Blogasbord

Some interesting reads here. I hope you enjoy:

Most of the Unemployed No Longer Receive Benefits -- A discouraging article from Fox about how many Americans are still unemployed, and that their unemployment benefits have run out. It's important to remember that so many of the unemployed are not even counted in the statistics, ever -- anyone who didn't lose a job (college grads) or anyone whose employer did not pay into the unemployment benefit fund. Many people fall into this category. Thus, the true unemployment number is much higher than 9% -- probably closer to 13 or 14 %. All these unemployed people who aren't receiving benefits anymore?  They're no longer counted in the unemployment number either.

Herman Cain & Newt Gingrich video -- If you don't do anything else, please go to this site and watch the video. I like it particularly b/c they are allowed time to really talk and explain their ideas and passions, their plans and policies. They are polite and gentlemanly to each other; I'm so sick of the wrangling and meanness in these debates! It's not really a debate, just a leisurely discussion. We need more of this, and less of the finger-pointing. The men felt free to say when they fully agreed with each other. Newt is smart and articulate, but his personal life is a bit scary to me.

G20 Summit Fails -- If the whole debacle of Europe's economic plight is confusing to you, this article might help. I'm glad Congress clamped down on Obama and told him, "We can't help right now!" They need to clean up their own messes.


Poverty Analysis is Wrong -- I found this article interesting and illuminating. US Gov't evaluations of poverty statistics has been erroneous. In examining poor people, they don't take into account the entitlement benefits they're receiving. So, some of our "poor" are actually doing rather well, and some people who don't get entitlements at all, are probably doing worse. Worth reading.


Economic Inequality Is the Wrong Issue -- A friend recommended this one. Basically the writer says that our problem in the US isn't that some people have less stuff, it's that some people are more stuck in their economic pig sty. They can't move. He says "economic mobility" is the real issue, that people won't be dissatisfied with poverty if they know they can move out of it. If they feel stuck (and stuck by someone else's doing), then they get really mad. He makes one fascinating point about the increase of "poor households" in the US -- when couples divorce and have to make their income cover two houses instead of one, both houses automatically become poorer. Divorce makes the nation poorer.

Where are the Men? -- For all the lonely Christian women out there, this is a good read. For all the hiding Christian men, this is useful too. Where are the godly men? Why are our churches not producing them? Why aren't they marrying? He addresses some of these questions.