NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE (still increasing)

By Reginald Kaigler (DEMCAD)

As many of you know, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' jobless claims soared in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Last week, it reportedly dropped 21,000 to 393,000 new initial claims for unemployment. The media storyline is that sense the aftermath of the storm is easing, the jobless claims are dropping. The problem is that much of the increase in joblessness isn't even coming from New York and New Jersey. What's interesting is that many of the states that reported decreases weren't even in the affect area.

Read more about the jobless claims

U.S. Pending home sales 5.2% soared in October. If this is accurate, this maybe a sign that the housing market has found its bottom. What grabbed my attention was the stark contrast between regions.

Pending home sales in the Midwest and South rose 15.6 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively, while the West and the Northeast dropped by 1.1 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. As a guy living in the Midwest, I can tell you that there are so many people leaving their homes for rentals (and other states) that I suspect a disproportional amount of these sales are going to rentals.

Read more about Housing Sales

Although, the housing sales are encouraging, I'm still concerned about wages, the quality of employment an the number of Americans still on food stamps. As of August 2012, we had a record 47.1 million Americans collecting food stamps. Some people have argued that much the increase is explained by the Obama's administration easing of the requirements. But the fact of the matter is that historically, we only see large increases in food stamp participation during recessions and hard economic times. The number soar in late 2008 before Obama even entered the Oval Office.

Between August 2011 and August 2012, there was a 1.6 million increase in the amount of Americans receiving food stamps. It's been climbing for 4 straight years.

The government has been able to artificially lower the unemployment rate by excluding the millions of Americans who have given up looking for work because there is no real work. The funny that is that the government's NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE continues to raise. Because people can't find work.

So all of the spin in the world won't change what is now obvious to anyone who is looking. This country is in an economic depression.

What Black Friday Says About America

By Reginald Kaigler (DEMCAD)

Isn't it sad that after Americans stuff themselves with Thanksgiving dinner, they humiliate themselves and one another by fighting over cheap junk at retail stores. Traditionally, this commercial event would happen the day after Thanksgiving. But in recently retailers have become more desperate for sales so they are opening up earlier. Last year, Walmart opened at 10pm. This year impulse than an actually decision. Like every year, the Black Friday crowds were violent and shameful all across the nation. Grown men and women pushing and shoveling each other to get the best deal on electronics and toys.

This year, a shopper was robbed outside of Best Buy in Myrtle Beach. Two people were shot outside of a Walmart in Florida.

Two People Shot in Fight Over Wal Mart Parking Space
 
The battle of the herd was recorded when growups and teens pushed and shoved for some smart phones.


There was a massive mob fight among teenagers at Woodland Mall. The Kentwood Police took two teens into custody. Another shopper maced security guards

Disturbance leads to scare at Westroads Mall





One of the most bizarre sights was watching teenage girls scream and push each other outside a Victoria's Secret store on Black Friday. Why does 16 year old need lingerie? Boys don't care about that crap. Attention: Ladies of all ages. Guys don't care. Either your hot or your not. Victoria Secret isn't going to make a difference.

What's happening in America is a sick and corrupt education of the youth. Not only are supposedly grown up men and women making fools of themselves on Black Friday, but they are teaching their children to do the same. I don't have a problem with people shopping on Black Friday, but when you start hurting other human beings to get this crap, you lose my respect.

What Happened to the Budget Surplus of the 90S?

We had budget surpluses in the 90s, what happened?

The reason why we had a tax surplus is because the largest demographic (the baby boomers) were in their 50s, at their most productive and spending more money (on housing and cars) than they ever would. That stimulated the consumer economy and fueled growth. We also had the raise of new technologies (the PC and Internet industry) that drove growth. The massive spending on the part of baby boomers lead to a great influx in tax revenue. Doing this time, the U.S. government didn't have a significant population drawing from the social programs.

When the baby boomers entered their 60s, they began to cut back in spending. This meant that baby boomers stop buying bigger houses. And while doing so, more of them started to draw from the social programs. You couple that will the raise of globalization and the de-industrialization of America and you have a massive economic downturn.

Hurricane Sandy & Riots After the Election?

 By Reginald Kaigler (DEMCAD)

Hurricane Sandy a Lesson For NON-Preppers

People diving through dumpsters looking for food, isolated neighborhoods in Queens being attacked by looters dressed as utility workers, long lines of cars outside of gas stations, officials complaining about the federal response in Staten Island and chaos sweeping across the New York/ New Jersey area. This isn't the end of the world, but the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Millions of people are trying to put their lives back together, after a rare storm created havoc in the largest city in America.

Hurricane Sandy death toll climbs above 110, N.Y. hardest hit
 
After the power went out, police protection was so bare that some people in Queens started arming themselves with bats and guns and bow and arrows. There was endless tv reports on desperate city dwellers calling out for help. Officials blaming FEMA and the Red Cross. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is why I prep. I don't prep for the end of the World, I prep for life. Unexpected things happen in life that can change your world. I prepare for emergencies because I realize that emergencies happen. There is no excuse for grown men and women to not prepare for simple emergencies.And as you watch these desperate people on TV, you need to ask yourself, am I going to be one of these people?
 
Queens residents arm themselves in the post-storm blackout from looters
Drivers facing long lines, empty pumps in New York

The Election and Riots

I was video recording a video on Hurricane Sandy, when I was interrupted by a guy who saw one of my videos on youtube. He mentioned the election and we started thinking about Obama. He was a supporter and I rejected both Obama and Romney. The video below is the raw, unedited footage of what happened. Enjoy! Should Blacks Support Obama in 2012?


In short, I don't see the need to support either Obama or Romney. They're both corporatist warmongers who are nothing more than show pieces designed to divide the people.  Liberal comedian Bill Maher made one of the most irresponsible comments of this election cycle on his HBO show Real Time. 

"If you're thinking about voting for Mitt Romney, I would like to make this one plea: black people know who you are and they will come after you"

Of course, he was kidding, but it wasn't funny. Some Obama supporters are making threats about rioting if Obama should lose. I should point out that most black people are not assholes who would engage in this behavior. With that said, whatever these angry fools do, they should stay out of white rural areas, because unlike the white Chicagoans attacked by black teenager mobs, these white people have guns. A massive crowd of blacks entering their area to destroy property would end in disaster. Frankly, I think enough of Obama's angry black supporters know this. So I doubt we're going to see riots after election night. Enough said.