Discontented?

[Stormyskies]

Discontented?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67% of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69% of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4% of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70% of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31% approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69% of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads, and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they were going to allow a murderer like O. J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did, how he would do it . Insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

I suggest we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.

[funkycamper]

Oh, heck....I'm pretty fed up with lies right now after listening to the Commander-in-Concoctions tonight. So, here goes:

Could it be that 95.4% of these unhappy folks have a job?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You might enjoy reading some of the stories of American workers who have lost their jobs, can't find new jobs, or find jobs paying far less than they have been used to getting for their level of training/education. You have heard of outsourcing, haven't you? Check it out.

Also, the unemployment rate is really just a guess. And, considering the parameters used, it's a poor guess. Why do I say this?

* If you are sick and can't work this week, even if you DON'T HAVE SICKLEAVE PAY, you are considered employed. Yes, employed but no paycheck, or a reduced paycheck this week.

* If you are a full-time student who is not current employed, you are not counted because they don't considered full-time students part of the workforce. If you are in college or voc-tech school, chances are, you need a job. I know quite a few students who are unemployed right now and desperately seeking work. In fact, two of them have been couch-surfing at our house since the term began after New Year's because they can't afford their own lodging until they get work. Since young adults are the fastest growing group of homeless folks (and, yes, couch-surfing qualifies as being homeless), I'm sure I'm not the only person in this country with a unemployed student who isn't counted as part of the unemployment numbers sleeping on one of my couches.

* If you are on strike, you are considered employed even though you aren't getting a paycheck.

* If you work one hour...repeat, one hour, 1 hour, one whole hour...during the week, you are considered employed. How many of us can pay our mortgage/rent, our heating/cooling bills, etc. on 1 hour's pay? Not me. There are many people in our current economy working part-time who really want and need full-time jobs.

* Even though many senior citizens work because they need to due, people of that age aren't counted in the unemployment figures. However, a percentage of them need to work and are seeking work. What percentage? I have no idea. It's probably fairly low but keeping them out of the unemployment figures definitely skews that number.

* People with disabilities, including developmental disabilities, are also excluded from the unemployment figures. Odd, considering a large portion of those with developmental disabilities do work and need to work. I have two good friends who work in two different organizations devoted to finding jobs for those with developmental disabilities. So these folks are in the labor market but they are not counted. Again, this skews the numbers.

* It only includes those who have looked for a job within the last four weeks. In other words, if you have been chronically unemployed and have become so discouraged that you aren't seeking work at the present time, you are not counted.

* Homeless...this is a big one! The Bureau of Labor Statistics gets it's unemployment/employment number is gotten by doing a household survey. If you don't have a household, you aren't surveyed. D'oh!! Another thing to skew the numbers!

Anyway, since this is a survey, it is never going to be 100% accurate.

Due to these deficiencies, many labor market economists prefer to look at a range of economic statistics such as:

* Labor market participation rate (the percentage of people aged between 15 and 64 who are currently employed or searching for employment)
* The total number of full-time jobs in an economy
* The number of people seeking work as a raw number and not a percentage
* The total number of person-hours worked in a month compared to the total number of person-hours people would like to work

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Source
and BLS

Oh, I wish I had found this article sooner. It explains the problems with the unemployment rate better than I have. Check it out.


OK, now, let's talk about under-employment. We all know somebody who has had to find a new job that included a cut in pay, a cut in benefits, and/or a cut in hours, right?

Underemployment has been tracked since 1994. It was at its lowest in the late 90's. The last year I could find figures for this is 2004 when the rate was 9.6% (Source)

I could go on, but I think that's enough to blow that comment out of the water.

And I could easily do that with just about every statement in the OP.

And my dissatisfaction with the direction of this country is not because I want more for me. I'm pretty satisfied with my situation. It's just that the world doesn't end with me. I also care about other people. When roughly 45 million people have no health insurance, when our national debt/deficit is so high that our grandchildren will be paying off our bills, when 3000+ Americans have died in a ridiculous, imperialist war...whew! Anybody not living in Fantasyland should be dissatisfied with the direction this country is going in. I'd rather live in the reality-based world, warts and all.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 11, 2007 01:40 AM: Message edited by: funkycamper ]</font>

[funkycamper]

Stormy, it's appropriate to give credit to the author. And most people would have supplied a link as well. Well, thank goodness for The Google. You can read the original at http://onthepatio.typepad.com/on_the...contented.html

This little diatribe only works if life is all about me. Me, me, me! Yes, we have a decent income. Our pantry is full. We have a car that runs and we do roadtrips once in awhile that takes us across state lines without having to present papers. Blah, blah, blah.

Now, let's get onto facts:

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">In terms of heating, the EIA estimates that if you use heating oil your costs this winter will increase an average of 6.4 percent to $1,523. If you use electric heat, the EIA projects a jump of 9.2 percent to $853.

But if you're a natural gas user, your average bill for the season will run an average of $860, down 8.9 percent from this year. Source

Average wage increases for 2006 were 3.6% and are expected to remain at this level for 2007. Source

So, your heating bill is going up at 2-3 times what your salary is going up (unless you're lucky enough to use natural gas, then give yourself a raise).

You do realize that there are people who can't afford to heat or cool their homes, aren't you, Stormy? Each year when there are heatwaves, the reason why it is an issue is that people die from the heat because they can't afford to cool their homes. And each year, when there is extreme cold, people die for lack of heat.

Heatwaves kill more people in the United States than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods combined.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Source: Red Cross

In the heatwaves of July 25-Aug 27, 2006, at least 225 Americans died. Source

With a bit of searching, I could find information on how many people die due to cold. And, quite often, those who die are those who fell ill because they couldn't heat their home. The numbers of homeless people who die aren't as easily tracked. But it happens.

Anyway, I could poke holes in all of this guy's comments like this by using facts instead of words based on fluff. When one lives in a fantasy world or when one chooses to live in such an insular fashion that one believes their life represents the lives of everybody else, then it's easy to show how off-base that person's perceptions are.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 11, 2007 12:30 AM: Message edited by: funkycamper ]</font>

[Jeeperrr]

Originally posted by funkycamper:

And my dissatisfaction with the direction of this country is not because I want more for me. I'm pretty satisfied with my situation. It's just that the world doesn't end with me. I also care about other people. When roughly 45 million people have no health insurance, when our national debt/deficit is so high that our grandchildren will be paying off our bills, when 3000+ Americans have died in a ridiculous, imperialist war...whew! Anybody not living in Fantasyland should be dissatisfied with the direction this country is going in. I'd rather live in the reality-based world, warts and all.

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ January 11, 2007 01:40 AM: Message edited by: funkycamper ]</font></font>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">To me this has always been the basic difference between the Neocons and the rest of us. They live in a bubble, and as long as their little world is okay, nothing else matters.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 13, 2007 03:51 PM: Message edited by: Jeeperrr ]</font>

[Jeeperrr]

Originally posted by Stormyskies:
No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This statement is totally ludicrous. Time and again when people from other countries are polled or interviewed at international events, they say that they love America and its people, but despise the current administration.

[senorina]

I thought the article had a lot of very valid points.

I find that most Americans really don't realize how good our lives are compared to most of the world, and they would complain a lot less if they got to experience the true hardships in life that much of the world faces each day.

[funkycamper]

Don't assume that none of us know what some of the rest of the world is like. Other industrialized countries do far better than we do in caring for the poor. 3rd-world countries do worse. I would say we're about in the middle. We could do better.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 28, 2007 01:54 PM: Message edited by: funkycamper ]</font>

[senorina]

Originally posted by funkycamper:
Don't assume that none of us know what some of the rest of the world is like. Other industrialized countries do far better than we do in caring for the poor. 3rd-world countries do worse. I would say we're about in the middle. We could do better.

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ January 28, 2007 01:54 PM: Message edited by: funkycamper ]</font></font>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">um...I didn't see anyone assume that "none of us" know what the rest of the world is like.

Don't forget that a lot of the countries that "do better than us" taking care of the poor are getting an awful lot of financial help from us which helps them do so.

[funkycamper]

Don't forget that a lot of the countries that "do better than us" taking care of the poor are getting an awful lot of financial help from us which helps them do so.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Please elaborate.

From what I can find, these are the nations that receive the most aid (in descending order): Iraq, Israel, Egypt, Afghanistan, Columbia, Jordan, Pakistan, Liberia, Peru, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Turkey, Uganda, Sudan, Indonesia, Kenya.

Countries that give aid to other countries (also in descending order): USA, Japan, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Canada, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Australia, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg, New Zealand.

The countries that have superior programs to assist their citizens, than those we enjoy in the US, are those in the second group...the group of givers. Source

A google didn't really turn up any evidence that we are still giving aid to any European countries beyond our portion of NATO agreements. If I'm missing something, please let me know.