Month: June 2009

Why Is The GOP Not More Appealing?

The GOP has been struggling recently to find its footing in the mpolitical climate of the country and so far they have failed miserably with the exception of the their core membership…..old white guys in the South.

Why is this?  A story recently published by the AP could help explain their problem.

Multiracial Americans have become the fastest growing demographic group, wielding an impact on minority growth that challenges traditional notions of race.The number of multiracial people rose 3.4 percent last year to about 5.2 million, according to the latest census estimates. First given the option in 2000, Americans who check more than one box for race on census surveys have jumped by 33 percent and now make up 5 percent of the minority population — with millions more believed to be uncounted.

Demographers attributed the recent population growth to more social acceptance and slowing immigration. They cited in particular the high public profiles of Tiger Woods and President Barack Obama, a self-described “mutt,” who are having an effect on those who might self-identify as multiracial.

Population figures as of July 2008 show that California, Texas, New York and Florida had the most multiracial people, due partly to higher numbers of second- and later-generation immigrants who are more likely to “marry out.” Measured by percentages, Hawaii ranked first with nearly 1 in 5 residents who were multiracial, followed by Alaska and Oklahoma, both at roughly 4 percent.

Census data also show:

_More than half of the multiracial population was younger than 20 years old, a reflection of declining social stigma as interracial marriages became less taboo.

_Interracial marriages increased threefold to 4.3 million since 2000, when Alabama became the last state to lift its unenforceable ban on interracial marriages. (The Supreme Court barred race-based restrictions on marriage in 1967.) About 1 in 13 marriages are mixed race, with the most prevalent being white-Hispanic, white-American Indian and white-Asian.

_Due to declining immigration because of legal restrictions and the lackluster economy, the growth rates of the Hispanic and Asian populations slowed last year to 3.2 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, compared to multiracial people’s 3.4 percent. The black population rose at a rate of about 1 percent; the white population only marginally increased.

This could be one of the reasons for the growing amount of people that indentify themselves as Dems or Indies and the falling numbers of those that find Repub ideas not as appealing.

What You Talking About Fools?

First it was the economy was doing fine because consumer confidence was up and then a bunch of economist said that the recession would end in 2009, the last of the year.

And now we have this info from the AP:

The U.S. economy sank at a 5.7 percent pace in the first quarter as the brute force of the recession carried over into this year. However, many analysts believe activity isn’t shrinking nearly as much now as the downturn flashes signs of letting up.

There is more to this story from the AP:

The economy’s dismal performance over the last two quarters underscored the toll the recession, which started in December 2007 and is now the longest since World War II, has had on the country. Businesses have ratcheted back spending and slashed 5.7 million jobs to survive the fallout. Financial firms have taken huge losses on soured mortgage investments. Banks and other companies have been forced out of business. Home foreclosures have soared.

Weakness in the first quarter mostly reflected massive cuts in spending by businesses on home building, equipment and software and many other things. U.S. exports plunged, so did spending on commercial construction and inventories. But some of those drops — while huge — were a bit less than first estimated, contributing to the tiny upgrade in overall first-quarter GDP.

And come next Monday GM will most likely go into bankruptcy, putting thousands more workers out of work.

Would you like to talk about foreclosures?

Once again according to the AP:

The mortgage crisis is spreading and hitting new heights: Borrowers with good credit now make up the largest share of foreclosures as job losses and pay cuts exact their toll.A record 12 percent of homeowners with a mortgage were behind on their payments in the first quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Thursday. And the trend is predicted to continue until the end of next year, about six months after unemployment is expected to peak.

I keep asking, will someone please explain the prediction of the recession ending in late 2009?  To me none of this sounds like an end.  If you work, then your recession will last a lot longer than those speculators that make money screwing the working class.

As the recession, which began in 2007, continues the worker gets further and further into a hole.  There is NO help coming.  Maybe it is time for the worker to take his future into his own hands.  Just a thought.