craigbattaglino@yahoo.com

 

The next generation which is Generation Y (The Millennial Generation) born from 1980 to 2000, will face steep financial hurdles like huge debt and no savings. Teens and twentysomethings known stereotypically for their coddled upbringing, confidence, opinionated dialogue, free-spending habits and openness to change will have their dreams cut short.

 

This group which has the get-it-now, pay-for-it-later mind-set, will see stagnant wages, job insecurity, the decline in employer-sponsored health insurance and retirement benefits, the rapid increase in basic expenses, soaring debt and minimal savings which threaten to hurt the economic security of the entire generation. The majority of this generation will be educated but less employed.

 

Their generation will be the first in a century that is unlikely to end up better off financially than their parents. Recession has hit this group hard and will affect their income potential, their saving potential and their career potential.

 

USAToday found the following current stats:

 

1.    37% have been underemployed.

2.    This generation is the least likely of any to be covered by health insurance.

3.    58% pay their bills on time.

4.    60% have already cashed out their 401(k) plans.

5.    70% have no savings.

6.    43% are in debt.

7.    The majority of this generation average 3 credit cards.

8.    20% carry balances of $10,000 or more. (according to Fidelity Investments)

 

We have left this generation with a mess and this group will have the scares of this recession to prove it. The unemployment rate is much higher for this group than the national rate.

 

Things don’t look good for them, but things can always change. This group is more adaptive to a changing environment than other generations which will be essential for their futures in this economy.

 

 

Notes:

 

·         46 economists are saying that the economic recovery looks stronger than originally expected. These same economists believe there is little risk the economy will slip back into a recession. Although most still say the rebound will fall short of the sharp V-shaped upturn that usually follows a severe slump and the jobless rate will fall slowly.

 

·         Recent reports state consumers are getting more optimistic about the economy recovering and they are going shopping. Consumers have stepped up shopping that last month’s retail sales compared to March 2009 showed the biggest increase in more than ten years. Economists and retail experts say people are releasing their “pent-up demand.” Still, with high unemployment, most of these consumers are putting purchases on their credit cards, which means they are increasing their debt and plan to pay them off slowly.

 

·         Stock experts say that the bull market is aging but will continue to grow. After the bear market low in March 2009, stocks shot up but lately the gains have been minimal. The stock market has definitely moderated but stock strategists claim this is perfectly normal. I believe that the market is over-valued but my hopes are that stocks will continue to rise based off better days ahead for the economy and better business environment.

 

·         Economic forecasters are saying in their assessment of the new healthcare law, this overhaul will increase the nation’s healthcare tab instead of bringing it down. Analysts found that the law falls short of the President’s goal of controlling “runaway” costs, raising projected spending by about 1% over 10 years. That increase could get bigger. Analysts warn that Medicare cuts in the law may be unrealistic and unsustainable, forcing lawmakers to roll them back. Medicare will become a major political liability for Democratic lawmakers in the midterm elections.

 

 

 

An Awful Agreement

William P. Frasca

 

 

Our President, Barack Hussein Obama, The Chosen One, together with his incompetent naive babes in the woods Administration has really demonstrated to the world that they are individuals that each and every militant loony Government should be eager and willing to confer and bargain with. Their strange, unorthodox and peculiar behavior of the extreme magnitude in negotiating any pertinent life threatening high caliber agreements, which could possibly leave us defensively shackled, wide open to all hideous attacks engaged by all forms of malicious weaponry.

 

They proved they could be easily swayed by foreign negotiators that are laughing at their inabilities to settle on any fair and balanced agreement, even financial, but that’s another discussion, for all responsible American interests. They projected the lowest intellectual common denominator of security and common sense, such as matching wits with an unarmed man. This enormous sellout of America is quite evident with the lopsided proposed Non Proliferation Treaty which will definitely threaten our very existence as a Nation.

 

The final explanation and conclusion of this awful agreement, if it stands and is finalized was so sad that a child in nursery school would be able to realize its unstable hazardous results. It states that as long as any Country doesn’t use any nuclear weapons against us, they would be safe from us using any nuclear retaliation.

 

Obama’s own unwise words were quite evident when his explanation etched a remarkable distorted picture. The final analysis was mind boggling stating that even if they unleash poisonous gases, toxins, viruses, sicknesses, flesh eating chemicals in the air, that could possibly mane, infect, destroy and murder a high percentage of our population, and future generations of possible birth defects would have a free pass, and get out of jail free card from being counter attacked by nuclear missiles.

 

Defense Secretary Robert Gates used his own interpretation of this process, announced that if Iran, India, Pakistan, or North Korea, who didn’t take part or signed the treaty, used any form of chemical weapons, against us, we will still have the capabilities to reply with nuclear retaliation. The Pentagon also issued their own Nuclear Policy review, and said that “the U.S. does not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.

 

These enhanced (read between the lines) rhetoric, ineptitudes, ineffectiveness and progressive lack of ability demonstrated with this Administration’s leadership, on all levels, redefines their clueless characteristics, and is definitely escalating the would-be hazards to our existence. This doesn’t provide a formula for a safe sound uninterrupted nights sleep.

 

What could possibly be Obama’s motives for his approval of this unbelievably strange, irrational, bizarre policy? Could it be used to pacify Iran and North Korea with their unstable leadership of hate and wish to destroy America and its people? Could it be possibly be used, as a last resort, to radically diminish their increasing renegade, undocumented, unsupervised, unmonitored nuclear development capabilities? While stating openly that they have our permission, without any fear from us, to increase and develop any and all types of future chemical warfare weaponry as an acceptable alternative.

What would be the humanitarian outlook or logic in yielding and releasing additional destruction on civilization by allowing these unsound Countries or any lopsided loony leadership into a position of creating weapons of mass destruction, which are not nuclear? This would definitely be used as a Sword of Damocles, issuing threats and ultimatums throughout the whole world, forcing and dictating all their pathetic policies and demands. No race, creed, color, country or religion would be safe from their psychotic tyranny.

 

Weapons of mass destruction are hideous in any form, whether it’s nuclear or chemical, which should be condemned and stopped by any means possible. These are life and dead situations that should be not be used nonchalantly. We must protect ourselves at all cost, securing our supreme right of survival, and not used as pawns or appeasements to any potential aggressors. America must be defended from all her enemies; by using any and all measures of self defense and means possible. We do not need or bow down to any foreign nation, or request any government’s approval or permission to control or protect our own destiny.

 

Obama made a big mistake, and that was irrationally reducing our power and strength, which kept us safe from potential aggressors for years. He enjoys bowing his head in shame, apologizing and constantly humiliating America. He is the leader of the free world not a puppet to tyranny and savagery.

 

As our greatest Conservative Republican President, of the twentieth century, Ronald Reagan always said, “Pease through strength”, “Trust, but Verify”, “We can not play innocents abroad in a world that is not innocent”.  “People do not make wars; governments do”. “We win, they lose”. These words are the most simplistic coherent description of victory, which has definitely lost its meaning through the Obama Administration of apologies, surrender and submissive tolerance.

 

Obama should erase his smug arrogant conceit appearance of self love and total vanity by humbling himself to read history, instead of being a meek, docile buffoon to foreign dictators and murderous tyrants, because history does repeat itself. When in history could we ever trust the Russians?

 

As long as we never showed any fear, in the past, proved our dominance or kept up the appearance of not being easily bluffed, we held the upper hand. This was a very successful solution and deterrent for years, until the Russians met their downfall, by tearing down “The Wall”. He should also heed the warnings and advice of President Reagan, a courageous intelligent man, and proven leader, who was admirably labeled as “The Great Communicator”, instead of following the failed cowardice policies of a naive simpleton such as Jimmy Carter.

 

Wiping out, eliminating and cutting our nuclear weaponry in half, with no future improvements or new developments is not the answer in solving world peace, but it does and places our nation into a vulnerable position of weakness compromising our national security. 

 

This treaty, as with any treaty, must be ratified and approved by the United States Senate.

 

Now adding insult to injury, the United States, in the near future, will have to compensate the Russians for each American astronaut sent into orbit, because we are scrapping our Space Fleet. Does this create any skeptical malfunctions in evaluating the human intellectual judgment, concerning the implications of this charade in stupidity?

 

Our Space Program was one of our tremendous feats, which showed the world our pride and unlimited capabilities. Why would this Administration be so willingly and freely, without any remorse, offering it up as a sacrificial lamb to the Russian altar of mistrust and unsteadiness? This farce is compounded by paying the Russians for this degrading privilege. This is absolutely, positively absurd.

 

Our space program was second to none. We took the unchallenged lead, using our unique untouchable Yankee ingenuity and technology, which prided ourselves as the only Country to land and walk on the moon.

 

The Socialist Marxists Liberal Democrats are humiliating America, once again, repeating history, by humbly bowing and submitting our rightful status, to the Russians, as Roosevelt did during World War II. Those of us who have read the true unabridged events of history are familiar, with the negative sequences of events that happened, which adversely effected America and the World for generations. Appeasements in any capacity will eventually lead a nation to its eventual downfall.