Election Countdown
Election Countdown
An ugly little item out of Florida. Who's responsible?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 16, 2004
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Suppress the Vote?
By BOB HERBERT
The big story out of Florida over the weekend was the tragic devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. But there's another story from Florida that deserves our attention.
State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November.
The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March.
Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through the presidential election.
"We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal investigation," said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement.
The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns.
I asked Mr. Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place.
"I can't talk about that," he said.
I asked if all the people interrogated were black.
"Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at - yes,'' he said.
He also said, "Most of them were elderly."
When I asked why, he said, "That's just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview."
Back in the bad old days, some decades ago, when Southern whites used every imaginable form of chicanery to prevent blacks from voting, blacks often fought back by creating voters leagues, which were organizations that helped to register, educate and encourage black voters. It became a tradition that continues in many places, including Florida, today.
Not surprisingly, many of the elderly black voters who found themselves face to face with state police officers in Orlando are members of the Orlando League of Voters, which has been very successful in mobilizing the city's black vote.
The president of the Orlando League of Voters is Ezzie Thomas, who is 73 years old. With his demonstrated ability to deliver the black vote in Orlando, Mr. Thomas is a tempting target for supporters of George W. Bush in a state in which the black vote may well spell the difference between victory and defeat.
The vile smell of voter suppression is all over this so-called investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Mr. Thomas, said: "The Voters League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive people to the polls and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months' work, just to offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and encouraged them to vote."
Now, said Mr. Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said, "One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?' "
According to Mr. Egan, "People who have voted by absentee ballot for years are refusing to allow campaign workers to come to their homes. And volunteers who have participated for years in assisting people, particularly the elderly or handicapped, are scared and don't want to risk a criminal investigation."
Florida is a state that's very much in play in the presidential election, with some polls showing John Kerry in the lead. A heavy-handed state police investigation that throws a blanket of fear over thousands of black voters can only help President Bush.
The long and ugly tradition of suppressing the black vote is alive and thriving in the Sunshine State.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top
------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 16, 2004
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Suppress the Vote?
By BOB HERBERT
The big story out of Florida over the weekend was the tragic devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. But there's another story from Florida that deserves our attention.
State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November.
The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March.
Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through the presidential election.
"We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal investigation," said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement.
The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns.
I asked Mr. Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place.
"I can't talk about that," he said.
I asked if all the people interrogated were black.
"Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at - yes,'' he said.
He also said, "Most of them were elderly."
When I asked why, he said, "That's just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview."
Back in the bad old days, some decades ago, when Southern whites used every imaginable form of chicanery to prevent blacks from voting, blacks often fought back by creating voters leagues, which were organizations that helped to register, educate and encourage black voters. It became a tradition that continues in many places, including Florida, today.
Not surprisingly, many of the elderly black voters who found themselves face to face with state police officers in Orlando are members of the Orlando League of Voters, which has been very successful in mobilizing the city's black vote.
The president of the Orlando League of Voters is Ezzie Thomas, who is 73 years old. With his demonstrated ability to deliver the black vote in Orlando, Mr. Thomas is a tempting target for supporters of George W. Bush in a state in which the black vote may well spell the difference between victory and defeat.
The vile smell of voter suppression is all over this so-called investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Mr. Thomas, said: "The Voters League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive people to the polls and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months' work, just to offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and encouraged them to vote."
Now, said Mr. Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said, "One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?' "
According to Mr. Egan, "People who have voted by absentee ballot for years are refusing to allow campaign workers to come to their homes. And volunteers who have participated for years in assisting people, particularly the elderly or handicapped, are scared and don't want to risk a criminal investigation."
Florida is a state that's very much in play in the presidential election, with some polls showing John Kerry in the lead. A heavy-handed state police investigation that throws a blanket of fear over thousands of black voters can only help President Bush.
The long and ugly tradition of suppressing the black vote is alive and thriving in the Sunshine State.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top
Last edited by foghorn on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much."
-- John Wayne
-- John Wayne
Re: Election Countdown
Foghorn - and you accuse me of falling prey to media propaganda? You've got to be kidding me if you believe: 1. there is even half truth to this article; 2. Bush is behind any of this; 3. That this type of thing even exists anymore. If you believe this article at face value, there's less hope for you than I even thought.
I find it funny that this article takes great pains to point out that the "armed" police officers interrogated the people. Have you ever seen a police officer on duty not armed? Again, liberal media bias attempting to sway opinion with words aimed to stir emotions.
And even if there is any truth to this article, which I doubt there is, did you ever think that just maybe there was some fraud going on there? I tend to have faith in our police officers, and while a very small minority may be corrupt, it's unconceivable that whole squad would be.
Coming from the New York Times should have been your first clue. Their liberal track record is well documented, and their ability to fairly report on facts has been a little less than stellar.
Sure is taking you a while to answer my questions from your John Kerry Speech thread. Having trouble coming up with something? Anything? The only thing you can post is liberal propoganda - you have no ability to answer the true, hard facts.
I find it funny that this article takes great pains to point out that the "armed" police officers interrogated the people. Have you ever seen a police officer on duty not armed? Again, liberal media bias attempting to sway opinion with words aimed to stir emotions.
And even if there is any truth to this article, which I doubt there is, did you ever think that just maybe there was some fraud going on there? I tend to have faith in our police officers, and while a very small minority may be corrupt, it's unconceivable that whole squad would be.
Coming from the New York Times should have been your first clue. Their liberal track record is well documented, and their ability to fairly report on facts has been a little less than stellar.
Sure is taking you a while to answer my questions from your John Kerry Speech thread. Having trouble coming up with something? Anything? The only thing you can post is liberal propoganda - you have no ability to answer the true, hard facts.
Last edited by LionPride on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Election Countdown
After posting the above, I sat down to read the Bedford Gazette. I enjoyed reading the following article from Thomas Sowell, a black man. I thought this article was fitting for this thread. I apologize for the length and any typos (I re-typed it for you). Mr. Sowell is a respected syndicated columnist, and his well written articles with facts are often in the Gazette.
Missing Years
We all know that Senator John Kerry was in the Vietnam war. He repeatedly reminds us of it at every opportunity. He also repeats the great things he will accomplish when he becomes President of the US. What he says very little about is what he has actually accomplished in the three decades in between.
That is very appropriate because he has accomplished very little in his 19 years in the Senate. Can you name a single piece of major legislation that has Senator Kerry's name on it? Don't be embarrassed if you can't because there is none.
What was John Kerry doing before he became a Senator? He tells us that he was a prosecutor. What he does not mention is that he was also lieutenant governor when Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts.
This is the same Michael Dukakis who ran for President in 1988 while trying to run away from his liberal-left record, and who tried to cover up his typical liberal anti-military bias by being photographed in a tank. The picture looked so phony that it backfired.
This is the same Michael Dukakis who came out of the Democratic convention with a double-digit lead over the elder George Bush in the polls - until his liberal track record became public knowledge, including his allowing violent criminals weekend furloughs from prison.
John Kerry's track record as the most liberal Senator from the country's most liberal state is likewise being covered up with images and rhetoric. Whether or not history will repeat itself on election day remains to be seen.
It is considered an "attack" or "negative advertising" to tell people the plain truth that John Kerry's voting record in the Senate was ranked more liberal than that of Ted Kennedy. It was not Republicans who made these rankings but a liberal organization as well as a non-partisan research group.
Like Dukakis back in 1988, the Kerry campaign is waving aside "labels" as irrelevant. But "irrelevant" is itself a label - and one used to avoid confronting the question of whether the charge of being a liberal is true or false.
Liberals are not some new and exotic species. They have been around for a long time and their positions are well known on issues ranging from racial quotas to military policy. that is why so much effort has gone into camouflaging those positions at the Democratic convention and in the Kerry campaign.
What are those issues and what is the camoflage?
Foremost in this age of international terrorism is the issue of military defense and intelligence-gathering. Ever since the days of George McGovern back in 1972, liberal Democrats have been for cutting back spending on the military and on the intelligence agencies.
John Kerry has voted time and again to do both. Now he is among those loudly criticizing the inadequacies of the agencies he voted to weaken.
It is not just a question of cutting money to those agencies. Liberals have also voted to hamstring our intelligence agencies by limiting thier scope at home and abroad.
Jamie Gorelick on the 9/11 Commission that is so critical of these agencies for not sharing information was a Justice Department official in the Clinton administration and it was she who forbad the FBI from sharing information with the CIA.
As for taking military action, liberals have been for outsourcing such decisions to the United Nations, where nothing decisive will ever be done, militarily or otherwise. That is what makes the UN so convienent for liberals.
How can such a record of weakness be covered up? By using the word "strong" - again and again. The Democratic convention was dominated by banners saying "A Strong America". John Kerry used the word "strong" or "strength" a dozen times in his 50-minute speech.
Other speakers at the Democratic convenvention likewise keep loudly repeating the word "strong". They clench their fists again and again. Jimmy Carter did it. John Kerry did it. Even Senator Joe Lieberman did it. It was orchestrated disinformation.
The big question is: Will it work?
Missing Years
We all know that Senator John Kerry was in the Vietnam war. He repeatedly reminds us of it at every opportunity. He also repeats the great things he will accomplish when he becomes President of the US. What he says very little about is what he has actually accomplished in the three decades in between.
That is very appropriate because he has accomplished very little in his 19 years in the Senate. Can you name a single piece of major legislation that has Senator Kerry's name on it? Don't be embarrassed if you can't because there is none.
What was John Kerry doing before he became a Senator? He tells us that he was a prosecutor. What he does not mention is that he was also lieutenant governor when Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts.
This is the same Michael Dukakis who ran for President in 1988 while trying to run away from his liberal-left record, and who tried to cover up his typical liberal anti-military bias by being photographed in a tank. The picture looked so phony that it backfired.
This is the same Michael Dukakis who came out of the Democratic convention with a double-digit lead over the elder George Bush in the polls - until his liberal track record became public knowledge, including his allowing violent criminals weekend furloughs from prison.
John Kerry's track record as the most liberal Senator from the country's most liberal state is likewise being covered up with images and rhetoric. Whether or not history will repeat itself on election day remains to be seen.
It is considered an "attack" or "negative advertising" to tell people the plain truth that John Kerry's voting record in the Senate was ranked more liberal than that of Ted Kennedy. It was not Republicans who made these rankings but a liberal organization as well as a non-partisan research group.
Like Dukakis back in 1988, the Kerry campaign is waving aside "labels" as irrelevant. But "irrelevant" is itself a label - and one used to avoid confronting the question of whether the charge of being a liberal is true or false.
Liberals are not some new and exotic species. They have been around for a long time and their positions are well known on issues ranging from racial quotas to military policy. that is why so much effort has gone into camouflaging those positions at the Democratic convention and in the Kerry campaign.
What are those issues and what is the camoflage?
Foremost in this age of international terrorism is the issue of military defense and intelligence-gathering. Ever since the days of George McGovern back in 1972, liberal Democrats have been for cutting back spending on the military and on the intelligence agencies.
John Kerry has voted time and again to do both. Now he is among those loudly criticizing the inadequacies of the agencies he voted to weaken.
It is not just a question of cutting money to those agencies. Liberals have also voted to hamstring our intelligence agencies by limiting thier scope at home and abroad.
Jamie Gorelick on the 9/11 Commission that is so critical of these agencies for not sharing information was a Justice Department official in the Clinton administration and it was she who forbad the FBI from sharing information with the CIA.
As for taking military action, liberals have been for outsourcing such decisions to the United Nations, where nothing decisive will ever be done, militarily or otherwise. That is what makes the UN so convienent for liberals.
How can such a record of weakness be covered up? By using the word "strong" - again and again. The Democratic convention was dominated by banners saying "A Strong America". John Kerry used the word "strong" or "strength" a dozen times in his 50-minute speech.
Other speakers at the Democratic convenvention likewise keep loudly repeating the word "strong". They clench their fists again and again. Jimmy Carter did it. John Kerry did it. Even Senator Joe Lieberman did it. It was orchestrated disinformation.
The big question is: Will it work?
Last edited by LionPride on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hey, I just thought it was an interesting piece and made no assertions about it. You seem awfully defensive again, LP.
Last edited by foghorn on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much."
-- John Wayne
-- John Wayne
I've got about 50 reasons not to vote for Bush. Some of them are actually mine.
LP, not to be nasty, but if you think there's no hope for me, that's a compliment.
Sowell wrote a good column. I even agree with some of it. There's the difference. I'll freely admit that Kerry is not the messiah -- that's he's got some very real problems. But very few of you Bushes can admit the current administration has any failings. Why am I not surprised? The president himself, when asked not long ago if there are any mistakes he had made as president -- or something to that effect -- couldn't come up with one thing.
Bush has surrounded himself with a bunch of people who think the world is their own personal game of Risk, minus the part where you work to create alliances and allies.
Referring to the Florida piece again, don't you think it's sad that when something like this happens, people think the worst? It's not like there's no track record for this occurring in the South. And law enforcement officers do what their bosses tell them to do. It's not like the Republicans wouldn't be delighted for a low African-American voter turnout.
Please don't talk to me about liberal propaganda. Sure the NYT is liberal -- it's also the greatest newspaper in the history of the country for all its flaws. A journalism prof I once had -- a diehard disciple of Barry Goldwater!! -- once told me that. I agree. It's been pretty dang negative about Kerry at times. Maureen Dowd, its premier op-ed writer and a professional Bushwhacker, blasted Kerry a couple Sundays ago. But I will make it a point to start reading the Washington tTmes so I get get a neo-con flavor on things.
I'm afraid any publication or source I'd quote would be labeled propaganda by you. Since I'm not a historian or a political scientist I depend on the professionals to inform me -- just like you do.
I was with a bunch of kids in their early 20's over the weekend. Some were definitely liberal and left leaning, but some also came from relatively conservative families in the area. None of them had a positive thing to say about Bush. Rather than being delighted by this, as you probably think, I felt rather sad. Some of these kids had friends they went to college with from other countries. They said the contempt for Bush among these students is almost universal. Of course they're foreigners and they can just go back to their own stupid countries. Still that saddened me too.
LP, not to be nasty, but if you think there's no hope for me, that's a compliment.
Sowell wrote a good column. I even agree with some of it. There's the difference. I'll freely admit that Kerry is not the messiah -- that's he's got some very real problems. But very few of you Bushes can admit the current administration has any failings. Why am I not surprised? The president himself, when asked not long ago if there are any mistakes he had made as president -- or something to that effect -- couldn't come up with one thing.
Bush has surrounded himself with a bunch of people who think the world is their own personal game of Risk, minus the part where you work to create alliances and allies.
Referring to the Florida piece again, don't you think it's sad that when something like this happens, people think the worst? It's not like there's no track record for this occurring in the South. And law enforcement officers do what their bosses tell them to do. It's not like the Republicans wouldn't be delighted for a low African-American voter turnout.
Please don't talk to me about liberal propaganda. Sure the NYT is liberal -- it's also the greatest newspaper in the history of the country for all its flaws. A journalism prof I once had -- a diehard disciple of Barry Goldwater!! -- once told me that. I agree. It's been pretty dang negative about Kerry at times. Maureen Dowd, its premier op-ed writer and a professional Bushwhacker, blasted Kerry a couple Sundays ago. But I will make it a point to start reading the Washington tTmes so I get get a neo-con flavor on things.
I'm afraid any publication or source I'd quote would be labeled propaganda by you. Since I'm not a historian or a political scientist I depend on the professionals to inform me -- just like you do.
I was with a bunch of kids in their early 20's over the weekend. Some were definitely liberal and left leaning, but some also came from relatively conservative families in the area. None of them had a positive thing to say about Bush. Rather than being delighted by this, as you probably think, I felt rather sad. Some of these kids had friends they went to college with from other countries. They said the contempt for Bush among these students is almost universal. Of course they're foreigners and they can just go back to their own stupid countries. Still that saddened me too.
Last edited by foghorn on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much."
-- John Wayne
-- John Wayne
-
CRLionDawg
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 3594
- Joined: April 9th, 2004, 6:51 pm
Keep up the lively debate Foghorn and Lion Pride. You both represent your partisan beleifs quite well. We are still a long way from the election. It will only get better the closer we get.
Last edited by CRLionDawg on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
[quote="foghorn";p="57405"]I've got about 50 reasons not to vote for Bush. Some of them are actually mine.[/quote]
So you are insuating that my comments are not my own? I've made my political views known on this site multiple times, in multiple different ways, but their not my own? Whatever. I always give credit when I "cop" something to the person that wrote or said it. I've noticed you do the same.
Sure, I listen (and read) conservative media. That's because those are my views and I happen to agree with most of it. Isn't that what you do on the liberal side?
My challenge for you was to come up with and list the mistakes President
Bush has made. You are not able to meet that challenge with any specificity. All you can say is I've got "50 reasons". That's typical from the left. Throw out some harsh rhetoric, but you can't back it up. I have backed up with facts every post I made on this topic. Can you say the same?
You say I get defensive. I think if you go back and re-read some of my posts, you'll see that I'm not. I simply refute your mindless posts and liberal propaganda, and because of that you label me defensive.
And since none of my ideas are my own :roll: , here's something I heard on Hannity yesterday. The leader for Not In Our Name is organizing a protest in NYC during the Republican convention. This is a group that placed ads in American and Bahgdad papers with an apology to the Iraqis from the American people. Hannity asked this woman if they planned a peaceful protest in NYC, and as a leader, if she would encourage her following to protest peacefully. She refused and said they would take whatever steps are necessary to get their point across. Now isn't it a little hypocritical for a group to say they want peace, but refuse to encourage their protesters to be peaceful on the streets?
So you are insuating that my comments are not my own? I've made my political views known on this site multiple times, in multiple different ways, but their not my own? Whatever. I always give credit when I "cop" something to the person that wrote or said it. I've noticed you do the same.
Sure, I listen (and read) conservative media. That's because those are my views and I happen to agree with most of it. Isn't that what you do on the liberal side?
My challenge for you was to come up with and list the mistakes President
Bush has made. You are not able to meet that challenge with any specificity. All you can say is I've got "50 reasons". That's typical from the left. Throw out some harsh rhetoric, but you can't back it up. I have backed up with facts every post I made on this topic. Can you say the same?
You say I get defensive. I think if you go back and re-read some of my posts, you'll see that I'm not. I simply refute your mindless posts and liberal propaganda, and because of that you label me defensive.
And since none of my ideas are my own :roll: , here's something I heard on Hannity yesterday. The leader for Not In Our Name is organizing a protest in NYC during the Republican convention. This is a group that placed ads in American and Bahgdad papers with an apology to the Iraqis from the American people. Hannity asked this woman if they planned a peaceful protest in NYC, and as a leader, if she would encourage her following to protest peacefully. She refused and said they would take whatever steps are necessary to get their point across. Now isn't it a little hypocritical for a group to say they want peace, but refuse to encourage their protesters to be peaceful on the streets?
Last edited by LionPride on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Anybody who makes an effort to stay informed is heavily influenced by the sources he or she uses. I guess when it comes down to it, many of my ideas aren't my own, mindless as they are.
We're all aware of your positions. I respect the fact that you're consistent. My problem is that you don't seem to be receptive to any other points of view.
We're all aware of your positions. I respect the fact that you're consistent. My problem is that you don't seem to be receptive to any other points of view.
Last edited by foghorn on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much."
-- John Wayne
-- John Wayne
Re: Election Countdown
Fighting fire with empty words
While the banks get fat
And the poor stay poor
And the rich get rich
And the cops get paid
To look away
As the one percent rules America
Spreading the disease
Everybody needs
But no one wants to see
The way society
Keeps spreading the disease
Queensyrche from Operation Mindcrime
The Associated Press
Updated: 10:41 p.m. ET Aug. 16, 2004
WASHINGTON - Over two decades, the income gap has steadily increased between the richest Americans, who own homes and stocks and got big tax breaks, and those at the middle and bottom of the pay scale, whose paychecks buy less.
The growing disparity is even more pronounced in this recovering economy. Wages are stagnant and the middle class is shouldering a larger tax burden. Prices for health care, housing, tuition, gas and food have soared.
The wealthiest 20 percent of households in 1973 accounted for 44 percent of total U.S. income, according to the Census Bureau. Their share jumped to 50 percent in 2002, while everyone else’s fell. For the bottom fifth, the share dropped from 4.2 percent to 3.5 percent.
Jobs and the economy top the list of voter concerns this election year. President Bush touts a strong economy that is growing, but polls find that Americans have doubts and think jobs are scarce. John Kerry is trusted more on the economy, with Democrats talking regularly of “two Americas,” divided between the rich and everyone else.
That argument has merit, some private economists say.
“For those working in the bottom half of the pay scale, they’re under an enormous amount of pressure,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com.
The U.S. jobs market is soft, sending wages down. Hiring came to a near standstill last month, with companies adding just 32,000 new jobs overall, stunning economists who had expected seven times as many.
More than a million jobs have been added back to the 2.6 million lost since Bush took office, but they pay less and offer fewer benefits, such as health insurance. The new jobs are concentrated in health care, food services, and temporary employment firms, all lower-paying industries. Temp agencies alone account for about a fifth of all new jobs.
Three in five pay below the national median hourly wage — $13.53, said Sung Won Sohn, chief economist for Wells Fargo.
On a weekly basis, the average wage of $525.84 is at the lowest level since October 2001.
The income gap is showing up in booming sales of luxury items. Porsche Cars North America Inc. says sales are up 17 percent for the year. Strong sales at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue overshadow lackluster sales at stores such as Wal-Mart, Sears and Payless Shoes.
While the banks get fat
And the poor stay poor
And the rich get rich
And the cops get paid
To look away
As the one percent rules America
Spreading the disease
Everybody needs
But no one wants to see
The way society
Keeps spreading the disease
Queensyrche from Operation Mindcrime
The Associated Press
Updated: 10:41 p.m. ET Aug. 16, 2004
WASHINGTON - Over two decades, the income gap has steadily increased between the richest Americans, who own homes and stocks and got big tax breaks, and those at the middle and bottom of the pay scale, whose paychecks buy less.
The growing disparity is even more pronounced in this recovering economy. Wages are stagnant and the middle class is shouldering a larger tax burden. Prices for health care, housing, tuition, gas and food have soared.
The wealthiest 20 percent of households in 1973 accounted for 44 percent of total U.S. income, according to the Census Bureau. Their share jumped to 50 percent in 2002, while everyone else’s fell. For the bottom fifth, the share dropped from 4.2 percent to 3.5 percent.
Jobs and the economy top the list of voter concerns this election year. President Bush touts a strong economy that is growing, but polls find that Americans have doubts and think jobs are scarce. John Kerry is trusted more on the economy, with Democrats talking regularly of “two Americas,” divided between the rich and everyone else.
That argument has merit, some private economists say.
“For those working in the bottom half of the pay scale, they’re under an enormous amount of pressure,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com.
The U.S. jobs market is soft, sending wages down. Hiring came to a near standstill last month, with companies adding just 32,000 new jobs overall, stunning economists who had expected seven times as many.
More than a million jobs have been added back to the 2.6 million lost since Bush took office, but they pay less and offer fewer benefits, such as health insurance. The new jobs are concentrated in health care, food services, and temporary employment firms, all lower-paying industries. Temp agencies alone account for about a fifth of all new jobs.
Three in five pay below the national median hourly wage — $13.53, said Sung Won Sohn, chief economist for Wells Fargo.
On a weekly basis, the average wage of $525.84 is at the lowest level since October 2001.
The income gap is showing up in booming sales of luxury items. Porsche Cars North America Inc. says sales are up 17 percent for the year. Strong sales at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue overshadow lackluster sales at stores such as Wal-Mart, Sears and Payless Shoes.
Last edited by Lemmy on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. Pre
[quote="foghorn";p="57412"]Anybody who makes an effort to stay informed is heavily influenced by the sources he or she uses. I guess when it comes down to it, many of my ideas aren't my own, mindless as they are.
We're all aware of your positions. I respect the fact that you're consistent. My problem is that you don't seem to be receptive to any other points of view.[/quote]
How can I be receptive to your points of view when you don't give them? All you and Lemmy do is post liberal articles, or you make wide sweeping statements with harsh words backed up by zero facts.
We're all aware of your positions. I respect the fact that you're consistent. My problem is that you don't seem to be receptive to any other points of view.[/quote]
How can I be receptive to your points of view when you don't give them? All you and Lemmy do is post liberal articles, or you make wide sweeping statements with harsh words backed up by zero facts.
Last edited by LionPride on September 20th, 2011, 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.