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1 in 4 Americans 25-54 Not Working


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2014 Sep 25, 11:48pm   20,766 views  72 comments

by zzyzzx   ➕follow (5)   💰tip   ignore  

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/1-4-americans-25-54-not-working_806178.html

Here's a chart showing those in that age group currently employed (95.6 million) and those who aren't (28.9 million):

"There are 124.5 million Americans in their prime working years (ages 25–54). Nearly one-quarter of this group—28.9 million people, or 23.2 percent of the total—is not currently employed. They either became so discouraged that they left the labor force entirely, or they are in the labor force but unemployed. This group of non-employed individuals is more than 3.5 million larger than before the recession began in 2007," writes the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee.

"Those attempting to minimize the startling figures about America’s vanishing workforce—workplace participation overall is near a four-decade low—will say an aging population is to blame. But in fact, while the workforce overall has shrunk nearly 10 million since 2009, the cohort of workers in the labor force ages 55 to 64 has actually increased over that same period, with many delaying retirement due to poor economic conditions.

"In fact, over two-thirds of all labor force dropouts since that time have been under the age of 55. These statistics illustrate that the problems in the American economy are deep, profound, and pervasive, afflicting the sector of the labor force that should be among the most productive."

#politics

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1   zzyzzx   2014 Sep 25, 11:57pm  

It's all Obama's fault!!!

2   marcus   2014 Sep 26, 12:09am  

zzyzzx enjoys that lie more than most conservatives. You know it's a lie, right ?

3   zzyzzx   2014 Sep 26, 1:01am  

marcus says

zzyzzx enjoys that lie more than most conservatives. You know it's a lie, right ?

Do liberals know that they are lying when they blame Bush?

4   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 1:06am  

marcus says

zzyzzx enjoys that lie more than most conservatives. You know it's a lie, right ?

Well I'm one of that 1 in 4, despite my STEM tech background and my proximity to one of the major STEM tech areas.

According to many on this forum someone such as I should be showered with multiple, highly lucrative unsolicited offers from local employers.

Because however I don't have a background or experience in social media and database programming I am invisible as is anyone else who isn't a programmer.

5   Dan8267   2014 Sep 26, 2:21am  

zzyzzx says

1 in 4 Americans 25-54 Not Working

The failure of capitalism. 1 in 4 Americans didn't suddenly become stupid or lazy.

6   DanU   2014 Sep 26, 2:38am  

How many of those "not working" are married women? How do those numbers change when only looking at the male population.

7   DanU   2014 Sep 26, 2:58am  

How many of those "not working" are married women?

It's relevant because housewives are not considered part of the labor force. The number of women in the labor force has been increasing since... what the 60s? If that trend is now reversing, then we should see the female non-participation rate rising while the male non-participation rate stays the same.

If both male and female non-participation rates are rising, then we've got a big problem.

8   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 3:08am  

Dan8267 says

zzyzzx says

1 in 4 Americans 25-54 Not Working

The failure of capitalism. 1 in 4 Americans didn't suddenly become stupid or lazy.

DanU says

How many of those "not working" are married women? How do those numbers change when only looking at the male population.

Of the 29 million not working, how many are:
1. In prison
2. students
3. Homemakers
4. illegal aliens
5. Have income from crimes - drugs/prostitution
6. Lazy welfare Queens.
7. Handicapped and addicts
Not many left after deducting above.

9   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 3:11am  

New Renter says

marcus says

zzyzzx enjoys that lie more than most conservatives. You know it's a lie, right ?

Well I'm one of that 1 in 4, despite my STEM tech background and my proximity to one of the major STEM tech areas.

According to many on this forum someone such as I should be showered with multiple, highly lucrative unsolicited offers from local employers.

Because however I don't have a background or experience in social media and database programming I am invisible as is anyone else who isn't a programmer.

Sorry to hear that. Hope things quickly work out. Why not take some classes?

10   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 3:17am  

Strategist says

New Renter says

marcus says

zzyzzx enjoys that lie more than most conservatives. You know it's a lie, right ?

Well I'm one of that 1 in 4, despite my STEM tech background and my proximity to one of the major STEM tech areas.

According to many on this forum someone such as I should be showered with multiple, highly lucrative unsolicited offers from local employers.

Because however I don't have a background or experience in social media and database programming I am invisible as is anyone else who isn't a programmer.

Sorry to hear that. Hope things quickly work out. Why not take some classes?

It was classes that got me where I am today.

11   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 3:19am  

New Renter says

Sorry to hear that. Hope things quickly work out. Why not take some classes?

It was classes that got me where I am today.

I was in the same boat. I just left out some of my qualifications.

12   dublin hillz   2014 Sep 26, 3:26am  

Strategist says

students

Not many. Most students are out of undergrad by the age of 22.

13   dublin hillz   2014 Sep 26, 3:28am  

I dunno why people would willingly be unemployed. One of the worst psychological conditions in our society is to be financially dependent on parents while in adulthood (post college). It is one of the greatest forms of humiliation.

14   FuckTheMainstreamMedia   2014 Sep 26, 3:28am  

zzyzzx says

marcus says

zzyzzx enjoys that lie more than most conservatives. You know it's a lie, right ?

Do liberals know that they are lying when they blame Bush?

Marcus is such a genius that he can't figure out when he is being trolled.

15   FuckTheMainstreamMedia   2014 Sep 26, 3:29am  

dublin hillz says

I dunno why people would willingly be unemployed. One of the worst psychological conditions in our society is to be financially dependent on parents while in adulthood (post college). It is one of the greatest forms of humiliation.

You don't talk to many people under age 40, do you?

16   Dan8267   2014 Sep 26, 4:43am  

Strategist says

Of the 29 million not working, how many are:

1. In prison
Another failure of capitalism. So many Americans are imprisoned because of selective prosecutions of violations of Unconstitutional laws for the purpose of increasing profits including by rigging elections by making certain citizens ineligible to vote.

2. students
Another failure of capitalism, turning educational institutions into a means of enslaving young adults with debt before they are effectively allowed into the work force.

3. Homemakers
Actually, not many. Most adults are now single. If you discount the old farts that are retired, 65 and older, then the vast majority are single.

40% of first time mothers are single and they are poor.

And it takes two incomes just to survive for most people, so unemployed wives are usually unemployed not by choice

4. illegal aliens
Another failure of capitalism. If laborers were paid a mere 80% of their wealth production, there would be almost no illegal immigration

5. Have income from crimes - drugs/prostitution
The drug war is the result of election rigging and the for-profit prison system (including state prisons). Thus the entire drug trade is a failure of capitalism.

Anti-prostitution laws are also a failure of capitalism to protect consumer rights and workers rights, as well as being a failure of religion. There is no legitimate, secular reason to make prostitution illegal. Doing so is harmful to society.

6. Lazy welfare Queens.
Utterly insignificant. Both Great Depressions and every economic turndown has been the result of capitalists like Goldman Sachs, not by lazy welfare queens. You are simply using them as scapegoats to distract from the real parasites, the owner class.

7. Handicapped and addicts
Since addiction is a medical condition but treated as a criminal one, once again the war on drugs is to blame, and that ultimately is caused by capitalistic greed.

As for the handicapped unable to work, they make up a tiny percentage of the population and their populations doesn't fluctuate whereas the unemployment rate does.

Finally according to Forbes Magazine, the real unemployment and underemployment (U6) rate is 14.3%. Given how conservative Forbes is, I'd call that the floor estimate.

In any case, it's an atrocious rate, and it's not due to any of the things you mentioned. It's due to unrestrained, short-term capitalistic greed.

Gee, who would have thought an economic system based on fucking everyone else over would produce suboptimal results? Oh yeah, anyone with common sense.

17   RWSGFY   2014 Sep 26, 4:53am  

Strategist says

Dan8267 says

zzyzzx says

1 in 4 Americans 25-54 Not Working

The failure of capitalism. 1 in 4 Americans didn't suddenly become stupid or lazy.

DanU says

How many of those "not working" are married women? How do those numbers change when only looking at the male population.

Of the 29 million not working, how many are:

1. In prison

2. students

3. Homemakers

4. illegal aliens

5. Have income from crimes - drugs/prostitution

6. Lazy welfare Queens.

7. Handicapped and addicts

Not many left after deducting above.

8. Landlords.

18   Tenpoundbass   2014 Sep 26, 5:08am  

OOH! OOH! OOH! Do the Under employed graph! Do the under employed graph!

Nobody never does what I want to do...

19   casandra   2014 Sep 26, 5:51am  

don't forget to throw in the 10 million on disability who also fall into that age range and the percentage is much much higher.

oh, what about the homeless.

I think the number of working age people who actually work is closer to half.

statistics in california put the percentage at 62 percent of working age don't work.

20   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 6:46am  

Dan8267 says

Strategist says

Of the 29 million not working, how many are:

1. In prison

Another failure of capitalism. So many Americans are imprisoned because of selective prosecutions of violations of Unconstitutional laws for the purpose of increasing profits including by rigging elections by making certain citizens ineligible to vote.

Bullshit. Bad parenting is the single most cause of crime. Most of these criminals don't even know who their fathers are.

Dan8267 says

2. students

Another failure of capitalism, turning educational institutions into a means of enslaving young adults with debt before they are effectively allowed into the work force.

How about free education for all. Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD. One of my librul leanings.

Dan8267 says

3. Homemakers

Actually, not many. Most adults are now single. If you discount the old farts that are retired, 65 and older, then the vast majority are single.

Enough homemakers to make a difference, married or not. With little kids many women prefer to stay home to raise them.

Dan8267 says

4. illegal aliens

Another failure of capitalism. If laborers were paid a mere 80% of their wealth production, there would be almost no illegal immigration

Bullshit. Only capitalism can determine your true worth. Not what Dan says.

Dan8267 says

5. Have income from crimes - drugs/prostitution

The drug war is the result of election rigging and the for-profit prison system (including state prisons). Thus the entire drug trade is a failure of capitalism.

If they work in the underground economy, they are not really unemployed.

Dan8267 says

6. Lazy welfare Queens.

Utterly insignificant. Both Great Depressions and every economic turndown has been the result of capitalists like Goldman Sachs, not by lazy welfare queens. You are simply using them as scapegoats to distract from the real parasites, the owner class.

LOL. They did not even have welfare during the great depression. I'm not blaming the welfare queens for depressions, I'm blaming them for being moochers. Welfare is to tide you over a temporary phase. If you spend your life on welfare you are just a lazy, useless piece of parasite shit.

Dan8267 says

7. Handicapped and addicts

Since addiction is a medical condition but treated as a criminal one, once again the war on drugs is to blame, and that ultimately is caused by capitalistic greed.

Bullshit. No one asked you to take drugs. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop blaming others. Grow up.

Dan8267 says

In any case, it's an atrocious rate, and it's not due to any of the things you mentioned. It's due to unrestrained, short-term capitalistic greed.

It's only due to the things I mentioned. Foreigners with nothing end up doing pretty well. Why can't Americans. Cut off their welfare checks and watch how quickly they find jobs.

Dan8267 says

Gee, who would have thought an economic system based on fucking everyone else over would produce suboptimal results? Oh yeah, anyone with common sense.

It's the most successful economic system ever devised by mankind. Where else can welfare Queens live like Queens.

21   zzyzzx   2014 Sep 26, 7:23am  

Strategist says

Bullshit. Bad parenting is the single most cause of crime. Most of these criminals don't even know who their fathers are.

22   Dan8267   2014 Sep 26, 7:23am  

Strategist says

Bullshit. Bad parenting is the single most cause of crime. Most of these criminals don't even know who their fathers are.

Making things crimes that shouldn't be is the single largest cause of crime. If you make eating illegal, then 100% of the population becomes criminal.

One of your many problems is that you don't distinguish between thing that are crimes and things that should be crimes. These two sets have no relation to one another.

Strategist says

How about free education for all. Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD. One of my librul leanings.

Once again, you demonstrate the lack of thinking inherent in the conservative mind.

An accomplishment cannot be a right by definition because rights are created out of fiat. You are not distinguishing between schooling and education.

The proper way to handle education is to completely virtualize it, reducing it's cost to damn near $0.00 per student. I'm talking about making education costless, not just "free" as in someone else pays for it.

Strategist says

I'm blaming them for being moochers.

The real moochers are assholes committing financial crimes like Goldman Sachs. Those moochers cost Americans literally trillions of dollars. Welfare queens are utterly insignificant in contrast.

The second biggest moochers are defense contractors and their employees who cost us hundreds of billions of dollars each year for nothing.

Strategist says

Bullshit. No one asked you to take drugs. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop blaming others. Grow up.

I don't take drugs. However, unlike you, I have the intellectual capacity to understand that which drugs end up on the wrong side of the law is determined primarily by financial and political agendas, not by any justifiable criteria. Furthermore, prosecution of drugs is highly selective indicating that the drug war is not about battling any harm to society.

Strategist says

Cut off their welfare checks and watch how quickly they find jobs.

It's the pigeon hole principle, dummy. If you have ten pigeon holes and twenty pigeons, some pigeons aren't going to get their own hole.

Capitalism does not even attempt to reach 100% employment. It actually actively fights against this because labor's bargaining power, and thus ability to retain most of its wealth production, increases exponentially as full employment is reached. Have you never taken an economics course?

Why would any rational person blame the unemployed in an economic system that insists on creating large unemployment to be used as "lubricant for the economic engine"?

Strategist says

It's the most successful economic system ever devised by mankind.

How many economic systems can you name?

23   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 7:23am  

dublin hillz says

I dunno why people would willingly be unemployed.

Because most jobs (including self employment) suck.

Strategist says

Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD.

You're free to watch all the History/Science/A&E/BBCA channel shows you want.

24   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 7:26am  

Dan8267 says

How many economic systems can you name?

Is a hippie commune an economic system?

25   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 7:51am  

Dan8267 says

Strategist says

Bullshit. Bad parenting is the single most cause of crime. Most of these criminals don't even know who their fathers are.

Making things crimes that shouldn't be is the single largest cause of crime. If you make eating illegal, then 100% of the population becomes criminal.

One of your many problems is that you don't distinguish between thing that are crimes and things that should be crimes. These two sets have no relation to one another.

I am distinguishing between the main causes of crime and those who commit no crime. No presence of a father is a big cause of crime. I have no idea what you are distinguishing between.

Dan8267 says

Strategist says

How about free education for all. Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD. One of my librul leanings.

Once again, you demonstrate the lack of thinking inherent in the conservative mind.

An accomplishment cannot be a right by definition because rights are created out of fiat. You are not distinguishing between schooling and education.

I think education should be free. I see nothing complicated about that sentence.

Dan8267 says

The proper way to handle education is to completely virtualize it, reducing it's cost to damn near $0.00 per student. I'm talking about making education costless, not just "free" as in someone else pays for it.

One day, and until then?

Dan8267 says

Strategist says

I'm blaming them for being moochers.

The real moochers are assholes committing financial crimes like Goldman Sachs. Those moochers cost Americans literally trillions of dollars. Welfare queens are utterly insignificant in contrast.

They're criminals. Welfare Queens are moochers.

Dan8267 says

Strategist says

Bullshit. No one asked you to take drugs. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop blaming others. Grow up.

I don't take drugs. However, unlike you, I have the intellectual capacity to understand that which drugs end up on the wrong side of the law is determined primarily by financial and political agendas, not by any justifiable criteria. Furthermore, prosecution of drugs is highly selective indicating that the drug war is not about battling any harm to society.

Don't take any drugs, and if you do don't blame others. That common sense, nothing intellectual.

Dan8267 says

Capitalism does not even attempt to reach 100% employment.

Because 100% employment is not practical and getting close to it is extremely damaging to the long term health of an economy.

Dan8267 says

Strategist says

It's the most successful economic system ever devised by mankind.

How many economic systems can you name?

Capitalism
Communism
Socialism
Dictatorship
Royalty
Religious
democracy
and lots more with combinations.

26   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 7:52am  

New Renter says

Strategist says

Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD.

You're free to watch all the History/Science/A&E/BBCA channel shows you want.

That's not education. It's sleeping on the sofa.

27   Entitlemented   2014 Sep 26, 7:54am  

Obamism, - This might be called Rhetoricalism , Communism/Social wraped in flowery words of Democratic Rhetoric.

Adopts Socialism, Communism, Dictatorial, and Royalty, then feigns knowledge of how this happens.

28   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 8:15am  

Strategist says

New Renter says

Strategist says

Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD.

You're free to watch all the History/Science/A&E/BBCA channel shows you want.

That's not education. It's sleeping on the sofa.

No, that's what the NASA channel is for!

Seriously, try it sometime. Its better than CSPAN!

29   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 8:19am  

New Renter says

Strategist says

New Renter says

Strategist says

Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD.

You're free to watch all the History/Science/A&E/BBCA channel shows you want.

That's not education. It's sleeping on the sofa.

No, that's what the NASA channel is for!

Seriously, try it sometime. Its better than CSPAN!

I never watch CSPAN. I find politics really boring. I love the science geography channels. Which is the best science channel?

30   Dan8267   2014 Sep 26, 9:25am  

Strategist says

Capitalism
yes

Communism
yes

Socialism
No. Socialism is a tactic not an economic system.

Dictatorship
No. Dictatorship describes political power, not an economic system.

Royalty
No, for same reason.

Religious
No, religious is not an economic system.

democracy
No, democracy is a political system in which people vote on laws and policies, not an economic system.

Combinations are just that, and not economic systems. Don't overcount.

You managed to mention two economic systems. That puts you on par with about 90% of Americans. That's pretty pathetic given how uneducated Americans are. Hell, the only reason you're able to name those two is because of all the propaganda from the Cold War.

The upper 10% of Americans might be able to name one more economic system: feudalism. And that's it.

Dumb ass economists will refer to four types: central, market, traditional, and hybrid. But these economists are dumb, which is why economics has yet to become a science. Central and market are general approaches to economics, not economic systems. The economists use the word traditional to indicate small, constricted market based economies. The word hybrid is just what you call combinations, not actual systems.

So, in all of human history, we've tried three actual economic systems: capitalism, feudalism, and communism in that order. That's out of an infinite number of possible economic systems. Isn't it a bit premature to call off the search for better economic systems?

And why the hell would anyone be satisfied using a failed Bronze Age technology, capitalism, in the Information Age. Would you use an abacus instead of a smart phone? Being satisfied with Bronze Age inventions is just being damn lazy like a welfare queen.

31   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 9:37am  

Dan8267 says

So, in all of human history, we've tried three actual economic systems: capitalism, feudalism, and communism in that order. That's out of an infinite number of possible economic systems. Isn't it a bit premature to call off the search for better economic systems?

And why the hell would anyone be satisfied using a failed Bronze Age technology, capitalism, in the Information Age. Would you use an abacus instead of a smart phone? Being satisfied with Bronze Age inventions is just being damn lazy like a welfare queen.

What you call "central" is a Centrally Planned Economy, which is just communism. It failed miserably. Nothing but a disaster.
Our economy is a Market Based Economy, in other words capitalism. It's an incredible success. Everything you use in the modern world was invented in capitalist societies. The communists contributed nada.
The traditional economies probably refer to the old fashioned royalty and dictatorships and religious wackos. We don't need them.
By the way only capitalistic countries that are democracies will evolve into a better system based on the needs and values of it's citizens.

32   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 10:44am  

Strategist says

New Renter says

Strategist says

New Renter says

Strategist says

Education is a right, not a privilege. It should be completely free all the way to PhD.

You're free to watch all the History/Science/A&E/BBCA channel shows you want.

That's not education. It's sleeping on the sofa.

No, that's what the NASA channel is for!

Seriously, try it sometime. Its better than CSPAN!

I never watch CSPAN. I find politics really boring. I love the science geography channels. Which is the best science channel?

Depends what you're looking for.

If you want to be in a deep sleep within 10 minutes its the NASA channel.

Otherwise it may be Netflix and Youtube with older NatGeo, Science, Learning etc channel content, before they decided to compete for the lowest common denominator viewers. Otherwise I dunno, I cut the cord years ago and haven't missed it a bit.

Alien autopsies indeed!

33   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 10:46am  

sbh says

Full employment in the Arab world would rid you a great bogeyman.

Lifting the 6th century morality would go a long way too.

34   Strategist   2014 Sep 26, 11:47am  

sbh says

I would happily trade the risk in our current situation for that of "full employment". Why wouldn't you, if you're concerned with violence and unrest?

Full employment has a nice tone to it, but is just not possible. There are always people quitting jobs, getting fired, looking for the right job while unemployed.
The Soviet Empire boasted of full employment, but it was just going to work and doing nothing. And their productivity was just horrendous. Workers would not show up, and instead go to the movies to watch lousy boring movies. They would have the police rounding them up, making them go to work. LOL. Some incentive.

sbh says

But what of the current component labor? That population will suffer. Another virtue accrues to owners as their laborers become ever devalued commodities.

Labor is not devalued in this country. Just look at an average assembly line worker.....their standard of living has never been this good. In the old days they would slog 18 hours just to pay for basic necessities. Now it's 40 hours with lots of money for movies, vacations and Budweiser.

35   New Renter   2014 Sep 26, 12:29pm  

Strategist says

but it was just going to work and doing nothing

Which describes many American jobs as well.

Strategist says

They would have the police rounding them up, making them go to work.

I had a drunk of a roommate in college with that problem. Bastard still owes me rent!

Strategist says

Labor is not devalued in this country.

Which is why you are encouraging your children to go to trade/vocational school right?

36   darlag   2014 Sep 27, 1:05pm  

No secret if you keep up with John Williams data...

?hl=ad&t=1409923259

37   darlag   2014 Sep 28, 12:33am  

Dan8267's two rebuttals of Strategist's comments above are the best comments on this thread. His understanding of the underlying causes of the socio-economic and political ills affecting the U.S. today is uncommonly astute.

38   indigenous   2014 Sep 28, 2:03am  

darlag says

Dan8267's two rebuttals of Strategist's comments above are the best comments on this thread.

Really? It would help if his subject and predicate were in the same zip code, don't you think?

I think yous are skipping over a big influence on this subject which is the type of law and it implementation.

39   Strategist   2014 Sep 28, 3:21am  

darlag says

Dan8267's two rebuttals of Strategist's comments above are the best comments on this thread. His understanding of the underlying causes of the socio-economic and political ills affecting the U.S. today is uncommonly astute.

I thought they were pathetic. Full of myths, bizarre opinions, misleading and lacked critical thinking.
I gave him a D- even though he deserved an F-

40   indigenous   2014 Sep 28, 3:26am  

Strategist says

lacked critical thinking.

Funny that is what he prides himself on...

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