News and Society

In June 2009, the latest recession ended. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

In the preceding nine recessions since World War 2, recoveries were in a range of fairly robust to very robust. Presently we have the weakest recovery since then, so weak, that calling it a recovery at all, does not seem justified.

So many negative records have been broken, since 2009, a person doesn't know where to start in discussing which of these has been most harmful to most Americans, especially to the middle class. Here are just some of those numbers.

-The unemployment rate has been above 8% for 43 successive months

-An additional 360,000 people left the workforce in the report of August 2012

-The number who left the workforce is four times greater than new jobs created

-The labor participation rate dropped to 63.5%--the lowest in 30 years

-There are 1.3 million less people working than were working in December 2008.

-Teen unemployment is 24.6%, still near the March-highest ever-record-25.0%

-Jobs lost have been greater than jobs gained since President Obama took office

-U.S. debt has increased more in the last 44 months than it did in our first 213 years

This is just a tiny sample of the dozens of heart breaking facts that have taken family income back to 1995 levels.

What Do Government Agencies Project For the Future

The August 2012 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report projects sluggish growth through 2012, becoming even more sluggish in the first half of 2013, expecting the growth rate to drop to a very anemic 1 3/4 %. In order to create enough jobs, to stay up with the million plus, new workers entering the workforce each year, a growth rate somewhere around 2.5% is needed.

Other CBO Data

-Policy changes being considered could take the unemployment rate above 9% in 2014.

-The national debt has increased from $10.6 trillion in 2009 to $16 trillion plus in 2012

-Under present policies the national debt will be $22 trillion in 2022.

The private sector thrives when sufficient investment capital is available for new business start-ups, it suffers when excessive capital is taken by government. Federal spending has gone from 21% to 25% since 2009, removing hundreds of billions from private sector investment.

President Obama recently stated that "the private sector is doing fine." He has said he needs four more years to fix things.

Do you agree with the president that the private sector is doing fine? Does his first four years in office along with the projections above, give you confidence that giving him four more years will make your future secure and prosperous?

Young voters, you have been handed a massive debt. Consider all of the above when you vote.

Mick McNesby is a former tax adviser, consultant and negotiator. He was a frequent guest on political talk shows in Atlantic City, N.J., discussing the benefits of the lower cost of government. To read the excerpt for his ebook--NEW VOTERS: 10 Political Eye-Openers Crucial To Your Future in 60 Pages--due out in mid to late October, 2012, visit: http://mickmcnesby.com/.

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