271 Hard Back Business books sent to Stupid Obama! He read NONE of them!
Dec 28, 2013 12:59:44 #
national and state parks say don't feed the animals because they will become lazy and dependent on humans for food guess what the 99 weeks of unemployment insurance is lazy Americans dependent on the government for food just like the wild animals I'm glad the federal subsidy for unemployment insurance ends at 99 weeks should have ended at 52 weeks
Dec 28, 2013 13:45:45 #
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Harvard study concludes that gun control does not prevent murders, other violent crime
8/30/13 | by Jennifer Cruz
140 7990
Remove guns, reduce death? Not according to a Harvard study. (Photo credit: ABC)
Remove guns, reduce death? Not according to a Harvard study.
A study which was recently published by Harvard took a look at firearm ownership, gun laws and violent crime, and suicide rates around the world. The authors sought to answer the question would banning firearms reduce murder and suicide?
The study, which was conducted by Don B. Kates, an American criminologist and constitutional lawyer, and Gary Mauser, a Canadian criminologist and university professor, offered a stark truth: More guns does not equal more deaths and less guns does not equal less deaths.
Kates and Mauser claim in the study that while some international comparisons have been viewed as evidence that more guns equals more deaths and therefore to reduce guns will reduce deaths, they indicate that some of these studies use inaccurate or misleading information to obtain the results.
According to the study, the so-called fact that the reason the murder rate is so high in the United States compared with other modern developed countries is due to the U.S. having uniquely easy access to guns, is simply not true. The study indicates those homicide rates are not an accurate representation and moreover, that those rates have nothing to do with the number of firearms in the country.
While gun ownership in the U.S. is high, the unusually high murder rate is not the norm. The study compares other developed countries with high gun ownership rates, including Norway, Finland, Germany, France and Denmark. These countries all have significantly lower murder rates than the U.S. as well as those countries in which gun ownership is much more uncommon. In other words, the high murder rate of the U.S. is the exception, not the rule, when comparing homicide rates to gun ownerships rates.
euro-murder-and-gun-rates
Euro guns
For example, in Luxembourg handguns are completely banned and gun ownership of any kind is extremely rare. However, the countrys murder rate is nine times that of Germanys, despite Germany having gun ownership rates 30,000 times higher than Luxembourg.
In another instance, the study compares the U.S. with Russia. It cites that once the Soviet Union succeeded in disarming the majority of civilians, beginning in the 1960s murder rates skyrocketed. By the 1990s murder rates had become so high that the basically gun-less Russia was left with the highest murder rate of the civilized world, three times higher than that of the U.S., despite the countrys long-standing strict and stringent gun control policies.
In addition, other countries of the former Soviet Union, which have held on to the strict gun control policies, including the Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, as well as various other now‐independent European nations, all have similar murder rates.
The fact that these countries have very few firearms has not reduced the rate of violent crimes. In fact, according to the study, Homicide results suggest that where guns are scarce other weapons are substituted in killings.
In comparing gun ownership rates with homicide rates, the study concludes that where firearms where are most dense violent crime rates are lowest, and where guns are least dense violent crime rates are highest.
Just as the United States unusually high murder rate is used in the argument for gun control, Englands unusually low murder rate prior to the 1990s along with the countrys low rate of gun ownership presently is often cited as factual evidence that gun control reduces violence.
Yet, according to the study, what fails to be acknowledged is that first, England was already experiencing an all-time low in violence before gun control measures were introduced. Secondly, in the late 1990s England started to initiate stricter gun control policies, resulting in a complete ban of handguns as well as many long guns. Hundreds of thousands of firearms were confiscated from law-abiding citizens. By the year 2000, violent crime in England had increased so much that it had one of the highest violent crime rates in all of Europe, evening higher than that of the U.S.
When guns arent available for killing people, criminals just find another tool, according to a Harvard Study. (Photo credit: Lehigh Valley Live)
When guns arent available for killing people, criminals just find another tool, according to a Harvard Study. (Photo credit: Lehigh Valley Live)
In addition, Englands most recent crime statistics have been grossly misrepresented. In 2006 the criminal justice system, in an attempt to conserve resources, initiated a policy in which the police would no longer investigate minor crimes, such as burglary and minor assault. If a mugger, robber, burglar or others engaged in minor criminal activities are caught, the police simply give them a warning a virtual slap on the wrist then send them on their way, without filing charges, arresting or prosecuting them. In other words, crime has not gone down in England, but rather minor crimes are simply no longer counted as crime.
Moreover, after years of Englands police forces not even carrying guns, with violent crime on the rise, many departments are now opting to arm their officers.
Meanwhile, as England initiated stricter gun control for its residents, the U.S. was loosening gun laws, which eventually allowed for citizens to legally carry firearms in 40 states. Concealed carry permit holders are now estimated to be at 3.5 million.
And as states adopted statutes to allow the carrying of firearms, the U.S. saw a dramatic drop in violent crime, particularly homicides. Additionally, states that approved residents to carry firearms saw a greater decrease in crime than those who did not.
However, the theory that gun ownership reduces crime is a highly controversial one. And as the study points out, even though the correlation is clear, there still remains other factors that may have influenced the drop in crime in the U.S. as well.
One study indicated that the drop in violent crime was partially the outcome of the legalization of abortion, which resulted in the non‐birth of vast numbers of children who would have been disproportionately involved in violent crime had they existed in the 1990s.
The same study also questioned if the possibility of the increase in both prison populations, from 100 to 300 per 100,000, and executions, from five each year to 27, resulted in reduced violent crime.
Regardless of the reason or reasons the fact remains that the U.S. has seen the lowest violent crime rate in the last 15 years.
The study then skims the surface of the societal problems of violent crime, citing that most violent criminals and especially murders almost always have a long history of criminal behavior. So it would not appreciably raise violence if all law‐abiding, responsible people had firearms because they are not the ones who rape, rob, or murder. By the same token, violent crime would not fall if guns were totally banned to civilians.
A statement which aims to debunk the idea that thousands of law-abiding citizens are turned into murders each year simply because they have access to a firearm. The day‐to‐day reality is that most family murders are prefaced by a long history of assaults. In other words, normal, ordinary, law-abiding people dont murder other people, but rather homicide is more likely motivated by socio-economic and cultural factors and marked by an extensive history of violence.
suicide-rates
Suicide rates
The highly debated issue of suicide was explored as well. The World Health Organization ascertains, The easy availability of firearms has been associated with higher firearm mortality rates. While this is true, removing the firearm does not remove the suicide risk. The study points out that, The evidence, however, indicates that denying one particular means to people who are motivated to commit suicide by social, economic, cultural, or other circumstances simply pushes them to some other means, concluding that there is no social benefit in decreasing the availability of guns if the result is only to increase the use of other means of suicide and murder, more or less resulting in the same amount of death.
While the question of whether or not gun ownership rates have a direct effect on violent crime and suicides will continue to no doubt remain a highly debated topic, the study does bring some interesting points to light. And although the study more strongly indicates that gun control does not reduce crime, it doesnt necessarily strongly debate that an increase in gun ownership reduces crime either. However, a CDC study released earlier this year showed that even with the U.S. owning half the guns on earth, those guns are more often used in self-defense than for violent crimes.
Moreover, in addition to the Harvard study, at least two other studies have come up with similar conclusions. In 2003 the U.S. Center for Disease Control and again in 2004 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences both concluded that they failed to identify any gun control that had reduced violent crime, suicides, or gun accidents.
Categories: Gun Laws, Politics & 2nd Amendment
140 7990
Related Articles
cover
Gun Ownership in Hawaii Continues to Climb While Gun Violence Continues to Drop
cover2
Dept. of Justice Holds Zimmermans Gun despite FL Law Saying He Can Have it Back
cover
Piers Morgan upset over video game controller with look and feel of a real gun (VIDEO)
cimarron cover
New Old Guns From Cimarron in 2013
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MenuSkip to content
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Skip to content
Harvard study concludes that gun control does not prevent murders, other violent crime
8/30/13 | by Jennifer Cruz
140 7990
Remove guns, reduce death? Not according to a Harvard study. (Photo credit: ABC)
Remove guns, reduce death? Not according to a Harvard study.
A study which was recently published by Harvard took a look at firearm ownership, gun laws and violent crime, and suicide rates around the world. The authors sought to answer the question would banning firearms reduce murder and suicide?
The study, which was conducted by Don B. Kates, an American criminologist and constitutional lawyer, and Gary Mauser, a Canadian criminologist and university professor, offered a stark truth: More guns does not equal more deaths and less guns does not equal less deaths.
Kates and Mauser claim in the study that while some international comparisons have been viewed as evidence that more guns equals more deaths and therefore to reduce guns will reduce deaths, they indicate that some of these studies use inaccurate or misleading information to obtain the results.
According to the study, the so-called fact that the reason the murder rate is so high in the United States compared with other modern developed countries is due to the U.S. having uniquely easy access to guns, is simply not true. The study indicates those homicide rates are not an accurate representation and moreover, that those rates have nothing to do with the number of firearms in the country.
While gun ownership in the U.S. is high, the unusually high murder rate is not the norm. The study compares other developed countries with high gun ownership rates, including Norway, Finland, Germany, France and Denmark. These countries all have significantly lower murder rates than the U.S. as well as those countries in which gun ownership is much more uncommon. In other words, the high murder rate of the U.S. is the exception, not the rule, when comparing homicide rates to gun ownerships rates.
euro-murder-and-gun-rates
Euro guns
For example, in Luxembourg handguns are completely banned and gun ownership of any kind is extremely rare. However, the countrys murder rate is nine times that of Germanys, despite Germany having gun ownership rates 30,000 times higher than Luxembourg.
In another instance, the study compares the U.S. with Russia. It cites that once the Soviet Union succeeded in disarming the majority of civilians, beginning in the 1960s murder rates skyrocketed. By the 1990s murder rates had become so high that the basically gun-less Russia was left with the highest murder rate of the civilized world, three times higher than that of the U.S., despite the countrys long-standing strict and stringent gun control policies.
In addition, other countries of the former Soviet Union, which have held on to the strict gun control policies, including the Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, as well as various other now‐independent European nations, all have similar murder rates.
The fact that these countries have very few firearms has not reduced the rate of violent crimes. In fact, according to the study, Homicide results suggest that where guns are scarce other weapons are substituted in killings.
In comparing gun ownership rates with homicide rates, the study concludes that where firearms where are most dense violent crime rates are lowest, and where guns are least dense violent crime rates are highest.
Just as the United States unusually high murder rate is used in the argument for gun control, Englands unusually low murder rate prior to the 1990s along with the countrys low rate of gun ownership presently is often cited as factual evidence that gun control reduces violence.
Yet, according to the study, what fails to be acknowledged is that first, England was already experiencing an all-time low in violence before gun control measures were introduced. Secondly, in the late 1990s England started to initiate stricter gun control policies, resulting in a complete ban of handguns as well as many long guns. Hundreds of thousands of firearms were confiscated from law-abiding citizens. By the year 2000, violent crime in England had increased so much that it had one of the highest violent crime rates in all of Europe, evening higher than that of the U.S.
When guns arent available for killing people, criminals just find another tool, according to a Harvard Study. (Photo credit: Lehigh Valley Live)
When guns arent available for killing people, criminals just find another tool, according to a Harvard Study. (Photo credit: Lehigh Valley Live)
In addition, Englands most recent crime statistics have been grossly misrepresented. In 2006 the criminal justice system, in an attempt to conserve resources, initiated a policy in which the police would no longer investigate minor crimes, such as burglary and minor assault. If a mugger, robber, burglar or others engaged in minor criminal activities are caught, the police simply give them a warning a virtual slap on the wrist then send them on their way, without filing charges, arresting or prosecuting them. In other words, crime has not gone down in England, but rather minor crimes are simply no longer counted as crime.
Moreover, after years of Englands police forces not even carrying guns, with violent crime on the rise, many departments are now opting to arm their officers.
Meanwhile, as England initiated stricter gun control for its residents, the U.S. was loosening gun laws, which eventually allowed for citizens to legally carry firearms in 40 states. Concealed carry permit holders are now estimated to be at 3.5 million.
And as states adopted statutes to allow the carrying of firearms, the U.S. saw a dramatic drop in violent crime, particularly homicides. Additionally, states that approved residents to carry firearms saw a greater decrease in crime than those who did not.
However, the theory that gun ownership reduces crime is a highly controversial one. And as the study points out, even though the correlation is clear, there still remains other factors that may have influenced the drop in crime in the U.S. as well.
One study indicated that the drop in violent crime was partially the outcome of the legalization of abortion, which resulted in the non‐birth of vast numbers of children who would have been disproportionately involved in violent crime had they existed in the 1990s.
The same study also questioned if the possibility of the increase in both prison populations, from 100 to 300 per 100,000, and executions, from five each year to 27, resulted in reduced violent crime.
Regardless of the reason or reasons the fact remains that the U.S. has seen the lowest violent crime rate in the last 15 years.
The study then skims the surface of the societal problems of violent crime, citing that most violent criminals and especially murders almost always have a long history of criminal behavior. So it would not appreciably raise violence if all law‐abiding, responsible people had firearms because they are not the ones who rape, rob, or murder. By the same token, violent crime would not fall if guns were totally banned to civilians.
A statement which aims to debunk the idea that thousands of law-abiding citizens are turned into murders each year simply because they have access to a firearm. The day‐to‐day reality is that most family murders are prefaced by a long history of assaults. In other words, normal, ordinary, law-abiding people dont murder other people, but rather homicide is more likely motivated by socio-economic and cultural factors and marked by an extensive history of violence.
suicide-rates
Suicide rates
The highly debated issue of suicide was explored as well. The World Health Organization ascertains, The easy availability of firearms has been associated with higher firearm mortality rates. While this is true, removing the firearm does not remove the suicide risk. The study points out that, The evidence, however, indicates that denying one particular means to people who are motivated to commit suicide by social, economic, cultural, or other circumstances simply pushes them to some other means, concluding that there is no social benefit in decreasing the availability of guns if the result is only to increase the use of other means of suicide and murder, more or less resulting in the same amount of death.
While the question of whether or not gun ownership rates have a direct effect on violent crime and suicides will continue to no doubt remain a highly debated topic, the study does bring some interesting points to light. And although the study more strongly indicates that gun control does not reduce crime, it doesnt necessarily strongly debate that an increase in gun ownership reduces crime either. However, a CDC study released earlier this year showed that even with the U.S. owning half the guns on earth, those guns are more often used in self-defense than for violent crimes.
Moreover, in addition to the Harvard study, at least two other studies have come up with similar conclusions. In 2003 the U.S. Center for Disease Control and again in 2004 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences both concluded that they failed to identify any gun control that had reduced violent crime, suicides, or gun accidents.
Categories: Gun Laws, Politics & 2nd Amendment
140 7990
Related Articles
cover
Gun Ownership in Hawaii Continues to Climb While Gun Violence Continues to Drop
cover2
Dept. of Justice Holds Zimmermans Gun despite FL Law Saying He Can Have it Back
cover
Piers Morgan upset over video game controller with look and feel of a real gun (VIDEO)
cimarron cover
New Old Guns From Cimarron in 2013
Post your Comments
Tags About us Contact us Tip us Write for us Advertise with us Submit a review
Copyright © 2013 Guns.com. All rights reserved.
Dec 28, 2013 14:05:37 #
Back
Explore Related Content
Unemployment benefits expiring: Should special help continue beyond 26 weeks?
Christian Science Monitor
Wash.: About 25,000 to lose unemployment benefits
Associated Press
High stakes for US families losing jobless benefit
Associated Press - 3 hrs ago
WESTMINSTER, Calif. (AP) The end of unemployment checks for more than a million people on Saturday is driving out-of-work Americans to consider selling cars, moving and taking minimum wage work after already slashing household budgets and pawning personal possessions to make ends meet.
Greg and Barbara Chastain of Huntington Beach, Calif., put their two teenagers on the school lunch program and cut back on dining out after losing their T-shirt company in June following a dispute with an investor. They've exhausted their state unemployment benefits and now that the federal extensions are gone, unless they find jobs the couple plans take their children out of their high school in January and relocate 50 miles east where a relative owns property so they can save on rent
"We could let one of our cars go, but then you can't get to work it's a never-ending cycle," 43-year-old Greg Chastain said while accompanying his wife to an Orange County employment center. He said they eventually may try their luck in a less expensive state like Arizona or Texas if he can land a manufacturing job there.
The end to the five-year program that extended benefits for the long-term jobless affected 1.3 million people immediately and will affect hundreds of thousands more who remain jobless in the months ahead. Under the program, the federal government provided an average monthly stipend of $1,166.
While the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress want to continue the program, the extensions were dropped from a budget deal struck earlier this month and Republican lawmakers have balked at its $26 billion annual cost.
The end of the program may prompt a drop in the nation's unemployment rate, but not necessarily for a good reason. People out of work are required to look for work to receive unemployment benefits. As benefits disappear, some jobless will stop looking for work out of frustration and will no longer be counted as unemployed.
The trend has already emerged in North Carolina, which started cutting off extended benefits in July. The state's unemployment rate went down from 8.8 percent in June to 7.4 percent in November even though the number of North Carolinians who said they had jobs rose only slightly in that time.
The North Carolina evidence is consistent with the theory that ending benefits will cause some unemployed to drop out of the workforce, said Michael Feroli, an economist at JP Morgan Chase.
That's what Fed chairman Ben Bernanke meant when he said this month that the end of extended benefits "will bring the unemployment rate down, but for ... the wrong reason."
Some unemployed people said the loss of benefits might drive them to take minimum wage jobs to get by until they can find work at their skill level and in their field.
Richard Mattos, 59, of Salem, Ore., has been out of work since March, when he was laid off as a case manager at a social services organization. Without the unemployment income, Mattos said he and his wife will have enough money for one month's worth of bills. Almost every day, he visits employment centers run by the state of Oregon or Goodwill Industries International.
"I don't know what we're going to do," he said. "We could end up homeless because of this."
Since 2008, the federal program paid out benefits to the unemployed after their 26 weeks of state benefits ran out. At its peak, the program offered up to 73 weeks of federal benefits which are typically offered during periods of high unemployment to the long-term jobless.
James Sherk, a labor policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said ending the extensions could induce workers to take jobs they might have overlooked initially. Extended unemployment benefits can give workers "a false sense of how much time they have before they have to start broadening their net to less than ideal positions," he said, adding that the labor market, while not ideal, is stronger and continues to improve.
In November, the country's unemployment rate fell to a five-year low of 7 percent, but is still above the 5 percent to 6 percent rate that would signal a normal job market. And long-term unemployment remains a problem for the economy as nearly 4.1 million Americans have been out of work for six months or more.
Deborah Barrett, a 57-year-old resident of Newport, R.I., is one of them. She was laid off from her management job in accounting in February and has sent out hundreds of resumes since. She said doesn't know how she'll get by without the federal assistance.
"It's petrifying," she said. "Unfortunately, I don't believe my story is very unique."
Laura Garay, 57, pawned her jewelry, withdrew retirement funds and relied on support from friends after losing her paralegal job in May, the same month she was diagnosed with lymphoma.
Her monthly $1,700 in unemployment covers her house payment in Westminster and the cost of maintaining her health insurance to cover a barrage of exams and radiation therapy.
Garay said her illness set back her job search, but as long as she's healthy, she'll work at just about anything to get back on her feet and avoid being jobless for too long.
"You don't find a job in two weeks, you don't find a job in three weeks," she said. "You find a job after months of searching."
___
Rugaber reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Salem, Ore. and Erika Niedowski in Providence, R.I. contributed to this report.
546 comments
I want to add, people take advantage (don't waste it) of the food pantries and anything that is offered out for your assistance, don't feel bad because you need it. Keep in mind, when you can , help others and give back, go back to the basics in life, I don't even have my own tv or radio at the moment, I am on the internet at the library, etc., I study from books at the library also, for free, just take care of them, and return them on time, no fines. You can get through this, as much as the rest of us are getting through this with patience, kindness and self sacrifice in many ways for the good.
shelly, 12 mins ago
President Obama Quotes: January 2009: "My economic agenda ... begins with jobs." September 2010: "Our No. 1 focus has to be jobs, jobs, jobs." January 2011: "My principal focus, my No. 1 focus, is going be making sure that we are ... creating jobs not just now but well into the future." November 2012: "Our top priority has to be jobs and growth." What happened to all the jobs that he's been creating? Seems like the cure to eliminating jobless benefits is for there to be more jobs?
Excentia, 4 mins ago
This the slow agonizing death of the middle and lower class ... NO MANUFACTURING or reasonable jobs to replace what jobs have been lost to over seas countries for the sake of interests in gooberment and goobermental people playing in the market. Until a time when the idiots in gooberment decide to work for the people instead of their own interests ... this country will continue to decay ... as it has been for 150 er so years now to the culmination of what we have today ... a fooked up mess of self absorbed idiots. If you can not understand what I am referring to in the last part of my statement then you need to go back to school and look beyond what you think you know ... cause you dont know jack squat.
JED, 12 mins ago
I was out 17 months in NC and they cut the federal extension. I got 26 weeks from NC while other states kept the federal money flowing. I love how the rate there dropped in NC from near 9% to 7% and the stock market loved the news. Sadly, people are off of UE money so they aren't counted anymore but they think the jobless rate dropped cause 100% of the UE'd got jobs. For people who make a lot of money (stock traders), they sure are dumb. Our country is in huge debt and jobs aren't there. If you're over 50, good luck is what I was told by the NC unemployment lady. she said you get 26 weeks (at 350 a week, reduced from 530 a week) and that's it. She said the state didn't want to do federal extensions so they dropped them. She then said good luck finding a job. She was nice but knew it would be rough. If our country would quit sending planes, money, bombs, etc.. to all the foreign countries, we'd be able to keep UE money flowing and get people to work. Our congress and house are rich so they don't care. They really don't care about us. Just the power and money they get/have. Vote out the black guy and get someone who will fix things.
Chevy, 4 mins ago
Another huge step backwards for the United States. Ultimatly, even the greed class will lose. No-one makes a fortune sellling anything in no tax hell hole like Sudan. And as americia gives up its wage base and modern economic tools we'll be completely gutting and Detroit will have only been the first city to fail. But China is willing to pay taxes and buying up our companies and real estate so maybe our new matsters will give us the dignity of a $2-day wage based polution economy and you'll be permitted to have one child before the state forses you to get an abortion if you get pregnate the second time.
No Longer Real, 3 mins ago
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Explore Related Content
Unemployment benefits expiring: Should special help continue beyond 26 weeks?
Christian Science Monitor
Wash.: About 25,000 to lose unemployment benefits
Associated Press
High stakes for US families losing jobless benefit
Associated Press - 3 hrs ago
WESTMINSTER, Calif. (AP) The end of unemployment checks for more than a million people on Saturday is driving out-of-work Americans to consider selling cars, moving and taking minimum wage work after already slashing household budgets and pawning personal possessions to make ends meet.
Greg and Barbara Chastain of Huntington Beach, Calif., put their two teenagers on the school lunch program and cut back on dining out after losing their T-shirt company in June following a dispute with an investor. They've exhausted their state unemployment benefits and now that the federal extensions are gone, unless they find jobs the couple plans take their children out of their high school in January and relocate 50 miles east where a relative owns property so they can save on rent
"We could let one of our cars go, but then you can't get to work it's a never-ending cycle," 43-year-old Greg Chastain said while accompanying his wife to an Orange County employment center. He said they eventually may try their luck in a less expensive state like Arizona or Texas if he can land a manufacturing job there.
The end to the five-year program that extended benefits for the long-term jobless affected 1.3 million people immediately and will affect hundreds of thousands more who remain jobless in the months ahead. Under the program, the federal government provided an average monthly stipend of $1,166.
While the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress want to continue the program, the extensions were dropped from a budget deal struck earlier this month and Republican lawmakers have balked at its $26 billion annual cost.
The end of the program may prompt a drop in the nation's unemployment rate, but not necessarily for a good reason. People out of work are required to look for work to receive unemployment benefits. As benefits disappear, some jobless will stop looking for work out of frustration and will no longer be counted as unemployed.
The trend has already emerged in North Carolina, which started cutting off extended benefits in July. The state's unemployment rate went down from 8.8 percent in June to 7.4 percent in November even though the number of North Carolinians who said they had jobs rose only slightly in that time.
The North Carolina evidence is consistent with the theory that ending benefits will cause some unemployed to drop out of the workforce, said Michael Feroli, an economist at JP Morgan Chase.
That's what Fed chairman Ben Bernanke meant when he said this month that the end of extended benefits "will bring the unemployment rate down, but for ... the wrong reason."
Some unemployed people said the loss of benefits might drive them to take minimum wage jobs to get by until they can find work at their skill level and in their field.
Richard Mattos, 59, of Salem, Ore., has been out of work since March, when he was laid off as a case manager at a social services organization. Without the unemployment income, Mattos said he and his wife will have enough money for one month's worth of bills. Almost every day, he visits employment centers run by the state of Oregon or Goodwill Industries International.
"I don't know what we're going to do," he said. "We could end up homeless because of this."
Since 2008, the federal program paid out benefits to the unemployed after their 26 weeks of state benefits ran out. At its peak, the program offered up to 73 weeks of federal benefits which are typically offered during periods of high unemployment to the long-term jobless.
James Sherk, a labor policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said ending the extensions could induce workers to take jobs they might have overlooked initially. Extended unemployment benefits can give workers "a false sense of how much time they have before they have to start broadening their net to less than ideal positions," he said, adding that the labor market, while not ideal, is stronger and continues to improve.
In November, the country's unemployment rate fell to a five-year low of 7 percent, but is still above the 5 percent to 6 percent rate that would signal a normal job market. And long-term unemployment remains a problem for the economy as nearly 4.1 million Americans have been out of work for six months or more.
Deborah Barrett, a 57-year-old resident of Newport, R.I., is one of them. She was laid off from her management job in accounting in February and has sent out hundreds of resumes since. She said doesn't know how she'll get by without the federal assistance.
"It's petrifying," she said. "Unfortunately, I don't believe my story is very unique."
Laura Garay, 57, pawned her jewelry, withdrew retirement funds and relied on support from friends after losing her paralegal job in May, the same month she was diagnosed with lymphoma.
Her monthly $1,700 in unemployment covers her house payment in Westminster and the cost of maintaining her health insurance to cover a barrage of exams and radiation therapy.
Garay said her illness set back her job search, but as long as she's healthy, she'll work at just about anything to get back on her feet and avoid being jobless for too long.
"You don't find a job in two weeks, you don't find a job in three weeks," she said. "You find a job after months of searching."
___
Rugaber reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Salem, Ore. and Erika Niedowski in Providence, R.I. contributed to this report.
546 comments
I want to add, people take advantage (don't waste it) of the food pantries and anything that is offered out for your assistance, don't feel bad because you need it. Keep in mind, when you can , help others and give back, go back to the basics in life, I don't even have my own tv or radio at the moment, I am on the internet at the library, etc., I study from books at the library also, for free, just take care of them, and return them on time, no fines. You can get through this, as much as the rest of us are getting through this with patience, kindness and self sacrifice in many ways for the good.
shelly, 12 mins ago
President Obama Quotes: January 2009: "My economic agenda ... begins with jobs." September 2010: "Our No. 1 focus has to be jobs, jobs, jobs." January 2011: "My principal focus, my No. 1 focus, is going be making sure that we are ... creating jobs not just now but well into the future." November 2012: "Our top priority has to be jobs and growth." What happened to all the jobs that he's been creating? Seems like the cure to eliminating jobless benefits is for there to be more jobs?
Excentia, 4 mins ago
This the slow agonizing death of the middle and lower class ... NO MANUFACTURING or reasonable jobs to replace what jobs have been lost to over seas countries for the sake of interests in gooberment and goobermental people playing in the market. Until a time when the idiots in gooberment decide to work for the people instead of their own interests ... this country will continue to decay ... as it has been for 150 er so years now to the culmination of what we have today ... a fooked up mess of self absorbed idiots. If you can not understand what I am referring to in the last part of my statement then you need to go back to school and look beyond what you think you know ... cause you dont know jack squat.
JED, 12 mins ago
I was out 17 months in NC and they cut the federal extension. I got 26 weeks from NC while other states kept the federal money flowing. I love how the rate there dropped in NC from near 9% to 7% and the stock market loved the news. Sadly, people are off of UE money so they aren't counted anymore but they think the jobless rate dropped cause 100% of the UE'd got jobs. For people who make a lot of money (stock traders), they sure are dumb. Our country is in huge debt and jobs aren't there. If you're over 50, good luck is what I was told by the NC unemployment lady. she said you get 26 weeks (at 350 a week, reduced from 530 a week) and that's it. She said the state didn't want to do federal extensions so they dropped them. She then said good luck finding a job. She was nice but knew it would be rough. If our country would quit sending planes, money, bombs, etc.. to all the foreign countries, we'd be able to keep UE money flowing and get people to work. Our congress and house are rich so they don't care. They really don't care about us. Just the power and money they get/have. Vote out the black guy and get someone who will fix things.
Chevy, 4 mins ago
Another huge step backwards for the United States. Ultimatly, even the greed class will lose. No-one makes a fortune sellling anything in no tax hell hole like Sudan. And as americia gives up its wage base and modern economic tools we'll be completely gutting and Detroit will have only been the first city to fail. But China is willing to pay taxes and buying up our companies and real estate so maybe our new matsters will give us the dignity of a $2-day wage based polution economy and you'll be permitted to have one child before the state forses you to get an abortion if you get pregnate the second time.
No Longer Real, 3 mins ago
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© 2013 Yahoo. All rights reserved
Dec 29, 2013 13:46:52 #
Dec 29, 2013 14:13:57 #
Wall Street experts investment advice: Prepare a bug-out bag with guns and lots of ammo
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Dec 29, 2013 14:14:16 #
Wall Street experts investment advice: Prepare a bug-out bag with guns and lots of ammo
December 27, 2013 by Joe Saunders 2 Comments
A Forbes columnist who is also the founder of a wealth management firm has one big tip:
Invest in guns and lots of ammunition.
David J. Marotta, of Marotta Wealth Management in Charlotte, Va., and writer of Forbes Marotta on Money column, issued the advice in a pre-Christmas note to investors that included lists of what average people should have on hand in the event of a fiscal disaster or social upheaval.
Firearms are the last item on the list, but they are on the list, Marotta wrote, according to the Washington Examiner. There are some terrible people in this world. And you are safer when your trusted neighbors have firearms.
Marotta says he is no survivalist anticipating a total societal breakdown and Mad Max kind of world anytime soon. Just the sort of low, painful decline your basic Obamacare patient can expect in the not-too-distant future.
There is the possibility of a precipitous decline, although a long and drawn out malaise is much more likely, Marotta said.
And the causes are the same those who worry about a financial apocalypse Obamacare, the rise of the surveillance state with the National Security Agencys spying on civilians, ruinous federal spending.
I, along with many other economists, agree with many of the concerns expressed in these dire warnings. The growing debt and deficit spending is a tax on those holding dollars. The devaluation in the U.S. dollar risks the dollars status as the reserve currency of the world. Obamacare was the worst legislation in the past 75 years. Socialism is on the rise and the NSA really is abrogating vast portions of the Constitution. I dont disagree with their concerns, he wrote.
The bottom line, though, is being prepared. Whether its a natural disaster or the result of the most progressive administration in United States history, an emergency is an emergency.
Keeping a bug out bag on hand stocked with the immediate necessities of food, water and firepower is an idea for everybody.
A bug-out bag is a good idea depending on where you live even if the emergency is just power outages, earthquakes and hurricanes, Marotta advised. Be prepared. Especially because it keeps you from being scared.
About Joe Saunders
Joe Saunders, a 25-year newspaper veteran, is a staff writer and editor for BizPac Review who lives in Tallahassee and covers capital and Florida politics. Email Joe at jpjsaunders@gmail.com.
Other BizPac Review Articles You May Like:
December 27, 2013 by Joe Saunders 2 Comments
A Forbes columnist who is also the founder of a wealth management firm has one big tip:
Invest in guns and lots of ammunition.
David J. Marotta, of Marotta Wealth Management in Charlotte, Va., and writer of Forbes Marotta on Money column, issued the advice in a pre-Christmas note to investors that included lists of what average people should have on hand in the event of a fiscal disaster or social upheaval.
Firearms are the last item on the list, but they are on the list, Marotta wrote, according to the Washington Examiner. There are some terrible people in this world. And you are safer when your trusted neighbors have firearms.
Marotta says he is no survivalist anticipating a total societal breakdown and Mad Max kind of world anytime soon. Just the sort of low, painful decline your basic Obamacare patient can expect in the not-too-distant future.
There is the possibility of a precipitous decline, although a long and drawn out malaise is much more likely, Marotta said.
And the causes are the same those who worry about a financial apocalypse Obamacare, the rise of the surveillance state with the National Security Agencys spying on civilians, ruinous federal spending.
I, along with many other economists, agree with many of the concerns expressed in these dire warnings. The growing debt and deficit spending is a tax on those holding dollars. The devaluation in the U.S. dollar risks the dollars status as the reserve currency of the world. Obamacare was the worst legislation in the past 75 years. Socialism is on the rise and the NSA really is abrogating vast portions of the Constitution. I dont disagree with their concerns, he wrote.
The bottom line, though, is being prepared. Whether its a natural disaster or the result of the most progressive administration in United States history, an emergency is an emergency.
Keeping a bug out bag on hand stocked with the immediate necessities of food, water and firepower is an idea for everybody.
A bug-out bag is a good idea depending on where you live even if the emergency is just power outages, earthquakes and hurricanes, Marotta advised. Be prepared. Especially because it keeps you from being scared.
About Joe Saunders
Joe Saunders, a 25-year newspaper veteran, is a staff writer and editor for BizPac Review who lives in Tallahassee and covers capital and Florida politics. Email Joe at jpjsaunders@gmail.com.
Other BizPac Review Articles You May Like:
Dec 29, 2013 15:41:32 #
CLAREMONT, Calif. (AP) A Southern California church nativity scene is featuring a bloody Trayvon Martin in place of the infant Jesus in an effort to stir a community conversation about gun violence.
The Los Angeles Times reports Sunday that the nativity scene on the lawn of the Claremont United Methodist Church was created by congregant and artist John Zachary. Martin is shown in a hoodie, slumped over and bleeding.
But critics on Facebook have blasted the depiction as sacrilege.
The church's Rev. Dan Lewis says the scene featuring the Florida teenager whose shooting death captivated the nation was meant to be thought provoking.
The scene will remain in place at the church 35 miles east of Los Angeles through Jan. 5.
The Los Angeles Times reports Sunday that the nativity scene on the lawn of the Claremont United Methodist Church was created by congregant and artist John Zachary. Martin is shown in a hoodie, slumped over and bleeding.
But critics on Facebook have blasted the depiction as sacrilege.
The church's Rev. Dan Lewis says the scene featuring the Florida teenager whose shooting death captivated the nation was meant to be thought provoking.
The scene will remain in place at the church 35 miles east of Los Angeles through Jan. 5.
Dec 30, 2013 07:39:59 #
Horrific Statistics
A 27.4% unemployment (nearly 52% among those under 24 years)
3.8 million Greeks living in poverty or social exclusion in 2012 (400,000 more than the previous year)
350,000 households without electricity for non-payment bills
30% of the population have no access to public health care
Virtual paralysis of the universities, which since September run almost unattended by the dismissal of officials
Three killed by asphyxiation because of home fires for warmth
Four out of five blocks of flats facing the winter without heating due to inability to afford it
21 continuous quarters recession
34.6% of the Greek population at risk of poverty or social exclusion
A 27.4% unemployment (nearly 52% among those under 24 years)
3.8 million Greeks living in poverty or social exclusion in 2012 (400,000 more than the previous year)
350,000 households without electricity for non-payment bills
30% of the population have no access to public health care
Virtual paralysis of the universities, which since September run almost unattended by the dismissal of officials
Three killed by asphyxiation because of home fires for warmth
Four out of five blocks of flats facing the winter without heating due to inability to afford it
21 continuous quarters recession
34.6% of the Greek population at risk of poverty or social exclusion
Dec 30, 2013 12:54:53 #
JUST SO THE WORLD KNOWS WHAT LOLO OBAMA MEANS:
IN HAWAIIAN: LO LO MEANS "STUPID"
OBAMA: WELL..... FRAUD IS BETTER...
STUPID OBAMA = LOLO OBAMA
IN HAWAIIAN: LO LO MEANS "STUPID"
OBAMA: WELL..... FRAUD IS BETTER...
STUPID OBAMA = LOLO OBAMA
I sold 3 Mountain Condos @ the top of the Market in 2004-2007
California Mexican Border! Dodging Lead & Rocks
MOAB= Mother of All Bombs!
Dec 30, 2013 12:57:39 #
Special Report: Year in Photos 2013
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2013 - Each year, American Forces Press Service prepares a special report featuring a selection of some of the most compelling moments military photographers captured of U.S service members as they conducted operations, responded to disasters and engaged in daily life. The images range from joint missions with Afghan forces to homecoming hugs, reflecting the service and sacrifice men and women in uniform make. View the AFPS Special Report: Year in Photos 2013 at http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2013/1213_yip/
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2013 - Each year, American Forces Press Service prepares a special report featuring a selection of some of the most compelling moments military photographers captured of U.S service members as they conducted operations, responded to disasters and engaged in daily life. The images range from joint missions with Afghan forces to homecoming hugs, reflecting the service and sacrifice men and women in uniform make. View the AFPS Special Report: Year in Photos 2013 at http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2013/1213_yip/
Dec 30, 2013 14:23:00 #
████MACHINE GUN SHOOT ████ BIG SANDY SHOOT ARIZONA APRIL 4-5-6-2014
I HAVE BEEN TO THIS SHOOT OUT. This is a Bucket List item.
I would like to go again as a guest for the weekend. $25 to see the shoot!
Info Here: http://mgshooters.com/
and here: https://www.google.com/#q=sandy%20machine%20gun%20shoot
What does it cost? Prices are divided into level of participation.
SHOOTERS ($250) and SPECTATORS ($25). I'm a Spectator, camper, BBq guy!
I helped with loading ammo and shot 19 different machine guns.
I saw 300+ shooters, some with Tractor Trailers filled with ammo/guns.
This is the biggest semi annual Machine gun Shoot out in USA & the world according to google search....
Let's start a Carpool Camp out for this event. $25 + gas/car pool + food & camping gear! WTF! If you want to see this before you DIE, let's do it as a Calgun.net gang.... Leave Thursday in 2-3 groupes & meet at the Campgrounds just outside the Firing RANGE! Return Sunday by 10pm!
I'll Start the sign up list since I have been to this "WILD SHOOT OUT"...
JohnJasonChun.com
I HAVE BEEN TO THIS SHOOT OUT. This is a Bucket List item.
I would like to go again as a guest for the weekend. $25 to see the shoot!
Info Here: http://mgshooters.com/
and here: https://www.google.com/#q=sandy%20machine%20gun%20shoot
What does it cost? Prices are divided into level of participation.
SHOOTERS ($250) and SPECTATORS ($25). I'm a Spectator, camper, BBq guy!
I helped with loading ammo and shot 19 different machine guns.
I saw 300+ shooters, some with Tractor Trailers filled with ammo/guns.
This is the biggest semi annual Machine gun Shoot out in USA & the world according to google search....
Let's start a Carpool Camp out for this event. $25 + gas/car pool + food & camping gear! WTF! If you want to see this before you DIE, let's do it as a Calgun.net gang.... Leave Thursday in 2-3 groupes & meet at the Campgrounds just outside the Firing RANGE! Return Sunday by 10pm!
I'll Start the sign up list since I have been to this "WILD SHOOT OUT"...
JohnJasonChun.com
Jan 3, 2014 10:02:31 #
Jan 3, 2014 16:37:04 #
FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama pauses while speaking about his signature health care law, in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. It was a moment for Barack Obama to savor. His second inaugural address over, Obama paused as he strode from the podium last January, turning back for one last glance across the expanse of the National Mall, where a supportive throng stood in the winter chill to witness the launch of his new term. "I want to take a look, one more time," Obama said quietly. "I'm not going to see this again."There was so much Obama could not _ or did not _ see then, as he opened his second term with a confident call to arms and an expansive liberal agenda. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
HONOLULU (AP) The Obama administration on Friday announced a pair of executive actions aimed at strengthening federal background checks for gun purchasers, with a particular focus on limiting firearm access for those with mental health issues.
One proposed rule change aims to clarify terminology used by federal law to prohibit people from purchasing a firearm for mental health reasons. The administration said states have complained that some wording is ambiguous, making it difficult to determine who should be blocked from buying a weapon.
The change also will help states determine what information may be shared with the federal background check system for firearms transfers. The system has prevented more than 2 million guns from falling into the wrong hands, the Justice Department says.
A second proposed rule change would give hospitals and other entities covered by patient privacy provisions more flexibility in the information they provide to the background check system. However, the administration said the rule change would not require reporting on general mental health care or legally prohibit someone from having a firearm solely because they sought treatment.
The White House announced the proposals while President Barack Obama was vacationing in Hawaii.
Obama put forward sweeping gun control measures last year following the horrific elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. But the toughest proposals, including stricter background checks, fell flat on Capitol Hill, forcing the White House to rely on piecemeal measures that can be implemented without congressional approval.
Several perpetrators of the nation's worst mass shootings have had mental health issues, including Newtown shooter Adam Lanza. However, they acquired their guns in different ways, with Lanza using firearms purchased by his mother when he went on a rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary.
In announcing the proposed rule changes, the White House also called on Congress to again tackle gun control issues this year. However, there's little indication that lawmakers plan to take up the issue.
"Today, we are taking steps to further strengthen the federal background check system. It's time Congress joins us in this effort," Vice President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter. Biden has headed up the White House's anti-gun violence efforts following the Newtown shooting.
Friday's rule changes were proposed by the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. The agencies must accept and analyze public comments before issuing final rules.
HONOLULU (AP) The Obama administration on Friday announced a pair of executive actions aimed at strengthening federal background checks for gun purchasers, with a particular focus on limiting firearm access for those with mental health issues.
One proposed rule change aims to clarify terminology used by federal law to prohibit people from purchasing a firearm for mental health reasons. The administration said states have complained that some wording is ambiguous, making it difficult to determine who should be blocked from buying a weapon.
The change also will help states determine what information may be shared with the federal background check system for firearms transfers. The system has prevented more than 2 million guns from falling into the wrong hands, the Justice Department says.
A second proposed rule change would give hospitals and other entities covered by patient privacy provisions more flexibility in the information they provide to the background check system. However, the administration said the rule change would not require reporting on general mental health care or legally prohibit someone from having a firearm solely because they sought treatment.
The White House announced the proposals while President Barack Obama was vacationing in Hawaii.
Obama put forward sweeping gun control measures last year following the horrific elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. But the toughest proposals, including stricter background checks, fell flat on Capitol Hill, forcing the White House to rely on piecemeal measures that can be implemented without congressional approval.
Several perpetrators of the nation's worst mass shootings have had mental health issues, including Newtown shooter Adam Lanza. However, they acquired their guns in different ways, with Lanza using firearms purchased by his mother when he went on a rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary.
In announcing the proposed rule changes, the White House also called on Congress to again tackle gun control issues this year. However, there's little indication that lawmakers plan to take up the issue.
"Today, we are taking steps to further strengthen the federal background check system. It's time Congress joins us in this effort," Vice President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter. Biden has headed up the White House's anti-gun violence efforts following the Newtown shooting.
Friday's rule changes were proposed by the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. The agencies must accept and analyze public comments before issuing final rules.
Jan 3, 2014 18:17:46 #
Jan 3, 2014 18:19:55 #
Texas Billionaire Harold Simmons Dies; Called Obama 'Most Dangerous Man In America.
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