Paycheck-to-Paycheck

Surviving or Thriving, Poverty or Prosperity

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by Carleen MacKay ::  Rob Kinslow

Roughly 75% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, with essentially zero savings, according to a recent study by BankRate.

The “labor force participation rate” (basically the percentage of able-bodied people who are actually working) 140610-infographic-milennials_aaa18f304313383ca6e94d7ae363f8d5.nbcnews-fp-1200-800has fallen every year since 2007. At the close of the final quarter of 2015, it was at its lowest level since the 1970s. (Source: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

How can things really be “normal” in America, when the number of people on food stamps has basically doubled since 2000… or, when HALF of all children born today could be on food stamps at some point in their life? Yes, you read that correctly: Roughly 50% of all children born in America today could be on food stamps at some point in their lifetime. Does that sound “normal” to you?

27308559923_f4a9270098_bCan our country really be back to “normal” when, according to the most recent numbers from the Census Bureau, an incredible 49% of Americans are receiving benefits from at least one government program EVERY SINGLE month? Or, when the minuscule amount we spend on food-stamps, is the reason OUR elected representatives stop passing laws? Or, that the majority of laws passed do nothing to improve the lives of the middle class?

Or, when 52% of all American workers make less than $30,000 a year? Or, when we have years of accumulated infrastructure deferred maintenance to fund and rebuild?

Can things really be “normal” in America when at one point, a single U.S. government-controlled agency (the Federal Reserve) was purchasing up to 70% of the bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury – simply by creating new credit out of thin air? 8759814230_5e4bd08fee_bOr, when the “too-big-to-fail-banks” that got bailed out in 2007 are now actually 25% larger than they were back then? And, how can things be normal when our country’s money supply has increased by 400% since 2006 — all newly created out of thin air, trillions of credit on top of the burgeoning debt we already owed as citizens?

Or, when we created trillions on unnecessary war zones, sacrificed a large chunk of our most talented women and men, whilst creating a generation of wounded warriors whose health care will require our collective billions to provide? Will we do right by them?

As a nation, are we ready to jump-start innovation and reward the entrepreneurship our growing cultural challenges are calling us towards? Are we ready for the convergence of all of these realities in the near future?

So, the big question is about our ability to help others work their way out of the mess we’re all in… Are We Ready?… Are THEY?

 With Aloha from Hawaii’s Workforce Wingmen… and one Angel….

Wanna learn more? Look us up on LinkedIn:  Carleen MacKay ::  Rob Kinslow

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