From My Wednesday Morning Discussion Group That Is.
Some of you may remember me referring to my Wednesday Morning Group which, until yesterday, I fondly referred to as the Chat Room where a bunch of us retirees came together to discuss matters of current events ...especially politics.
You may also remember the set-up; a series of tables placed in a horseshoe shape with the Conservatives/Republicans on one side, the Liberals/Democrats on the opposite side and the Uncommitteds along the bottom. At the top and alone sat our Chair a retired Air-force Pilot by the name of Peter. On a good day, one could expect 40 or so attendees, yesterday there were but 30, counting myself.
For various reasons, I have recently missed a bunch of these meetings and was looking forward to getting back into action ...so to speak, but something had dramatically changed. The Conservative side of the Room sat empty save for Yours Truly and I was soon to feel like Custer alone at his Last Stand.
The morning's first topic set the tone...'Should President Donald Trump Be Impeached'? All but one (me) thought this to be a splendid idea.
But it went beyond this, whatever the topic the gang of 29 spewed forth Politically Correct, Left-Wing Drivel.
What had happened to our group where not that long ago all sides of an issue had received fair and considered thought?
It soon dawned on me that the Toxic Mix now contaminating America was clearly having a negative affect beyond their borders. This Brew consists of Trump and his Supporters but also the Progressive Left and their supplicant Media. There is fault enough for all but one thing that is clear to me is that the Left is Hysterical in their efforts to destroy the Republican President. And it goes way beyond Donald Trump...simply stated, America is at War with itself.
It is the proponents of Big Government vs. those fading numbers who continue to support a Limited Role for It and for Personal Independence.
The Gloves are off and I am not optimistic for a successful outcome.
This battle is so important because it has already been lost in all other Democracies... where Rights and Freedoms have been lost without a Bang but a Whimper. America is the World's last Hope and if the War is lost there, We will all be left with Cradle to Grave Suffocation to the point where we will be told what we can and cannot think.
Back to yesterday's Discussion Group... You would have been proud of me... for 2/3rds of the meeting I fought back with valour but in the end realized I was out-gunned and out-personed. For the last half-hour, I couldn't wait to get out there and pledged to myself that I would not be coming back.
On my way out I shared my feelings with the Chair and commiserated with him. He too was visibly discouraged with what has transpired with respect to our group. I don't see him staying on as Chair or even as an participant much longer.
In the meantime, I hope the 29 enjoy their future meetings where they can all sit back and agree with each other when spouting their Politically Correct Nonsense.
The Lastest Development in this War, is the appointment by Justice of a Prosecutor to look into such things as Russian Involvement in the Recent Election. I will use a future Blog to explain why, although this now is sadly necessary, the final outcome will show it to be both a waste of time and money. And regardless of the outcome, it will not diminish one iota the Hate America's Left has for those who do not fully share their Beliefs and Values.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
WHAT'S TO BE DONE WITH ... TRUCKS ?
Hardly a day goes by ...certainly at least once a week - when the area media reports collisions between trucks and passenger cars.
And guess which ones usually lose out?
Even my good Catholic wife has a pet name for Trucks ...a name which the word 'Truck' itself contains most of its letters.
Over the years, we have traveled many times to Florida ...a 1,500+ mile journey and in the early years the trip was most enjoyable. We were able to stop off a points of interest - both coming and going which served to enhance the holiday experience.
But in recent years that has changed...so much so that we now fly and I hate flying. But the overall traffic has increased dramatically as has the poor abilities of today's drivers.
But most especially, it is the Trucks which have ruined it for us. If traffic generally has increased...as it has, the number of trucks on the road has skyrocketed. Plus they go way too fast, and lane change with abandon rendering it literally life-threatening if you get in their way.
As an aside, another big problem with driving today are the big passenger vehicles...SUVs, Vans and the like. What one really needs, in addition to seat-belts and air bags are periscopes to enable you to see what is happening ahead of the big box vehicle directly in front. I should patent the idea.
But today's blog is about the Truck and what to do about it.
First, force all Trucks to drive in just the driving lane and be prevented from passing. Second, limit their speed to no more than 55 miles per hour. Third, strictly limit a driver's time at the wheel to no more than 9 hours with a sufficient number of 15 minute breaks to ensure their driving reflexes are kept sharp and Fourth, compulsory and frequent alcohol / drug checks.
All of this would greatly enhance safety on the road and it would also help ensure a level playing field for all truckers. Currently, they try to adhere to unrealistic and dangerous time-tables and are literally falling asleep at the wheel. This was the fate of one of my close in-laws who at the time of his death was the same age as me.
But there is still one more thing in regard to Trucks and the danger they pose on our highways. Often they are carrying hazardous materials which puts far more lives at risk than in the collisions themselves. Rarely are these Trucks identified as carrying such dangerous loads.
Such Trucks need to be convoyed - ideally police vehicles in front and in back with lights flashing. A second driver should also be in the cab to monitor the driver and step in if and when the need arises.
Unless and until this happens I am going to keep to the air.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
And guess which ones usually lose out?
Even my good Catholic wife has a pet name for Trucks ...a name which the word 'Truck' itself contains most of its letters.
Over the years, we have traveled many times to Florida ...a 1,500+ mile journey and in the early years the trip was most enjoyable. We were able to stop off a points of interest - both coming and going which served to enhance the holiday experience.
But in recent years that has changed...so much so that we now fly and I hate flying. But the overall traffic has increased dramatically as has the poor abilities of today's drivers.
But most especially, it is the Trucks which have ruined it for us. If traffic generally has increased...as it has, the number of trucks on the road has skyrocketed. Plus they go way too fast, and lane change with abandon rendering it literally life-threatening if you get in their way.
As an aside, another big problem with driving today are the big passenger vehicles...SUVs, Vans and the like. What one really needs, in addition to seat-belts and air bags are periscopes to enable you to see what is happening ahead of the big box vehicle directly in front. I should patent the idea.
But today's blog is about the Truck and what to do about it.
First, force all Trucks to drive in just the driving lane and be prevented from passing. Second, limit their speed to no more than 55 miles per hour. Third, strictly limit a driver's time at the wheel to no more than 9 hours with a sufficient number of 15 minute breaks to ensure their driving reflexes are kept sharp and Fourth, compulsory and frequent alcohol / drug checks.
All of this would greatly enhance safety on the road and it would also help ensure a level playing field for all truckers. Currently, they try to adhere to unrealistic and dangerous time-tables and are literally falling asleep at the wheel. This was the fate of one of my close in-laws who at the time of his death was the same age as me.
But there is still one more thing in regard to Trucks and the danger they pose on our highways. Often they are carrying hazardous materials which puts far more lives at risk than in the collisions themselves. Rarely are these Trucks identified as carrying such dangerous loads.
Such Trucks need to be convoyed - ideally police vehicles in front and in back with lights flashing. A second driver should also be in the cab to monitor the driver and step in if and when the need arises.
Unless and until this happens I am going to keep to the air.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Thursday, May 11, 2017
YOU GOTTA FIRE HIM.
THE "YOU" IS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP;
THE "HIM" IS FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY;
AND THE 'SPEAKER' IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES.
So as you now know, the 'You' did indeed fire the 'Him' and the Democratic Party is apoplectic.
How so? It was that Party that until yesterday had insisted Trump do just that ...fire Comey.
So what gives?
Petty Politics of course !! The Dems outrage is of course the pretend variety... there is no other way to describe it.
In asking for Comey's head, the Dems rightfully concluded that He played a significant and needlessly insensitive role in seeing Hillary Clinton defeated in last November's Election.
And they were correct. Indeed, as a Conservative, I too was appalled by Comey's actions and which may surprise some of you, I truly felt sorry for Hillary. Moreover, I called for his dismissal back then but also naively believed that Comey would inevitably do the proper thing and resign.
The fact that he failed to do 'the right thing' left Trump with no choice but to cashier Him.
But now it gets rich. These self-same Democrats are feigning outrage pretending that President Trump's real motive was to deep six Comey since his FBI investigation was getting uncomfortably close to Trump. This is nonsense since, as I have also said from the beginning, there is really zip to the suggestion that the Russians helped to influence last year's Election to Trump's benefit.
I have read everything I could from the beginning of this farce and there is nothing so far in support of this nonsensical claim. And more the point, there is zip, nada to suggest Trump personally had any role in any of this whatsoever. Full Stop.
I see a hand at the back ...Yes,
"How is it that former President Obama directly intervened in the recent French Election yet the Left has had boo to say?"
Good point - thanks for paying attention.
'Hypocritical', is the word to use here.
Certainly Obama's interference in the Election in France is a fact unlike the spurious innuendo against President Trump which will never go anywhere.
That is not to say that this matter could not have been handled better. Trump should have fired Comey at the outset of his term and having failed to do that, should have awaited the conclusion of the Russian Witch-hunt.
This error in judgment may compel Trump to bring in an independent prosecutor and if so, bring it on. It will be an expensive process that in the end will end up with zilch but at least it will put an end to America's preoccupation with this non-subject.
And for that, it will be a blessing.
One more thing. I find it peculiar that many in the United States are concerned about Russian interference in their elections since back a long as I can recall ...America has done that over and over again in countries throughout the world.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
AND THE WINNER IS.....
MAXIME ...'MAD MAX'...BERNIER.
I can hear many of you now ...'Mad Max' ...Who Dat?
And I cannot blame you for not knowing since 'Mad Max' ...along with a dozen others... are vying for the low key Conservative Leadership in Canada's Federal Parliament.
Some of you will remember that at year's beginning, I swore off blogging on Canada for no other good reason than nothing much worthwhile comes out from here especially given that the Progressive Liberals are in charge Federally and in our major Provinces.
But I am getting desperate looking for something of interest to write about... foot in the mouth Trump, the N. Korea Wing-nut 'Yung-un' , Russian Hacking etc etc are wearing a little thin.
So dear reader, back briefly to Canada and to 'Mad Max'.
The end of this Leadership Race has already begun in that Ballots have been mailed to the over 250,000 voters with many already completed and returned. The results though will not be announced until Saturday May 27th. Sadly, the Election itself has as much interest and suspense as a Saturday Night laundromat.
Indeed, the balloting / voting is such a convoluted ordeal that future Pol'y Sci courses will hold it out as a classic example of how not to pick a Party Leader. But that is another story that will have to wait ...perhaps indefinitely.
But before I move on though there is one very bizarre occurrence in this race that needs to be highlighted; just last week the Candidate with a substantial lead in the Polls withdrew and in doing so, pledged his support to Mad Max guaranteeing MM the Leadership. It would be like Hillary throwing her delegates to the Leftist Professor Bernie Sanders in the week before last November's US Election.
So it will be Mad Max Bernier in a walk and since he is a self-professed Libertarian he is my man all the way.
His focus on less government and less taxes will make the Progressives go apoplectic. It will also re-energize our economy and allow our citizenry to keep more of their hard-earned money. How Novel.
In this respect, Bernier is the only Conservative..indeed the only fiscal conservative in the Race since, for the most part, the remaining 12 are little more than Liberals in Sheep's Clothing. To prove this let's take a look at the Three who are nearest him according to the polls:
Erin O'Toole - he supports, as do the Progressive Liberals, Marketing Boards which have the effect of raising prices while diminishing quality. He also prides himself on being the 'voice of the social conservatives' and yet he has no time whatsoever for the two issues of most importance to us Social Cons ...namely unrestricted abortion ...up to and including the time of birth, and eliminating legalized death heretofore known rightly as murder. Some spokesperson. The two candidates who really do speak for the Social Conservatives are Brad Trost and Pierre Lemieux sadly neither of them have a chance precisely because of their social conservative leanings. Pity!
Andrew Scheer - Like O'Toole, he has made it clear that he will not deal with the Social Conservative issues of Unrestriced Abortion and Legalized Death despite the fact that he prides himself as being a devout Catholic. He too is all in favour of Progressive Marketing Boards. and finally,
Michael Chong - This is perhaps the saddest case amongst the Baker's Dozen. Chong is one of the only Cabinet Ministers I can every recall who resigned his top spot on a matter of conscience. Not only that but he then went on to champion measures to enhance the power of the lowly Member of Parliament...in other words to help restore democracy at a time when it is ever more in short supply. But then he blew it; during this Leadership Campaign he came out in favour of imposing Carbon Tax. Our Progressive Liberal Prime Minister likes such a tax as did former President Obama but ...True Tories (Conservatives) are dead against it. He could have been first but will be lucky to finish in the top half.
The remainder have though put forward some worthwhile suggestions as follows:
I can hear many of you now ...'Mad Max' ...Who Dat?
And I cannot blame you for not knowing since 'Mad Max' ...along with a dozen others... are vying for the low key Conservative Leadership in Canada's Federal Parliament.
Some of you will remember that at year's beginning, I swore off blogging on Canada for no other good reason than nothing much worthwhile comes out from here especially given that the Progressive Liberals are in charge Federally and in our major Provinces.
But I am getting desperate looking for something of interest to write about... foot in the mouth Trump, the N. Korea Wing-nut 'Yung-un' , Russian Hacking etc etc are wearing a little thin.
So dear reader, back briefly to Canada and to 'Mad Max'.
The end of this Leadership Race has already begun in that Ballots have been mailed to the over 250,000 voters with many already completed and returned. The results though will not be announced until Saturday May 27th. Sadly, the Election itself has as much interest and suspense as a Saturday Night laundromat.
Indeed, the balloting / voting is such a convoluted ordeal that future Pol'y Sci courses will hold it out as a classic example of how not to pick a Party Leader. But that is another story that will have to wait ...perhaps indefinitely.
But before I move on though there is one very bizarre occurrence in this race that needs to be highlighted; just last week the Candidate with a substantial lead in the Polls withdrew and in doing so, pledged his support to Mad Max guaranteeing MM the Leadership. It would be like Hillary throwing her delegates to the Leftist Professor Bernie Sanders in the week before last November's US Election.
So it will be Mad Max Bernier in a walk and since he is a self-professed Libertarian he is my man all the way.
His focus on less government and less taxes will make the Progressives go apoplectic. It will also re-energize our economy and allow our citizenry to keep more of their hard-earned money. How Novel.
In this respect, Bernier is the only Conservative..indeed the only fiscal conservative in the Race since, for the most part, the remaining 12 are little more than Liberals in Sheep's Clothing. To prove this let's take a look at the Three who are nearest him according to the polls:
Erin O'Toole - he supports, as do the Progressive Liberals, Marketing Boards which have the effect of raising prices while diminishing quality. He also prides himself on being the 'voice of the social conservatives' and yet he has no time whatsoever for the two issues of most importance to us Social Cons ...namely unrestricted abortion ...up to and including the time of birth, and eliminating legalized death heretofore known rightly as murder. Some spokesperson. The two candidates who really do speak for the Social Conservatives are Brad Trost and Pierre Lemieux sadly neither of them have a chance precisely because of their social conservative leanings. Pity!
Andrew Scheer - Like O'Toole, he has made it clear that he will not deal with the Social Conservative issues of Unrestriced Abortion and Legalized Death despite the fact that he prides himself as being a devout Catholic. He too is all in favour of Progressive Marketing Boards. and finally,
Michael Chong - This is perhaps the saddest case amongst the Baker's Dozen. Chong is one of the only Cabinet Ministers I can every recall who resigned his top spot on a matter of conscience. Not only that but he then went on to champion measures to enhance the power of the lowly Member of Parliament...in other words to help restore democracy at a time when it is ever more in short supply. But then he blew it; during this Leadership Campaign he came out in favour of imposing Carbon Tax. Our Progressive Liberal Prime Minister likes such a tax as did former President Obama but ...True Tories (Conservatives) are dead against it. He could have been first but will be lucky to finish in the top half.
The remainder have though put forward some worthwhile suggestions as follows:
- Dismantle Native Reserves (Blaney)
- Ban the Niqab in Public Service (Blaney)
- Dismantle the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (Leitch)*
- Legalize Pepper Spray for personal protection (Leitch)
- Test Immigrants for Canadian Values (Leitch)
- Make Sex Selection illegal in the case of Abortion (Lemieux)
- Institute Term Limits for the Supreme Court (Lemieux)
- Eliminate Corporate Income Tax (Peterson)
- Undertake Massive Grassroots to develop Party Policy (Raitt)
- Balance the Budget (Saxton)
- Allow off duty police to carry concealed weapons (Trost)
- Don't use taxpayers money to fund gay pride parades (Trost)
- Retain the Traditional meaning of Marriage (Trost)
- Add Property Rights to the Constitution (Scheer)
*Kellie Leitch is not only a pediatric surgeon she is also the most rounded conservative in the mix ...i.e. both a fiscal and a social conservative.
I personally support all of these proposals. Too bad there wasn't one candidate who supported them all too. He or she would have my vote.
In the meantime, I'll vote for 'Mad Max' ...the winner on May 27/17.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
I personally support all of these proposals. Too bad there wasn't one candidate who supported them all too. He or she would have my vote.
In the meantime, I'll vote for 'Mad Max' ...the winner on May 27/17.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Thursday, April 20, 2017
WE NEED A WALL AND TRUMP ....
WILL BUILD AND PAY FOR IT !!
With the Donald's 'War on America's Illegals' masses of them are now fleeing North ....to Canada.
And we want it stopped!
Hence, the desperate need for a Wall on par with the one President Trump is going to build on his southern border and according to him, Mexico is going to pay for it.
We, here in Canada expect the same treatment.
US illegals are surreptitiously crossing over the 5,000 plus mile border between our two countries but as of now there are two Provinces bearing the brunt of this migration...Quebec and Manitoba.
Since Trump's Inauguration in January, crossings in just those 2 provinces have increased over 500 % as of the end of March and those numbers continue to climb even higher this month of April.
Something has to be done and Prez Trump is just the guy to do it.
Why he'd even understand the need for a Wall and accept the sole responsibility for this need coming about since everything he has said to Mexico about why the Wall is needed, applies in spades from Canada to him.
Now the cost of the Wall between Canada and the US will be much greater than the one in the S.W. Part of America because, of course, our boundary is so much longer but I am sure that Mr. Trump will suck this up in the spirit cooperation and good faith.
So bring it on.
One more thing though, we fully expect Canadian Steel will be used in the Wall's construction...after all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
With the Donald's 'War on America's Illegals' masses of them are now fleeing North ....to Canada.
And we want it stopped!
Hence, the desperate need for a Wall on par with the one President Trump is going to build on his southern border and according to him, Mexico is going to pay for it.
We, here in Canada expect the same treatment.
US illegals are surreptitiously crossing over the 5,000 plus mile border between our two countries but as of now there are two Provinces bearing the brunt of this migration...Quebec and Manitoba.
Since Trump's Inauguration in January, crossings in just those 2 provinces have increased over 500 % as of the end of March and those numbers continue to climb even higher this month of April.
Something has to be done and Prez Trump is just the guy to do it.
Why he'd even understand the need for a Wall and accept the sole responsibility for this need coming about since everything he has said to Mexico about why the Wall is needed, applies in spades from Canada to him.
Now the cost of the Wall between Canada and the US will be much greater than the one in the S.W. Part of America because, of course, our boundary is so much longer but I am sure that Mr. Trump will suck this up in the spirit cooperation and good faith.
So bring it on.
One more thing though, we fully expect Canadian Steel will be used in the Wall's construction...after all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Saturday, April 15, 2017
MOAB...WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?
As in why waste this type of Bomb on such a backwater, unimportant part of the World?
But first, what exactly does MOAB stand for?
All one reads about is its vernacular title namely, 'Mother Of All Bombs' but its actual name is Massive Ordnance Air Blast.
At 21,000 lbs, it is the largest conventional bomb developed to date.
The MOAB's cost is difficult to pin down but those apparently in the know put a price tag on it of about $16 Million Dollars.
So back to my initial question why use it in a remote gawd-forsaken part of Afghanistan close to the Pakistan border?
If, as many a pundit state, it was done to 'send a message' to American belligerents, the cruise missile attack on Syria had already accomplished that in a more effective yet subtle way.
In other words...it was overkill...so to speak.
But to answer this question more fully, I would like to rehash an interview I saw on t.v. where Geraldo Rivera provided his thoughts about this event. (Many of you will no doubt be familiar with Mr. Rivera).
First Rivera noted that any time America kills 'bad guys' as in the 36 ISIS fighters killed by the MOAB 'it is a good day for the USA and for freedom loving peoples around the world'.
But then he correctly went on to say why this attack did not accomplish much if anything:
First he questioned whether the expense of $16 million to kill only 36 ISIS fighters was worth the cost and,
Second he questioned the value in attacking ISIS in this remote, outlaw part of the world when in the scheme of things it accomplishes nothing ...'A hundred years ago the British fought the rebels here, later the Russians did and now the Americans and for the next 100 the fight will continue'.
So I take from Geraldo Rivera that it all comes down to a feel good moment that has little or no practical value either militarily or politically.
To this I will add a couple of further concerns of my own:
To win any war against the Islamic Terrorists, it has to include the populace of the countries affected, joining in the fight. It cannot be won by outsiders like America and other NATO countries even though their involvement is fundamentally needed.
So if you are going to use such a cutting edge weapon, use it in an area where the chances of success exist such as in the Middle East.
If the enemy did not know about the ...Massive Ordnance Air Blast or Mother of All Bombs, they do now and if and when it is dropped again, it will have less of a psychological impact and could further fuel the drive by bad-guys to acquire nuclear weapons.
My final concern, which I will deal with in a future Blog, is my growing worry that President Donald Trump is letting himself become a Puppet of the Military Establishment. It is far too early to make such an assessment but this week's senseless dropping of the MOAB starts to make me wonder who is calling the shots.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
But first, what exactly does MOAB stand for?
All one reads about is its vernacular title namely, 'Mother Of All Bombs' but its actual name is Massive Ordnance Air Blast.
At 21,000 lbs, it is the largest conventional bomb developed to date.
The MOAB's cost is difficult to pin down but those apparently in the know put a price tag on it of about $16 Million Dollars.
So back to my initial question why use it in a remote gawd-forsaken part of Afghanistan close to the Pakistan border?
If, as many a pundit state, it was done to 'send a message' to American belligerents, the cruise missile attack on Syria had already accomplished that in a more effective yet subtle way.
In other words...it was overkill...so to speak.
But to answer this question more fully, I would like to rehash an interview I saw on t.v. where Geraldo Rivera provided his thoughts about this event. (Many of you will no doubt be familiar with Mr. Rivera).
First Rivera noted that any time America kills 'bad guys' as in the 36 ISIS fighters killed by the MOAB 'it is a good day for the USA and for freedom loving peoples around the world'.
But then he correctly went on to say why this attack did not accomplish much if anything:
First he questioned whether the expense of $16 million to kill only 36 ISIS fighters was worth the cost and,
Second he questioned the value in attacking ISIS in this remote, outlaw part of the world when in the scheme of things it accomplishes nothing ...'A hundred years ago the British fought the rebels here, later the Russians did and now the Americans and for the next 100 the fight will continue'.
So I take from Geraldo Rivera that it all comes down to a feel good moment that has little or no practical value either militarily or politically.
To this I will add a couple of further concerns of my own:
To win any war against the Islamic Terrorists, it has to include the populace of the countries affected, joining in the fight. It cannot be won by outsiders like America and other NATO countries even though their involvement is fundamentally needed.
So if you are going to use such a cutting edge weapon, use it in an area where the chances of success exist such as in the Middle East.
If the enemy did not know about the ...Massive Ordnance Air Blast or Mother of All Bombs, they do now and if and when it is dropped again, it will have less of a psychological impact and could further fuel the drive by bad-guys to acquire nuclear weapons.
My final concern, which I will deal with in a future Blog, is my growing worry that President Donald Trump is letting himself become a Puppet of the Military Establishment. It is far too early to make such an assessment but this week's senseless dropping of the MOAB starts to make me wonder who is calling the shots.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Monday, April 10, 2017
AMERICA'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS STATED TO BE 4.5 %....IT IS HALF RIGHT...
Half right in that the actual rate is twice that number...more like 9%.
This past week the US Labor Board announced that the country's unemployment rate continues to drop ...and currently stands at 4.5%.
As with Obama, when these numbers come out I always doubled them to account for those who, for whatever reason, have given up trying to get work.
The numbers of such are growing and are reflected in the declining workforce participation rate.
Bear with me as I run some more numbers by you:
In Obama's two terms the participation rate declined each and every year ...beginning at 66% and ending at 62%.
This may not sound dramatic to you but converting the 4% difference from beginning to end ... this number represents some 8 million people who have entirely ceased looking for work in that relatively short period.
Add that to the 7.5 million who are still actively seeking employment, you have 15.5 million workers missing from today's eligible workforce...a number that slightly exceeds 9%.
But let's go back to the 62% number being the per-centage of those Americans, eligible to work, who are actually working. This number is not so bad when you take into the fact that the average of all of the world's countries mirror that exact number. That is to say, the average of all of the world's workforce participation rate is 62%.
So at least the US is performing average.
China, the world's second largest economy has a participation rate of 71%.
But Zimbabwe proves that a high participation rate does not necessary mean a country is doing well economically since its rate is a booming 87%.
What I am trying to get at here is that a country's workforce participation rate is a far better gauge on the health of its workforce and despite Zimbabwe's anomaly, the higher the participation rate the better since you have more workers involved in growing their country's economic pie.
There is one other important issue to take into account when dealing with Unemployment numbers and that concerns the Involuntary Part-timers. Experts refer to them as the hidden unemployed and their numbers too have been rising since the Great Recession of 2007/08. Studies show that up to 25% of this Involuntary group live below the poverty line.
Neither the raw unemployment numbers nor the more accurate participation rate numbers take the Involuntary Unemployed into proper consideration. Maybe more on this another day?
So just remember, next time you see unemployment rates bandied about.... double them for a clearer picture of where things stand in regard to employment.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
This past week the US Labor Board announced that the country's unemployment rate continues to drop ...and currently stands at 4.5%.
As with Obama, when these numbers come out I always doubled them to account for those who, for whatever reason, have given up trying to get work.
The numbers of such are growing and are reflected in the declining workforce participation rate.
Bear with me as I run some more numbers by you:
In Obama's two terms the participation rate declined each and every year ...beginning at 66% and ending at 62%.
This may not sound dramatic to you but converting the 4% difference from beginning to end ... this number represents some 8 million people who have entirely ceased looking for work in that relatively short period.
Add that to the 7.5 million who are still actively seeking employment, you have 15.5 million workers missing from today's eligible workforce...a number that slightly exceeds 9%.
But let's go back to the 62% number being the per-centage of those Americans, eligible to work, who are actually working. This number is not so bad when you take into the fact that the average of all of the world's countries mirror that exact number. That is to say, the average of all of the world's workforce participation rate is 62%.
So at least the US is performing average.
China, the world's second largest economy has a participation rate of 71%.
But Zimbabwe proves that a high participation rate does not necessary mean a country is doing well economically since its rate is a booming 87%.
What I am trying to get at here is that a country's workforce participation rate is a far better gauge on the health of its workforce and despite Zimbabwe's anomaly, the higher the participation rate the better since you have more workers involved in growing their country's economic pie.
There is one other important issue to take into account when dealing with Unemployment numbers and that concerns the Involuntary Part-timers. Experts refer to them as the hidden unemployed and their numbers too have been rising since the Great Recession of 2007/08. Studies show that up to 25% of this Involuntary group live below the poverty line.
Neither the raw unemployment numbers nor the more accurate participation rate numbers take the Involuntary Unemployed into proper consideration. Maybe more on this another day?
So just remember, next time you see unemployment rates bandied about.... double them for a clearer picture of where things stand in regard to employment.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
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