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topsecret10 (< 20)

35 Statistics That Show The Average American Family Has Been Broke Down

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April 22, 2011 – Comments (16) | RELATED TICKERS: DIA

What Is happening to your family? Are you seeing the benefits of a recovery In the economy? Anybody have a real story to tell ? Does anyone care?  TS      35 Statistics That Show The Average American Family Has Been Broke Down, Tore Down, Beat Down, Busted And Disgusted By This Economy     The economic statistics that you are about to read are incredibly shocking, but they are also very, very real. Tonight there are going to be millions of men and women all across America that cannot sleep because they are consumed with anxiety about their financial problems. Even as you read this, there are a lot of parents out there that are trying to figure out how to explain to their children why their homes are being taken away. There are also hordes of very hard working Americans that are incredibly frustrated because they have sent out thousands of resumes and yet they can't seem to get a job interview. Have you ever been at a point where you couldn't pay the mortgage or put food on the table for your family? It can be an absolutely soul-crushing experience. In fact, there are some cities in the U.S. that have been so utterly devastated by this economy that it seems as though virtually everyone has had the hope sucked right out of them. The mainstream media is trying to convince all of us that we are in an economic recovery, but that is a lie. The truth is that we are in the middle of a long-term economic decline and the greatest economy in the history of the world is dying right in front of our eyes.

The average American family is under more economic stress right now than at any other time since the Great Depression. Just check out the following statistics....

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/35-statistics-that-show-the-average-american-family-has-been-broke-down-tore-down-beat-down-busted-and-disgusted-by-this-economy

16 Comments – Post Your Own

#1) On April 22, 2011 at 1:09 PM, Jbay76 (< 20) wrote:

TS,

I think a lot of us care, which is why we're here to make the best soudn investments we can with what we have. Personally, I still work where I do, and live where I do becuase its where I am employed.  I really do not like the area, hate the traffic and how it robs me of free tim.  In fact, if you add a standard 8 hr work day and commute time, I can spend almost 11 hoursa day onwork and work-related activities...that sucks!  Plus, my family is on the other side of the country, so to see them I have to fork over 750 to1K for my wife and I to deal with TSA to see my family.

On the flip side, we live waaaay below our means and put forth almost all our free cash to paying off our student loans so that we can return to where our families are debt free and begin anew.  Or maybe move to NZ...never know....

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#2) On April 22, 2011 at 2:13 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

Jbay76   I have already made the decision to move out of California where I was born and raised. The liberals have turned the once golden state Into a dark shade of grey. Illegals,gangs,graffiti,drive-by shootings,drunk driving hit and runs, and road signs In spanish are all the norm now. It Is reaally ashame that our so caalled politicians In Congress has let this happen. They(the left) are trying to turn the entire United States Into a welfare state to secure their "voters of the future". I also have made the decision with a heavy heart that If Obama gets re-elected that I will Indeed move out of the United States. I will not be a part of the further decline of this once great nation. As a veteran It truly saddens me to see what Is happening to this country. We have a very Ill Informed electorate that Is force fed garbage from the liberal media on a daily basis,and unfortunately we end up with people In Congress that are more concerned with their re-elections than with trying to run a government for the "people".   TS

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#3) On April 22, 2011 at 2:59 PM, OneLegged (< 20) wrote:

...as the market continues to soar.  Thanks TS. +1

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#4) On April 22, 2011 at 3:08 PM, davejh23 (< 20) wrote:

I feel very blessed to have had a stable job throughout the last few years.  I've been extremely lucky to have received annual raises and not had any benefits cut...I don't know many that can say the same.  Even so, we're still feeling pinched with rising food and fuel prices.  While the gov't reports near zero inflation, our take home pay certainly isn't going as far.  I'm still grateful for what I have and am trying to help those less fortunate.  I have many friends that lost jobs and depleted savings over the last few years.  Most are working again, but are earning far less than they were, and they're learning to get by with much less.  I'd encourage those that are able to help out your neighbors that are struggling...I can't imagine what some of them are going through. 

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#5) On April 22, 2011 at 3:30 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

OneLegged  How long do you think that the "market" will continue to soar ? You are going to need both legs to run fast enough to escape the collapse that Is coming. The Fed will have to start raising Interest rates SOON,and when that happens,all bets are off. Good Luck   TS  :)

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#6) On April 22, 2011 at 3:39 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

davejh23   I am glad to hear that davejh :)  At no point In history have we seen commodities,oil,gold,silver,the stock market,gas,food...  etc all going up at the same time. At the same time that we have near record unemployment,a housing crisis that shows no signs of Improvement,declining wages,no access to credit,and a government debt that Is now officially In the twilight zone. When all of the payments come due,It's not going to be pretty.And definitely "love thy neighbor"....   :)   TS

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#7) On April 22, 2011 at 5:35 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

Nation’s Mood at Lowest Level in Two Years,Americans are more pessimistic about the nation’s economic outlook and overall direction than they have been at any time since President Obama’s first two months in office, when the country was still officially ensnared in the Great Recession, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.             Amid rising gas prices, stubborn unemployment and a cacophonous debate in Washington over the federal government’s ability to meet its future obligations, the poll presents stark evidence that the slow, if unsteady, gains in public confidence earlier this year that a recovery was under way are now all but gone.     http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/us/22poll.html  

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#8) On April 22, 2011 at 5:40 PM, HarryCarysGhost (99.78) wrote:

TS I've always been meaning to ask.

What line of work were you in?

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#9) On April 22, 2011 at 8:08 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

While pundits argue about whether or not we will have a double dip recession, for millions of Americans, we’re well beyond that, clearly within depression territory. According to John Williams of Shadowstats, http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts if we utilized calculation methods for unemployment the way we did before 1994, and counted not just those who are unemployed or employed part-time and looking for full time work, but those who are considered “long-term discouraged” works (like the people who have fallen off of emergency unemployment benefits), the actual unemployment rate would not be 9.2% as the official government statistics indicate, but rather, would be well above 22%.

That’s one in five Americans who want meaningful work, but simply can’t find it.

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#10) On April 22, 2011 at 8:14 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

HarryCarysGhost  I'm a pipefitter/plumber :)   Been In the trade 29 years. I have been trying to get my last 2 years In to be able and retire with a full pension. I have worked for 3 1/2 months out of the last 27....  I hear the FEDS are hiring ....  TS

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#11) On April 22, 2011 at 8:21 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

I have been Investing In the markets since 1982 when the DOW was at 700 and Intel was 2 bucks pre-split.... and no I didn't buy enough of it. I was In San Jose In the 90's when they were talking about apple going bankrupt too...  The stock got down to 10 bucks....   did I buy any ?  Noooooooo  !    I have many stories :)

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#12) On April 22, 2011 at 8:27 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

Best stock gain ....  International Remote Imaging Systems (IRIS)  Bought 1000 shares at 12 cents and sold It at 22 bucks :)  Invested $120.00   Return    $22,000.00   TS    {Yes,there are penny stocks that fly under the radar}

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#13) On April 22, 2011 at 9:24 PM, HarryCarysGhost (99.78) wrote:

Gotta ask man, what's your take on the pickle. That last qtr was UUGHly 

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#14) On April 22, 2011 at 9:57 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

HarryCarysGhost  Funny you should ask ... this came out just hours ago....    Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. Annual Update and Report

Apr. 22, 2011 (Marketwire) --

DENVER, CO -- (Marketwire) -- 04/22/11 -- Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc.'s (OTCQB: SPKL) Chief Executive Officer Mark Laramie presented an update and annual report today regarding the company. He commented: "We believe the company has reached a pivotal moment in its history. We are now experiencing the culmination of a year's planning and efforts for both our brands. We invested considerable time and resources positioning us for the future, and are now shifting from the conceptual phase, to the launch phase.

"From May of 2010 to April of 2011, we invested over $1.2M in structuring our organization and positioning our brands in order to become leaders in the Fast Casual Restaurant category. From a corporate viewpoint, our management team and staff are first rate, and our organizational structure is now highly cost efficient. Our Board of Directors is strong and provides great oversight and guidance. Our funding is secured and our financial position is steadily improving, largely due to the commitment and investment by some of our long term board members.

"In this first year, we conducted exhaustive research and development on both our Spicy Pickle® Sandwich Company(SM) ("SPSC"), and BG Urban Café(SM) ("BGUC"), brands. We conducted research with our guests, our franchisees, our staff, our board members, various culinary experts, our supply chain resources and our advertising agencies. The result is both our brands have undergone extensive modernization and improvements in décor, menu development, product quality, operational consistency, supply chain efficiency, cost of entry capitalization expense, advertising and branding methods, and most importantly sales and profitability.

"Now in May of 2011, we are re-launching both brands, SPSC and BGUC. We have converted all the BGUC to a new image, new menu and, new brand identity and plan to begin our BGUC advertising campaign in May. We plan to kick it off with a Gala Celebration at our Pender location in downtown Vancouver on May 9th.

"For the Spicy Pickle® brand, our new image and store design, with warmer decor and the aforementioned improvements, kicks-off with the first Grand Opening in our River Oaks franchised location in Houston Texas, also on May 9th. Additionally, we have four more new reimaged SPSC franchised locations in various stages of construction, and all are scheduled to open in 2011. We are now extracting a "reimage" package for our existing location's remodeling needs, as they arise.

"Furthermore, we have embraced technology as a pillar of branding and advertising for the future. We re-designed our websites for both brands, and in May we are launching on-line ordering and mobile marketing for our Spicy Pickle® brand. We partnered with Mobile Fusion for our mobile advertising integration platform and Munchaway for our on-line ordering capabilities. Both are leading edge providers in their fields. Likewise, BGUC will institute these programs later this year.

"We are now prepared and have begun franchising both our concepts throughout North America and internationally. Our new-design prototypes for traditional and non-traditional applications, and our initial units, such as the B.G. Urban Café kiosk in Vancouver International Airport, are performing well. There is considerable interest and opportunity in multi-unit franchising for both brands, in Canada and the U.S., as well as internationally.

"Before we began our aggressive growth efforts, we wanted to ensure that we had the brands well positioned, the concepts cost effectively modeled, and the staff adequately committed in order to reach our goals. This has been accomplished and we are now in the process of conducting many formative conversations with interested development candidates, in North America and beyond. We look forward to these discussions reaching fruition quickly.

"We sincerely appreciate the support and commitment of all our stakeholders. Our guests, franchisees, staff and investors have persevered during the recessionary downturn, and the effect on our company and the industry has been monumental. We hope and trust that we will now see a meaningful return on our many efforts and investments in this past year and will all experience a brighter future together," Laramie concluded.

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#15) On April 23, 2011 at 1:02 AM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

Good night America     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds09rrtz43g

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#16) On April 23, 2011 at 8:24 PM, topsecret10 (< 20) wrote:

A few quotes floating around the Internet ....  Similarly, the American head of Wal Mart - the world's biggest retailer - is warning of price hikes across the board:

U.S. consumers face "serious" inflation in the months ahead for clothing, food and other products, the head of Wal-Mart's U.S. operations warned Wednesday.

***

Inflation is "going to be serious," Wal-Mart U.S. CEO Bill Simon said during a meeting with USA TODAY's editorial board. "We're seeing cost increases starting to come through at a pretty rapid rate."
CNBC reported yesterday:

The combination of rising gasoline prices and the steepest increase in the cost of food in a generation is threatening to push the US economy into a recession, according to Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners.

***

Of course, at lower income levels, these percentages are much higher. One sign of the stress some consumers are already feeling is that some AAA offices have already seen an increase in out-of-gas service calls, as motorists try to put off filling their tanks or drive around trying to seek out the gas station with the least expensive price.

And as the New York Times notes, food producers are selling smaller portions for the same price, due to cost - push inflation:

With prices for energy and for raw materials like corn, cotton and sugar creeping up and expected to surge later this year, companies are barely bothering to cover up the shrinking packs.

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