Making America Poor Again

The Trump Administration keeps lying about its failure to contain COVID-19 and the Great Economic Depression Trump Version 2.0 that is underway. The latest evidence comes from the Associated Press, whose reporters do not gather their real – not fake news – from the isolated confines of white country clubs. Instead AP spoke to people who have lost their jobs.

The Depression Version Trump 2.0 sees The AP’s Business team chronicling the changing economy, “from the difficulties faced by people who have lost their jobs to how businesses are adapting to the new reality. We are using data and interviews with experts, officials and people affected to understand which changes are temporary and which ones are likely to permanently alter the ways we live and work.”

Also the number of U.S. residents who have died since March is now more than 200,000 higher than it would be in a normal year, a New York Times analysis found. Those “excess deaths” most likely reflect the true cost of the pandemic — and suggest that the official death toll may be a substantial undercount.

Forever Gone With the Wind?

In April as the pandemic continued to spread and not suddenly go away, according to an AP-NORC survey, 78% thought their layoffs were only temporary. By July, the survey found that nearly half of those who have lost jobs say those jobs are gone for good. (See a new report suggests up to 40% of layoffs from March to May were permanent.)

The AP also notes that 33% of bars and lounges have permanently closed nationwide, up from about one-quarter in late June, according to the small business data analysis firm Womply. So have 20% of restaurants and 12% of retailers.

For young graduates, entering the workforce is a struggle. “Remote jobs are great for someone who doesn’t have to commute and already has a job,” Michael Welch, 22, told The AP. But “for someone entering the job market it is a scary prospect. It’s difficult to learn technical skills when you’re in a remote setting.”

 

This entry was posted in auto news, AutoInformed Editorial and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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