application you have a felony, that application goes to the bottom of the pile.  In addition, how many landlords will rent to a felon?  So they end up sleeping on couches wherever they can until they wear out their welcome and they end up on the streets selling drugs again trying to support themselves.  On top of all this they have had to learn to be a thug just to survive in prison.  What do you think happens to a nice guy in prison…?  Yes, that’s right.

Now that I have painted part of the picture here is what happens to many.  According to government statistics 76% of those on parole end up back in jail within five years.  While in jail they get accustomed to prison life and many find that because they have a felony prison life is easier than life on the outside. 

They used to say prison is to reform criminal behavior but in most cases it makes things worse.  Children lose their parent, parents lose their children, wives lose their husbands.  There are too many single moms struggling to get by.  No one wins.

Think about it, to protect us from these so called "bad guys" we have made the problem worse.  They come out worse than they went in, they can’t get a job, their family doesn’t trust them and they have nowhere to live.  How do you think they now see themselves now?  They have taken ownership of every label that society has given them and wear it like armor.  You can’t hurt them anymore than they have been hurt already, yeah I know, most of it was caused by what they did, but now they have nothing to lose. 

We need more treatment, not more prison guards.   Treatment needs to include a complete education; job skills, how keep a job, coping skills, character building and conflict resolution. We need to teach them how to survive in the real world and in the workplace. If you just toss them back into situations where they will use the same skills they have always used, which they are quite skilled at and they will fail. 

We need to help them take off that mask they have put on to protect themselves.  Remember when they were children… They didn’t have to wear a mask.

A burst appendix and addiction

A burst appendix and addiction are similar, the both cause pain we can not see.

When we treat a disease we must remember there is a human being behind the disease.  Too often we forget there is a person with feelings behind the behavior, the illness, the struggles and the pain.  We go through life reacting because of our life experience, our callousness and our pain.   

When a doctor is treating a patient with cancer it is easy to remove their self from the human in front of them and see it is just another problem to solve, just another form to fill out.  When we treat an addict we must remember there is a human being behind all the anger, deceit and bad choices.  We must remember they didn’t start out this way, they became this way over time.  The tough part is not to become cold and callous to their condition.  Sure they are going to lie, yell, and treat you poorly. They will even cheat on their UA test, we must look at why they are acting this way.  Is it out of shame, guilt, the pain or is it how they have learned to protect themselves.  When you confront them about lying, cheating and their bad behavior it’s their nature react, to want to protect themselves with more lies to cover up the last lie.  We must look beyond this and still treat them as a person who is hurting. 

What if you were rushed into the emergency room screaming in pain because your appendix just burst and the surgeon said“until you clam down and stop screaming I am not going to treat you”.  The patient would die before that happened.

Realize an addict is in pain; pain you can't see or understand.  Don’t take it personally and don’t let it make you cold and callous.  Look beyond the lies, the anger and the behavior and treat them as a human being in pain. 

Discover what is causing their pain, causing them to act this way, what are they afraid of if they tell the truth and ask for help.  They may not know and we must help them answer the question.

When the surgeon asks the patient where does it hurt, they may get “everywhere” or even “I already told you &(#)#^&..”  This doesn’t deter the nurses and doctors from their mission of saving a life.

You must not be deterred from your mission, because how you treat an addict may save their life and someone else’s life.  

Humanitarian crisis unfolding

Humanitarian crisis unfolding crisis right here at home.

We need to focus on our citizens...

Our prisons are full but not because of crime… Did you know that there are over 705,600 mentally ill being housed in our prisons and are not being treated but instead many are kept in isolation.

Did you know that on any given night there are 57,849 veterans are homeless?  I’m sure you know that there are literally thousands of veterans are still waiting for treatment and many have died waiting for that treatment from our Veterans Administration.

There are 22 million drug addicts and 13 million alcoholics in the United States 27% of the population in the United States will suffer from some form of substance abuse in their lifetime.

What about those who still can’t find a job to feed their family

As of July 2015 the Bureau of Labor statistics state that there are 8.3 million workers currently unemployed, this does not take into account the 90 million who have left the workforce. Currently there are 110 million people on welfare and we spend a $1 trillion to support these programs.

So when you hear people talking about the crisis at the border, stop and think what is happening within our borders, with the citizens of the United States. Think about how they are constantly being neglected and mistreated by our own government.

If you can’t feed your family you are not worried about healthcare.  Our government has spent over a $1 billion on a health care system that still hasn't lived up to the promise of increased access and reduced cost.  How about spending that on building the economy?

Don’t you think it’s time that we sweep our own doorstep and take care of our own citizens instead of trying to solve the problems of every person who comes knocking on our door?  We have a  humanitarian crisis unfolding crisis right here at home.

 http://nicic.gov/mentalillness

http://rt.com/usa/mental-illness-jail-hospital-281/

http://www.familyhomelessness.org/children.php?p=ts

http://www.statisticbrain.com/high-school-dropout-statistics/

http://www.statisticbrain.com/welfare-statistics/

Addiction!! Is like a Snow Cone..

Do you struggle with addiction?  Maybe not... Or maybe you do and don't event realize it.  Do you smoke? Do you eat sweets, drink soda or coffee?  Have you tried to stop any of these?

Many people think of an addict as someone abusing drugs or alcohol and wonders why they just don't stop.  Have you seen the commercials on smoking, showing a person dying from lung cancer and still smoking?  Why would anyone keep doing something that may cost them everything?  They may lose their job, their family, their freedom or even their life.

The answer is not that simple, but it involves your brain.  In simple terms, your  brain was taught by you, what to like or not to like and when this changes your brain is not happy.  Everything you do affects your brain; exercise, watching TV, drinking coffee or even social media. Yes their is an addiction called Internet addiction disorder (IAD).  Have you ever tried to start or stop a habit?  Its not easy.

Lets magnify this a little, if you use drugs or alcohol it changes your brain chemistry an when you try to stop your brain doesn't like it at all.  It will doing anything to get those chemicals back you have been pouring into it every day for years.

Think of addiction this way, have you ever had a snow cone, at first it taste really good and is a bright blue or red, but then all that flavor and color drains to the bottom and now their is no color and no flavor.  This is your brain on drugs.. once the ice has not flavor and no color the brain wants it back.. The brain says.. "Pour more of that syrup on me please".  

 Your brain will try to override everything you do to get you back to doing what it wants.  Until... You retrain you brain.  So next time you can't just walk by a cookie think about who is asking for that cookie? you or your brain.

Addiction is like a Skunk

Addiction is like a Skunk… it looks really soft, fun and friendly… until it turns on you and sprays you. Once you get that smell on you, no one wants to be around you.  After a while you can’t smell it and wonder why no one wants you around.  It’s because you stink of addiction, you make everyone one who gets near run the other way and you refuse to listen and take bath in tomato juice.  Now you are the angry skunk that bites the hand that feeds you. 

I saw this post on Facebook recently and there is some truth to it.... 

It made me stop and think… I work with enough addicts to see what could be behind a post like this; such as fear and hopelessness and maybe even trying justification their behavior for not trying to do something about.  When you are offered opportunity after opportunity and all you do is find a reason why the timing is bad or it’s not the right solution for you... etc etc etc...  There comes a time when you need to choose to stop using your addiction as a crutch and do something for yourself.   Look at those around you and ask how they did it... Do what they did until you find a better way and continue to do.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our addition and labels we become handicapped by them, paralyzed by them.  We start to believe our own lies, our own thinking and can’t understand why we are the only one who gets it. You believe you are the only one who understands what you are going through.  Have you ever stopped to think maybe it’s me, maybe I am the one who doesn’t get it?  The problem with addiction is sometimes you can’t see through your own cloud.  You are stuck in your addiction and you can’t see beyond your own thoughts, your own perceived reality, you can’t hear what others are saying.  All you hear is I am broken, damaged, hopeless, worthless, a burden.  I am not worthy, I don’t matter.

Being damaged inside, in some ways, is more difficult than on the outside because no one can see the damage. When we are damaged inside we wear a mask to hide the pain.   When someone loses a leg it’s kind of obvious.  So which is harder to recovery from, internal damage or external damage?  Well, it depends on you and how willing you are to do something about it.

 

When we look at how the brain works it becomes very clear why this happens.  When we hear something long enough, feel something long enough, we begin to believe it, and hold on to it with both hands.  We become it, it has dug deep ruts in our brain.  As Earl Nightingale said "The only difference between a rut and a grave is one has the ends kicked out."   The same applies to some mental illness, they can consume us.  It's like the black dog of depression, when he gets a hold of us we can’t shake him.  Everywhere we go he follows us, waiting, for a sign of weakness, so he can devour us. 

So where and how do you get started with changing your thinking?  Change starts one step at a time, one new thought at a time, trying something different.  Think about how someone who has lost a leg, or both legs learn to walk again.  Can you image getting out of bed and realizing you can’t walk, when you try to stand up you fall flat on your face because you forgot you don’t have legs?  They have to change their thinking and not just jump out of bed like they have for the last thirty years. Now imagine how easily the addition could catch who lost their legs, they have the perfect excuse, they can’t even walk… or can they? 

Next time you think you will never be anything but an addict, think of the person who lost both legs in an accident and chose to walk again instead of laying down and accepting their fate.  The fate of never walking again, letting that black dog of depression catch them.  For them the skunk of addiction could look like an easy solution.  

Why do some choose to walk when others choose to fall? 

They choose because they know anything is possible, they hold on with every fiber of their being to

Hope, Meaning and Purpose so they can run again.