Nice "Job", "Big Brother"

 By Alexander Graham 

It’s rather sad, actually that as the richest country in the entirety of the world, we are left as the eleventh happiest. Of course money doesn’t buy happiness, but what is even more upsetting is the fact that few people try to be happy. When Honors English 11 did the final project last year, a “happiness stimulation project” a surprisingly low number of people participated and quite a few just downright refused. It’s sad how many people will go out of their way to refuse to be happy. But the total GDP does not necessarily reflect the happiness of a country, but yes, it does in fact reflect to total well being. When people try to measure the GDP of this nation it should not be a measure or reflection of the total happiness that is found in the nation. I don’t know just my first thoughts after reading this.

January

It has been said over and over again, unemployment rates are rising. This is a topic barely touched upon in our last presidential campaign. Many economists say that unemployment is one of America’s most pressing problems. Millions of Americans are left without jobs, many can barely support themselves and even more are forced to support families as well. 

Too many people can’t last much longer and they survive entirely on food stamps or donations. This isn’t only hurting them physically, but demoralizing them as well. The demoralization of the unemployed Americans is having more detrimental effects on the unemployment rates than almost any other factor. The unemployed are feeling hopeless; they don’t even feel like it’s worth it to continue looking for jobs. These people can’t even be considered unemployed anymore. 

One woman, a Beatrice Hogg, 55, is a strong white-collared worker, who lost her job three years ago and has just slid, unmercifully, into poverty. Her situation consists of living off of food stamps and scraps, living at friend’s houses or sometimes event the train stations. She has been completely demoralized looking towards her friends for all this help, but there isn’t much else that she can do. 

Both Republicans and Democrats are looking for solutions to these problems, but personally, some of the possible solutions that have been decided, such as subsidies to businesses that hire people who have been unemployed for six months, are going to end up hurting the economy greater than they will help. All of the businesses will only end up hiring those who have been unemployed for six months, leaving those more qualified to suffer unemployed for the six months until the businesses can obtain the subsidy. This is just a waste of what could probably have earned the company more in the long run. Personally everything about the political solutions is either unnecessary or will end up doing more harm than good. 

Too many citizens are facing very long term unemployment and with not much else to work for, several have given up hope and so forces the number of unemployed citizens far up. Almost two million people have joined the disability rolls since the recession began at the end of 2007, which is a great increase because many citizens use the disability rolls as a last resort when they can no longer find a job and their unemployment insurance run out. This is quite upsetting as it takes away a lot of the money that should be going towards the truly disabled that really cannot work anymore. Many candidates do not like to talk about the unemployment rates because it is not something that is easily fixed and would require a lot more work than some people are putting in. This is not something that has a quick solution; it is something that will require all of America to put in the time needed and the work that necessary to bring the low unemployment rates back up to the standard 4% that the government strives for.