Affordable Healthcare by the numbers.

We all hear a lot of talk in regards to the Affordable Care Act or ACA or ObamaCare in the news and to me it is always so vague on details it leaves me scratching my head asking ”what is ACA really doing for Americans- holistically?” I know I am not alone in this thought as even politicians are scratching their heads wondering what they signed off on without really reading. So I did a little research based on of course the numbers and attached a graphic from the Heritage foundation on the current fiscal budget to reference as you read (if you chose to). Enjoy!

So first let’s take a look at the full scenario in America based on surveys conducted by various agencies in which I will list at the end of the article for your review.

• Based on a 2012 Census report there are 48 million uninsured Americans or 15.4%

• In 2012, about three-fourths of working-age adults with low incomes (less than $14,856 a year for an individual or $30,657 for a family of four)—an estimated 40 million people—were uninsured or underinsured.

• Fifty-nine percent of adults with moderate incomes (between $14,856 and $27,925 for an individual or between $30,657 and $57,625 for a family of four)—or 21 million people —were uninsured or underinsured.

• Adults who were uninsured were less likely to receive recommended preventive care in 2012. For example, only 48 percent of women who were uninsured during the year received a mammogram within the recommended period, compared to 77 percent of those who were well insured all year.

• Median household income was $51,017 in 2012, not statistically different in real terms from the 2011 median of $51,100

The ACA health insurance premiums are projected to be an average of $328 monthly or $3,936 annually for a Bronze package. I myself settled up to battle the Healthcare.gov (when it worked) to see if the healthcare exchange would be better for myself and family and my premium per month was $946 per month- my employer coverage is currently $115 per paycheck bi-weekly and will increase by $30 a paycheck next year so with my current high deductible plan I will pay $290 per month with additional cost going to a tax-free Health Savings Plan which I will contribute $500 to annually with an additional contribution of $800 annually from my employer. I am apart of the 85% of Americans that have health insurance coverage – my worries are what about those that do not?

Now, let’s look at the penalties for the coming years if one were not to procure health coverage for various personal reasons:

(All calculations are for perspective purpose only! Flat and null of market fluctuations based on if more Americans were to obtain insurance in this time frame, affects of inflation over time, lowered average premium cost, and amendments made to penalties.)

2014 Scenario

In 2014, the fine to remain uninsured is $95 per person (up to a family maximum of $285, or 1 percent of family income, whichever is greater) and $47.50 per child. Now most families in America will be charged the max $285 based on the above mentioned data. As most that would not qualify for subsidies as they make to much money so in the first year these charges would equate to approximately 30 million American families being charged this fee so that would be $8.5 billion collected in fees the first year and $6.8 billion paid out for subsidized beneficiaries.

2015 Scenario

The penalty will increase to $325 per person and $162.50 per child in 2015 or $925 maximum or 2% of family’s annual income; greater cost will be deducted. Penalty fees will be collected in the amount of $27.75 billion and $6.8 billion dispersed to handle subsidized beneficiaries.

2016 Scenario

In the following year the penalty will cap at $695 per person and $347.50 per child or 2.5% of a family’s income up to $2,085; greater cost will be deducted. In each of these penalty scenarios that I just discussed most family’s will pay the top amount each year for not having health insurance, so using the above mentioned number of 30 million Americans unable to procure health insurance in the year 2016, the amount of fees collected from uninsured working/unemployed Americans would be $62.5 billion and than tax funds would pay $6.8 billion for those that are subsidized with credits.

Now let me wrap up the numbers portion of this article….

In just three years, ACA will collect fines of $98.75 billion if the uninsured stay as they are and face the penalties as they have not found a affordable way to obtain health insurance at the average median income of $51,017 a year, and distributed 20.4 billion for subsidized beneficiaries based on my flat line calculations that do not include fluctuations in the market as they are difficult to predict with my level of research.

Enrollment and Exemptions

Many of us know you can sign up for health coverage on an exchange anytime between now and March 1, 2014 and your coverage would begin Jan. 1, 2014, at the earliest. If you do not enroll in that window, you will not be able to get health coverage through the insurance exchange marketplace until the next annual enrollment period unless there are extenuating circumstances. To achieve subisidies and exemptions you would have to fall under one such scenario of the following:

•You are uninsured for less than three months of the year.
•You live illegally in the United States.
•You’re incarcerated and not awaiting disposition.
•You’re a member of a recognized Indian tribe.
•Your income is officially deemed too low ($10,000 a year individual/$20,000 family).
•The lowest-priced converge would cost more than 8 percent of your household income.
•You’re a member of a recognized religious sect with religious objections to insurance, including Social Security and Medicare.
•You’re a member of a recognized health-sharing ministry

My Thoughts..

I am not sure if this program will settle the weary American woes of health insurance, but I am certain that it will cost financially weary Americans some additional money every year if they are not able to budget appropriately for Health coverage in their current fiscal scenario. My hope is that Americans look at these numbers and start to engage a plan to either go with the current ACA policy or become engaged in a solution to better our American health industry through vigorous passion and undeniable voice! What is your stance?

OUR VOICE. OUR ACTION. OUR NATION

For inforamtion verification and sourcing see links below:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/
http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/uninsuredintheus/ib.shtml
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Affordable-Care-Act-Tax-Provisions

The Requirement to Buy Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=4d81849a-33fa-40c0-a995-e7f17b1d8a47

The American Welfare State

I recently got into a debate via social media about the current condition of the United States Welfare program and challenged to present data to support my views on why the American Social Programs are overrun and this article is what I put together. I hope you enjoy the read!

America thrives on a Citizens capability to thrive in the work force and achieve fiscal independence, and I have always believed that as a person that is blessed to walk the soils of this glorious nation that I am able to achieve such financial prowess by possessing these three American traits; strong work ethic, ambition, and ferocious determination but there is a growing lack of these traits in America as more Citizens settle into the social programs that have come to be since the revelations of the 1930’s or The Great Depression era and I have often wondered how have these programs developed over the decades since their conception. So lets look at the current numbers and reference the numbers of the 1980’s – a relatively lull era of events.

Welfare Statistics
Total number of Americans on welfare—————- 12,800,000
Total number of Americans on food stamps————- 46,700,000
Total number of Americans on unemployment insurance—2,859,000
Total number of Americans on assistance————– 21%

As we all know Welfare has long been a considerable presence in the U.S. economy that now services 313.9 million people. As of August 65.1 million or 21% of the American population are enrolled in an assistance program. I by no means feel that social programs serve no benefits to America, but I do not think that such a hefty amount of American’s need to be involved in this program – call it skepticism as only 58.6% of our population attributes to the labor force – now I know what most may be thinking at this point – What a brutal thing to say! I know many people that can hold jobs but will not as they are assimilated to entitlement living. America needs programs like this to ballast the poverty levels – I know this, but the term “impoverished” needs to be reevaluated as if a person is a working class American that cannot afford vital life needs then they very well should seek assistance as most Americans would be overjoyed to help a working family, but if a person on this program makes it a long term career choice than they should be desisted from their position and recycled into the labor force until they accumulate some work experience and replenish some of the funds they used in their long stay on Welfare – this is my opinion anyway.

So lets look at how long Americans on these programs stay on them; here are the statistics based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human:

Less than 7 months——19%
7 to 12 months—— 15.2%
1 to 2 years——— 19.3%
2 to 5 years——— 26.9%
Over 5 years ——– 19.6%

Another portion of this debate is how these programs affect The United States financially – So let’s take a look.

Currently, entitlement spending reflects as a 19% expenditure to our Gross Domestic Product or GDP which currently produces $15.6 trillion annually. That means Entitlement spending cost American’s $3 trillion a year! These figures are an increase from the 1980’s deduction of 13% which would have equated to $3.6 billion deducted from the $2.8 trillion GDP generated in the 1980’s. An impressive jump in expense in just 33 years; to put it in a stronger prospective that is a $2.994 trillion dollar increase; or 9.1 billion dollar increase each year since 1980 – I think we all got the point by now. It is truly a growing deficiency in our gross domestic product and it is projected to grow significantly with the current fiscal course of the United States.
My calcuations are based on the most recent published data from government agencies and does not reflect the implications of inflation over time.

Now enough about numbers, lets talk America –  we all know that America faces some turbulent times ahead and with those times Americans will suffer and have to go without certain properties of their life but lets face it we cannot continue to feed horrendous amounts of dollars into a program without discussing how to weed out career beneficiaries that take from those that actually need aid. There must be changes to these program that make it as prosperous as it was meant to be, not a lifestyle choice for working capable American’s. We can fix any aspect of America if we are willing to pursue the proper corrections as we are united in this effort to keep the United States an autonomous fiscal body!

OUR VOICE. OUR ACTION. OUR NATION.

If you want to look at additional spending information that I used to draft this article here they are:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/29snapcurrpp.htm
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/welfare_spending
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp
http://www.wrconference.net/
http://www.acf.hhs.gov
http://www.hhs.gov/
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm

Ramblings of a Passionate American – America united!

I spend a large majority of my week in a four-walled office with no view to the outside world, and I often think this is what  it is like to be a blindfolded American Citizen that takes every persons word that walks into his or her four-walled world. To me a person that lives in a world where others words ballast their own opinion never truly understands the implications of their mis-appropriated action. The persons I describe live a life that is just a conversation away from being scattered in a new direction as they seek no additional consensus on facts-and vote with this mentality! Misguided and ill informed voting is one of the creators of this out-of-control, two-party political struggle we see today where Politicians muster financial backing in the billions and then use content-based marketing which is defined as “a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable action” These tactics are to get “four-walled” Americans to do their bidding because they only listen to what they are told to – just call it brainwashing.

Information today is at our finger tips every second of the day-for those that have embraced the smart phone-but yet we do not use this multiplexing, dynamic tool to encumber ourselves with relevant information on issues that alter the very direction of the American Vessel, which i describe as; America being driven by poorly equipped, highly rich Captains that have no understanding of proper use of a Compass ( or Ethics)!

We scream that our Politicians are corrupt but do not fully understand they are lawfully able to be corrupt as they just have to link contributions to a political agenda and place the funds in the hands of a Political Action Committee(PAC) and disperse the funds as necessary from this account that is lawfully able to do such a thing. This is not corruption it is sponsorship at its finest!

The President of the United States recently stated “we deserve better”-I say we got we voted for; a dysfunctional collective of party-focused Politicians to afraid to act because large contributors may pull their monies for lack of reputable action towards their cause. A group of politicians that speak about the Constitutionality of an action, but have no real understanding of what the Constitution is or the proper application of it!

American Citizens are the corrective tool for this Nation I whole-heartedly believe this! We have the power to dictate who sits in the seat with our votes and free willed research on topics that we find important. The passion of the consensus will be the attributor to this Nation’s recovery as we are willed to be just that – Proud Americans!

Our Voice. Our Action, OUR NATION.

Vacation in America-The numbers side- Can we afford it?

Vacation?

America possesses some of the most spectacular sites in all of the world with bountiful country sides, vast mountain ranges, and desolate deserts. In the last week I was able to take a quick vacation and enjoy the scenes of Northern Michigan – after a three and a half year work grind that included full time employment and full time college – As I enjoyed the fruits of my labors I began to ask myself ” what is the holistic view of America on Vacation?” – “How blessed am I to partake in such a adventure?” So I took the time this week to answer these very questions and fully grasp the discretionary leisure temperature in the Nation I love.

I think that most Americans are working and moving so quickly that most of the beautiful scenery goes by in a blur like this photo that was taken this past weekend in my car-fueled expedition. Has the way we spent our extra cash changed over the years? I believe so so lets look at the numbers!

Beauty on the go!

First, lets make sure we are all aware of what discretionary Income is; The amount of an individual’s income that is left for spending, investing or saving after taxes and personal necessities (such as food, shelter, and clothing) have been paid. Discretionary income includes money spent on luxury items, vacations and non-essential goods and services.

The typical American household has $12,800 in annual discretionary spending an estimated, 28% of Americans’ annual spending is on discretionary goods and services, including things like entertainment, dining out, personal care, etc. Over half of households nationwide (51.5%) spend less than $10,000 on discretionary purchases each year, including just over a third (34.8%) that spend less than $7,000 annually. Only 5.8% of Americans spend $30,000 or more per year on nonessential goods and services, including 2.2% that spend an impressive $40,000 or more annually.

In all, Americans spend an estimated $1.47 trillion annually on discretionary goods and services. Despite the fact that households spending less than $7,000 on nonessentials comprise over a third of all households, this segment of the population accounts for just 10.8% of total annual discretionary spending in the United States. Combined, households spending less than $7,000 annually contribute $158.3 billion in discretionary spending to the economy at large. Meanwhile, the top 2.2% of spenders (those households that spend $40,000 a year or more on nonessentials) account for fully 11.2% of the nation’s total annual discretionary spending. Households spending between $20,000 and $29,999 annually on nonessential purchases account for the largest single share of the nation’s spending: $305.1 billion (20.7%).

There was some good news for headline scanning algos this morning, when both personal incomes and spending came in modestly higher than expected, with incomes rising 1.1% compared to an estimated 0.8% increase, while spending was up 0.7%, also higher than the 0.6% expected. But while the superficial headline grab did indicate a modestly better climate for both spending and incomes, it was a look under the cover once again that revealed the full extent of the pain that US consumers continue to find themselves in, over 5 years since the start of the second great depression.

First, the bulk of the bounce in spending was driven by a surge in Non-Durable Goods, which rose by $48.5 billion in one month, and amounting to 61% of the total increase in personal outlays in February. This was the biggest monthly jump since the onset of the financial crisis: hardly inspiring much confidence for those companies which are wondering whether to ramp up capital expenditures and spending, especially since spending on Durable Goods declined by $400 million in February: a drop in discretionary spending due to the payroll tax cut. As Nomura explained, higher energy prices main reason for rise in spending last month. Gasoline, other energy goods consumption +8.07% in Feb., drove non-durable consumption up 1.88%; services spending gain driven by utilities, also reflects higher energy prices.

Second, while incomes did rebound after the plunge in January, the modest increase represented a rise in the personal savings rate to just 2.6% – the second lowest monthly savings print since 2007, excluding only the abysmal January 2.2% print. In other words, there is hardly much if any new room for additional spending with the savings rate nearly at record lows, and with US consumer continuing to reduce their outstanding revolving credit, the Q1 retail sales miracle will hardly be repeated in future months as US consumers seek to rebuild some cash buffer.

A nationally represented YouGov survey looked into how Americans spend their time off has found:

• 23% went one one vacation in the past year
• 21% went on two to four vacations in the past year
• 82% of those who went away, went somewhere in the US for their vacation
• 5% of those who went on vacation visited Europe
• 72% of those who did not go on vacation said they could not afford to
• 11% of those who did not go on vacation said they prefer to stay at home

To support this survey a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2013/ted_20130730.htm)  states the following:

During 2012, 38 percent of private industry workers who had 1 year of service with their employer (and had access to a paid vacation plan) received between 5 and 9 paid vacation days per year, and 35 percent received between 10 and 14 paid vacation days. On average, workers with 1 year of service received 10 days of paid vacation in 2012.

Among private industry workers with 5 years of service, more were in the 10–14 days of paid vacation category than any other category: 36 percent of these workers received 10 to 14 paid vacation days in 2012, while 34 percent received between 15 and 19 days. On average, workers with 5 years of service received 14 days of paid vacation.

Among workers with 10 years of service, the 15–19 days of paid vacation category was the most common, accounting for 41 percent of workers on the job with the same employer for a decade. These workers had, on average, 17 days of paid vacation in 2012.

Workers with 20 years of service were more likely to be in the 20–24 days of paid vacation category during 2012; 35 percent of these workers were in this category. On average, workers with two decades of service received 19 paid vacation days in 2012.

Now in comparison a earlier Bureau of Labor Statistics( http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/benefits/2009/ebbl0044.pdf) report put out the following:

In March 2009, 39 percent of civilian workers with one year of service with their employer had 10 to 14 days of paid vacation per year.

Among employees with 5 years of service, 36 percent received 10 to 14 days of paid vacation, and an additional 36 percent received 15 to 19 days.

For employees with 10 years of service, 15 to 19 days was the most common vacation duration: 43 percent of these employees received 15 to 19 days of paid vacation annually.

Among employees with 20 years of service, 38 percent received 20 to 24 paid vacation days a year.

Notice the Difference in time off in 3 years. We are working harder, seeing nominally significant raises, and being smart with how we spend our money….now if someone we know could do the same!

Overall, I would say Americans are tightening their wallets and exploring economical means to vacationing. I know that during my vacation this week I traveled to Petosky, MI for a night and partook in what we Michiganders call “A Color Tour” and then spent the remaining vacation time staying home and playing with my two year old daughter and NOT spending  to much of my discretionary Income.

I hope that you enjoyed the read!

OUR VOICE. OUR ACTION. OUR NATION(enjoy it!)

Attrition of a Nation

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This article I present to you today does not seek to sway opinion, but gives you the data and history to establish your own voice on the current and future state of America. We have the prowess as citizens to protect the state of Our Nation; we must now find the action to voice our concerns and bring action to a stalemate that has perpetuated a gridlock in Our Government! Please take the time to enjoy my article and establish your own stance on America’s condition!

As of this moment America stands a Population of 313,914,000 or 245,959,000 Civilian non-institutional population with 155,486,000 ready and able to work, but only 144,170,000 currently designated as employed. That puts America at a 58.6% currently employed! American companies are trying to justify continual job growth as the cost to hire increases with an American worker making $8.50 cost an employer $13.51 with hard cost and soft cost attributed to this information. America is not facing anything exclusively climatic in its current predicament it is now a relevant issue because the numbers are higher and the American people know more about current events than ever, but just because the information is placed in the hands of the American people it has become stagnate in its current position as the American way is appealing to most that live it – even with all the current issues – Americans face a time when the information is present but the will to act on the information is absent. The self-persuaded welfare state way of life has long but taken a hold of Our Nation, and the growing mindset of “If I do not do anything, someone else will” has a strong grasp on the integrity of action in most Americans! The nation is divided as a two-party government struggles to establish common ground and drive the American vessel to the next era of distinguished global presence!

1920s
• Population: 106,521,537
• Unemployment 2,132,000 or 5.2%
• Average annual earnings $1236
• Teacher’s salary $970
• Life expectancy: Male 53.6, Female 54.6

We all revel in the culture of movies and series that reminisce on the socioeconomic of the 1920’s and forward, but fail to see the denigration of social norms. The 1920s saw the growth of popular recreation, in part because of higher wages and increased leisure time. Just as automobiles were mass-produced, so was recreation during the 1920s.
The 1920s saw the emergence of non-sporting national heroes like Charles Lindbergh, who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic in May 1927 – These were the “Roaring Twenties” and the strong economy of this era also created the right environment for many important changes in the day-to-day social life of the American people. The 1920s brought a feeling of freedom and independence to millions of Americans, especially young Americans. This unclouded experience of social grandeur made every Citizen with in America boast of National Pride and benefit from a bipartisan democracy that was filled with PROUD AMERICANS!

1930s
• Population: 123,188,000 in 48 states
• Unemployment : 12,830,000 or 25%(labor force information not collected until 1940s)
• Average salary: $1,368
• Minimum wage: $0.35 an hour
• Life Expectancy: Male, 58.1; Female, 61.

This is the period between the stock-market crash of October 1929 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and dominated by one of the worst economic crises in American history (that is comparable to what we are seeing today). Many called the 1930s “years of standstill,” when “everybody and everything marked time.” The confidence of Americans in progress and prosperity, so marked during the 1920s, suddenly vanished. But hard times were not new, and many Americans had suffered even during the prosperous 1920s.
Unemployment had risen from 1.5 million in 1926 to nearly 2.7 million in 1929, which in comparison to the 92,228,496 register Citizens in America at the time is a staggering number for the time period! That means unemployment in 1929 stood at approximately 8.7% – again a relatively high number considering the times.
During the 1920s millions of Americans were forced off farms by deflated crop prices (like we are seeing today), soil depletion, and farm mechanization. Yet the Great Depression of the 1930s hit with unprecedented force. Millions of Americans who had recently joined the middle class because of easy credit, installment buying, and low-cost stocks lost everything. For working-class Americans and the poor, the situation was worse: jobs were nowhere to be found; many sharecroppers were thrown off their farms; malnutrition and despair were constants. Worse still was the condition of the elderly, children, and families. Seniors who lost years of savings in the banking collapse were too old to find work and were forced to rely on hard-pressed families and charity to survive. Education was slashed, and millions of children lost their schools. They too had to work at whatever they could find, contributing their meager earnings to their families. When local governments defaulted on their debts to the rich in order to keep schools and welfare services open, wealthy citizens organized tax strikes and liquidated private charities. At the federal level congressional investigations in 1933 and 1934 revealed sensational securities fraud, profitable ties between business and government (especially in the airmail business), and the tax loopholes provided for the wealthy. The public was outraged, and Roosevelt took advantage of this anger to reverse the relationship of government to the powerful, placing government at the service of common people. It was a situation alien to a society and economy geared to abundance, unlimited growth, and opportunity.
Roosevelt’s New Deal intervened at an unprecedented level in the lives of average Americans. Direct emergency relief, although meager, kept many from starving; public works projects provided temporary jobs for millions; federal insurance protected the life savings of American workers; housing and farm loans protected millions from foreclosure; Social Security provided retirement and unemployment protection (Does this sound at all familiar?); Roosevelt’s support for organized labor insured millions of workers of high wages and safer working conditions. These policies that were adapted by this administration laid the foundation of a welfare state and were overwhelmingly supported by the public (Is this not sounding familiar yet?). But they did not cure the Depression.

1940s
• Population: 132,122,000
• Unemployment: 8,120,000 or 3.9%
• Average labor participation: 46.1%
• National Debt: $43 Billion
• Average Salary: $1,299.
• Teacher’s salary: $1,441
• Minimum wage: $0.40 an hour
• Life expectancy: 68.2 female, 60.8 male

In 1941 as many as 40 percent of all American families lived below poverty level, and nearly eight million workers earned less than the legal minimum wage of $0.40 an hour – accurate as of October 25, 1945 and equal to $11.50 today – as inflation in the 1940s was 43.88%, which has over the course of time increased by 2194.96% in the year 2013.
In the 1940’s 8,120,000 Americans were unemployed, and the median income registered at $1,289 per year, but the average yearly earnings did rise momentarily in 1940 to $1,754, but fell back to $1,289 in 1944. The labor force expanded from 56,180,000 in 1940 to 65,290,000 in 1945 with an overall population of 132,122,000 this would put the labor participation rate at 42.5% in 1940 and 49.4% in 1945 a staggering increase due to the increase in Industrial production. In this time many began to celebrate the rebound of America’s economy post war and reveled at the optimistic policies that had created such an opportunity, but the national debt at this time was $43 billion and the economical picture improved during this era, but the sense of crisis created by the Depression permanently altered lifestyles and attitudes. The so-called depression mentality of fear and economic caution marked an entire generation, even as the economy boomed after World War II. In this timeframe America stepped-up its industrial prowess of production and thus improved the material lives of many people, but with only less than 50% actively engaged in the labor force it left many relying on the Welfare state created by Roosevelt’s “New deal”. You have to ask yourself is America’s history going to be cyclic amortization of ignorance of partisan Politics or are we going to one day seek a holistic bipartisan social structure. The only way this can occur is if we know where we came from and can arbitrarily argue as an autonomous body that bipartisan policy that aids in production and increased civil liberties is what made America a just and thriving Democracy.

1950s
• Population: 151,684,000 (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census)*
• Unemployment: 3,288,000 or 6.8%
• Average Labor Participation : 59.2%
• Average Salary: $2,992
• Minimum wage: $0.75 an hour
• Life expectancy: Women 71.1, men 65.6

Though the 1950s prosperity benefited many Americans, it also obscured widespread poverty which today is still commonplace in Our Nation! More than 20% of the nation lived below the poverty line – or based on the above mentioned data approximately 30,336,800 Americans; some in desolate rural conditions as migrant workers, others in the crowded and dirty slums of American cities. In this timeframe the needs of the minority groups went largely unanswered, and the condition of cities rapidly deteriorated – some of what we are seeing today, but there are now more social wealth programs available today than there was in this era. The increasing gap of socioeconomic grew greatly in this era as the wealthy continued to thrive with tax loopholes, low minimum wages and high demand for domestic products.

1960s
• Population 177,830,000
• Unemployment 3,852,000 or 8.5%
• Average Labor participation: 59.4%
• National Debt 286.3 Billion
• Average Salary $4,743
• Teacher’s Salary $5,174
• Minimum Wage $1.00
• Life Expectancy: Males 66.6 years, Females 73.1 years

The 1960s were an era of protest and social revolution. In the civil rights movement blacks and whites protested against the unfair treatment of races. Towards the end of the decade more and more Americans protested against the war in Vietnam. The 1960s shattered American politics with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who was the first Catholic President in American history, and was later gunned down in Dallas in 1963. When his brother Robert ran for president in 1968 he too was killed by an assassin’s bullet in California.

1970s
• Population: 204,879,000
• Unemployed in 1970: 4,088,000
• Average Labor participation: 60.4%
• National Debt: $382 billion
• Average salary: $7,564
• Life Expectancy: Male, 67.1; Female, 74.8

At this point I would say that most of us can remember the remaining era’s predominant events. So I will give to you the data of the timeframe. I hope that you can take what is given to make a relevant opinion on the current events of America, and the cyclic nature of history. We can correct the movement of the nation we just have to embrace history and encourage our children to promote change in an articulate manner as our current focus has embodied a sloth like stance on mutual propriety and social presentation through verbal prowess. The way we present ourselves today will affect the outcome of this Nation as our children simply mock our actions and political views, unless we teach them how to find the information that will allow them to embody a stance of political individuality that promotes National growth and a promising future!

1980s
• Population: 226,546,000
• Unemployed: 7,637,588 or 7.1%
• Average Labor participation: 63.8%
• National Debt: 1980 – $914,000,000,000
• Average salary: $15,757
• Minimum Wage: $3.10
• Life Expectancy: Male 69.9 Female 77.6

1990s
• Population: 281,421,906 (2000 Census)
• Unemployment: 5,800,000 or 4.2%
• Average Labor participation: 66.4%
• National Debt: $3,830,000,000,000 (1997)
• Average salary: $25,679
• Minimum wage 5:15 hr
• Life Expectancy Male 73.1 Female 79.1

20th Century
• Population: 313,914,040
• Unemployment: 11,316,000 or 7.3% (as of Aug. 2013)
• Average Labor participation: 58.6%
• National Debt: 16,738,158,460,000 (October 2013)
• Average salary: $51,200 (August 2013
• Life Expectancy : Male 76 Female 81

OUR VOICE.OUR ACTION. OUR NATION.

Labor Participation information: http://www.bls.gov/mlr/1999/12/art1full.pdf
Minimum wage information acquired at the following link http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/chart.htm

Real Cost to Employ

Real Cost to Employ based on a $8.50 an hour salary

Hard Cost- Breakdown (per hour)

FICA(Social Security) 6.20% = $ .53
FUTA( Unemployment) 0.08% = $ .07
Medicare 1.45% = $ .12
SUTA(state unemployment) 1.50% = $ .13
Workers Comp 5.36% = $ .46

—Total Hard Cost = $ 1.31
——-
Soft Cost -Breakdown

Administrative Costs = $ .51
Recruitment & Interviewing Costs = $ 1.31
Benefit Costs = $ 2.21
Increase W/C Costs = –
Legal Fees = –
Lost Revenue due to
Poor Productivity = –
—-Total Soft Cost = $ 3.70

Administrative Costs

Total wages of HR, Payroll and Assistant Administrative Personnel involved in handling:
• Payroll
• Employee paperwork
• Reporting and paying quarterly taxes
• Year-end reports
• W-2’s, W-4’s, I-9’s
• Handling workers comp. claims
• Unemployment claims
• Employee complaints

HR Director HR/Payroll Asst.
Per Hour Wage $18.26 $9.61
Hard Costs $1.88 $0.99

Totals $20.14 $10.60 = $30.74
Divide by Number of Employees
= 60

Total Administration Costs per Employee per Hour

$ 0.51

Recruitment Costs

One ad for 30 days = $320.00 to fill one position!
Cost of ad per hour for new hires for:
First 30 days or 160 hours = $2.00 per hour
at 320 hours = $1.00 per hour
at 480 hours = $ .66 per hour
Total Recruitment Costs $ 1.00

Interviewing Costs

HR Time at $20.14 per hour times number of Hours Interviewing
For example: 10 half-hour interviews = 5 hours x $20.14 per hour = $100.70
New Hire Cost: at 160 hours = $.63 per hour
at 320 hours = $.31 per hour
Total Interviewing Costs $ 0.31

Benefit Costs
Health Insurance
Single Female 33 years old
$239 per month x 12 months = $2868 per year
$2868 / 2080 work hours = $1.38 per hour
—
Health Insurance $ 1.38 per hour
—
Vacation Pay – Two Weeks Vacation
$8.50 per hour plus $1.31 taxes & hard costs = $9.81 per.hour
$9.81 x 80 hours = $784.80 / 2080 hours = $.38 per hour

Vacation Pay $ 0.38

Sick Pay – Six Days
$8.50 per hour plus $1.31 taxes & hard costs = $9.81
$9.81 x 48 hours = $470.88 / 2080 hours = $.23 per hour
—
Sick Pay $ 0.23
—
Holiday Pay – Six Days
$8.50 per hour plus $1.31 taxes & hard costs = $9.81
$9.81 x 48 hours = $470.88 / 2080 hours = $.23 per hour
—-
Holiday Pay $ 0.23
—
Total Benefit Costs $ 2.22

Total cost to employ = $ 13.51

This is a large attributor to a 58.6% labor participation. The next time you are at work think of this.

Social Securty and our retirement

When you retire how do you see it playing out? Americans invest into Social Security at 6.2% of there wages each year and on top of this employee contribution, an employer must pay another 6.2% each year. This contribution in its entirety equals 12.4% of our yearly wages goes to a Government controlled bank account so that one day Americans can use these funds to retire. Now these funds are only accessible after you turn 62, but at this period of your life it is at a lower pull rate. As you can only get the full extent of the contribution after you are deemed fully retired at 67 years of age. Now lets stop and let you explore your interest in Social Security and what your estimated retirement disbursement looks like go to https://secure.ssa.gov/acu/ACU_KBA/main.jsp?URL=/apps8z/ARPI/main.jsp?locale=en&LVL=4 . This is a secure site that you can use to see your monthly income that will be given to you in retirement – as long as you apply for it!
The average American salary in 2013 is $52,100 as of June. That means the average American contributes $3,230.20 a year to Social Security and his or employer must match that so that brings the average yearly contribution to Social Security to $6,460.40, an average person starts working when their 18 years of age and with the currents standards set fourth by the Social Security administration can begin pulling their benefits when they are 62 years of age. That equates to 44 years of working contributions to social security, which brings the holistic contribution to Social Security by a single working American to $284,257.60 and with interest over the working cycle a single American will have $510,766.69 available when they retire based on the average income data and simple interest . We all know that these numbers are not typical to the normal working class American, and this is due to the current wage gap that presents itself in America and the “normal” wage of a working class American is closer to the 30 to 40k a year mark, but the wage data used is the most credible information available. The chart below shows the fluctuation of the Social Security trust since the conception of the fund.

Only way to post custom chart.

To take my point to the equivocal level of the yearly contribution of all working Americans based on the most credible information available by The Bureau of Labor Statistics places the current nonfarm working Americans as of August 2013 at 144,170,000 that would place the approximate average contribution to Social Security at $40,981,418,192,000.00 or 40.981 trillion dollars with a current effective interest rate of 4.1%. This staggering contribution by the American populace does not see an ounce of Government contribution as this is a savings account that Americans contribute to, to ensure that they have monies in place to one day retire around the age of 62.
The growing mindset that Social Security is Our Governments contribution to the American people is a fallacy this is something we all worked to contribute to as an autonomous working body without aid from the government. The US government has however borrowed 4.776 trillion or $4,776,000,000,000.00 from the Social Security program, which violates the purpose of the program and takes some of the ability for the program to fund a hard working Americans retirement. The fact that many feel this program is in jeopardy of capsizing is unfounded as the program continues to be strongly funded by the American public. The only reason this program will fail is if Government borrowing goes unregistered and is not paid back in a timely fashion.
Social Security was originally enacted to assist the “Elderly poor” with retirement and has stayed in place to assist Americans live comfortably in life after 62, but with the development of stronger financial programs over the decades since the conception of Social Security it leaves one to ask “what does retirement structuring look like today?” So if a person took out a 12 month Certificate of Deposit in the year 2000 at a humble 3% with $1612 which would be 12.4% of a $13,000 yearly salary, by the end of the first year they would have $1,660, and if they continue to place the 12.4% contribution into a 12 month CD for the entirety of the average 44 year working cycle and in the time frame achieved an average annual income of 60k a year by the age of 34 they would have approximately $533,601.41 ready for retirement with $294,869.13 contributed from their salary. The outcome is attributably the same to Social Security, but with Social Security you are not able to protect your funds from the long arm of government spending. We all one day will retire with Social Security being a proponent of our after 62 income but how much will we have is the question? If you were an active saver the monthly distribution will be enough to live a life you are assimilated to, but if you have not accumulated enough funds to live at your desired pace than you will find Social Security an unaccommodating income base post retirement.
This is why I believe that if we were to be able to opt-out of Social Security contribution would see less volatility towards government aided security nets for retirement, and an increase in long-term approval of government aid programs. The proper course of the action I am proposing is that if an individual begins contributing to personal retirement program than they should have the ability to maneuver the 12.4% contribution they were issuing to Social Security to their own personal retirement plan this way they can actively dictate how much money they will have to work with when they retire and where it is invested.
My thoughts in closing are; if you are not willing to actively engage in retirement talk and dictate a set monthly salary yourself and wish to continue to contribute to the Social Security plan than so be it, but if you are a person that would like to see the 12.4% contribution pass through a program you chose and monitor then that should be a choice we all can make!

Our Voice. Our Action. Our Nation

Provocation to America

In 1892 Francis Bellamy bestowed on the America’s “The Pledge of Allegiance” which in one short statement invigorated the loyal citizens of a united coalition of territories to find an undistracted passion for their United States of America. That so many men fought for in the Revolutionary war. This simple statement that read “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” and went on to get amended to the now standing proclamation of allegiance – “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” this statement describes the loyalty and pride of our founding Statesman unwavering contemplation of freedom! This very statement finds itself absent in our youth, and we no longer allow it to be recited in our schools or find it to be a commendable reminder that freedom is not an entitled way of life but a revocable value of self governance! We do not harm our children by teaching them “The Pledge of Allegiance” we simply aid them in finding the incorrigible ability to proclaim the United States of America as their sovereignty and be proud that they are able to muster on the soils of such a grand nation!

The proposition for the reinstatement of the reciting of “The Pledge of Allegiance” in school by no means creates an elitist subculture of loyal Americans but instead bolsters the continuity of pride based Citizenship that our ancestors sought to create when they combated for exemption from the British parliament.

The importance of National Pride is more evident today then it was in 1775! We have built a Nation on the founding’s that all of mankind is equal and has the inherent right to freedom and the pursuance of happiness without encumbrance of government invasion. This fundament is only maintained with a holistically engaged autonomy of boastful constituents who are able to pace the importance of civil based legislation that maintains the brand of the Constitution of America and does not seek to infringe on the civil liberties that are given in this mantle piece of democracy! The legislation that we see being produce today are mended to separate Citizens into bracketed wage classes that receive additional purpose as the emboldened their salaries. This form of class structure has only aided the financially wealthy, and created additional lobbying factions to maintain the practices that have increased the gap in class structures.

We as a Nation stand divided and this is widely due to the collusion of American Democracy! Our Nation was built as an autonomous democratic model that worked in favor of the constituents that appointed the Statesman to office. Now most recent census data shows an increase in voter registration from 1996 to as recent as 2012 this information however comes from the Census itself and we all know that not all register to partake in this survey  and that the validity of these votes have long been questioned.  The Voting action of Americans is the only reputable way to appoint the right men and women for the job of leading our nation, and without it we will not be able to maintain the will of America. Enstill just foundations in our youth and we can pursue a great tomorrow for America.

Our Voice. Our Action. Our Nation

American Motivation

As a Nation we have progressed through technological advances and innovation throughout the global economy and branded the United States of America as an industrial and military power house, but as a people we have digressed in social and sovereign loyalty. When we look at the growth and digression of the citizens of America we have to wonder have we grown to fast and become too passive on the socioeconomics of Our Nation? Or have we just adopted a mindset that appointed officials (that a small amount voted for, I know I chose not to vote this year) have our best interest in mind with the assistance of socially funded initiatives like Social Security that they deem as “entitlements” and Welfare that has become plagued with “free riders”. These programs were launched with the expressed derivative to aid the minority that needed assistance as they transitioned through a stage in there life, but now funds a large amount of the lives of working capable individuals that have found solace in living off others. America has crippled itself by allowing inconsolable few dictate the interest of the United States of America. When this Nation took action against oppressors in the Revolutionary War of 1775 it was for some of the very reason we see today! Taxation without proper representation in a parliament, and numerous civil infractions! I know we now have a structured system of representation but it has become driven by corporate interest and political gain and not the voice of the constituents that appointed the officials to office and to me this leaves us misrepresented and highly taxed. This very misrepresentation is the very cause of the detraction of this Nation as a predominant democratic model, and will be a contributor to the break of this Nation that so many worked and died for to create if not corrected as I know it can through passion and voice.

In order to correct this destructive course we have to reengage ourselves as true Federalist and voice our direction! We have lost our will to freely mandate the interest of our wills and needs as a Nation; by adapting to the media sized campaigns of our elected officials we have jeopardized the moral fabric of the electoral process! We do not take the time to freely seek an opinion of our own because the information we seek is not always readily available on the internet and other digital sources. Instead the records we seek are maintained on archaic “brick and mortar” record systems that we in turn use to elect our Statesman and our President. Is this done on purpose? My thoughts are yes, because an informed society is dangerous to an autocratic democracy like the one we have created and allowed to thrive for nearly a decade. So why would they seek to improve these mediums of information and election, they are proven effective for the electoral transgressions of our vote appointed officials.

I hope that we will see a rise in the pursuance of unfiltered information as the sources we have been fed to believe as accurate are in fact monitored and altered to meet the needs of a Government agencies initiative. This outburst is not a note or undertaking of Anarchy, but instead a call to my fellow Americans to become passionate in a Nation that I know they love and to focus on the sovereignty and loyalty to the fundaments of this Nation and not the current politicized wish list of a corporate sponsored government official.

In conclusion I say Live free (understand that this is not an entitlement, but instead an amendable victory to attrition), Seek Information (seek multiple sources), represent yourself with respect (through grammatical prowess and fortuitous social grandeur), and find passion for your Nation (teach it to your children)! These are simple words of my apprehended vision for a Nation that has a foundation built on ferocity and dreams, and we cannot allow that to crumble.

OUR VOICE. OUR ACTION. OUR NATION.