Wot's in store for U$A?

[Outlaw Yogi]

Thanksgiving need at area food pantries reaches record levels
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... eheadlines

[Leftwinger]

US initial unemployment claims appear to have fallen quite sharply.

In the week ending Nov. 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 407,000, a decrease of 34,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 441,000. The 4-week moving average was 436,000, a decrease of 7,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 443,500.

This is good news. But there are still very strong headwinds and it doesn't necessarily follow that employment creation is going to roar back to sustained, strong growth any time soon. In addition to still-falling US house prices, there was a substantial fall in durable goods orders.

New orders for manufactured durable goods in October decreased $6.8 billion or 3.3 percent to $196.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This decrease, down two of the last three months, followed a 5.0 percent September increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 2.7 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 2.1 percent.

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-new ... oods/1018/

[Jovial Monk]

With austerity budgets in ireland (another €15Bn ($20Bn) budget cut there, plus cut to minimum wage) UK, Europe and even China I cannot see the demand for US exports picking up.

Even here could be back in recession if China keeps on trying to slow its economy as well as facing decreasing exports.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... king3.html

[Leftwinger]

Yep, too many countries trying to do the same thing at the same time - increase their exports by cheapening them through crushing their own workers living standards for one - has a tendancy to nullify the advantage they might gain if each one of them were the only ones doing it.

[Leftwinger]

News from the US sours again..

The unemployment rate edged up to 9.8 percent in November, and nonfarm payroll
employment was little changed (+39,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

I still feel that without the correct remedial action, the US is probably facing a Japan-style lost decade. If the repugs attemt to "fix" the deficit, things will only get worse.

[IQSRLOW]

Must be nice to have that bottomless money pit

[Leftwinger]

What's your solution to the US's economic and social woes IQ? (cringes in anticipation of a breathtakingly idiotic response)

[IQSRLOW]

What's your solution to the US's economic and social woes IQ? (cringes in anticipation of a breathtakingly idiotic response)

Exercise the right to bare arms and shoot useless fucks like you who advocate spending other peoples money on wasteful programs, just like you do here?

[Leftwinger]

I think you're confusing the US Second Amendment...

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

....with something we already have a right to in Australia.





Seriously, what courses of action would you reccomend for them and why?

[IQSRLOW]

Anything other than maxing out the credit card as you suggest.

Austerity measures and suck it up. The reason that the US and the UK are in the situation they are in is because they followed the 'spend to grow' rubbish even before the financial crisis. The definition of stupidity is to continue doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results