single header

If you want to comment online, use the Reply form following this commentary.

From BBC News 4/26/2014

Howell Hurst Uncategorized

From BBC News 4/26/2014

  • 10.5 million: The number of people currently unemployed in the US
  • 3.8 million: The number of people in the US who have been unemployed 27 weeks or longer
  • 11.8 weeks: The average duration of unemployment in 1950
  • 37.1 weeks: The average duration of unemployment in 2014
  • 1,000%: The rate at which the ratio of CEO-to-worker pay has increased since 1950
  • 204: The number of times that a Fortune 500 CEO’s salary eclipses an average worker’s
  • 874: The number of times more, per hour, a CEO makes compared to a sales associate at a sample of US retail and fast-food chain.

The amount needed to reintegrate unemployed Americans into our economy is a minute fraction of our Gross Domestic Product. It is eminently possible to identify, train, and place all Americans wanting work. What is lacking, as our lawyer friend Tom Baines pointed out to me in another context lately, is the will. I suggest that will is ours to assume if we would care to shoulder the responsibility to our fellow citizens rather than rest on our apathetic backsides.

Return to Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.