By: Stewart A. Alexander

   Stewart A. Alexander [ Enlarge ]
The numbers are staggering, 31.8 million Americans receiving food stamps and 697,000 individuals added to the unemployment lines; these numbers have not been seen since the Great Depression. In the 1930s the foods line extended for blocks in most urban areas; today, the food lines are part of the grocery lines in every neighborhood across America.

According to Reuters, “The previous record for food stamp enrollment was 31.6 million last September, which included “disaster” stamps for states hit by hurricanes and floods.” Today’s disaster, that has increased that number is the U.S. economy; even with the government bailouts totaling close to $3 trillion, the U.S. economy is in freefall and the lines for food stamps and unemployment benefits continue to climb.

The nation may not see the food lines that were seen in the 1930s; however, the numbers are there. In Los Angeles County, 2.2 million people are receiving public assistance payments or benefits; one out of every five people living in the county. Texas had the largest enrollment for food stamps at 3.5 million, and Ohio had a 3.4 percent increase with 1.26 million people receiving food stamps.

Americans have not seen such a demand for public assistance since the 1930s. During the Great Depression unemployment peaked at more than 25 percent and the economy shrank 27 percent. Today, the number of those that are unemployed and under-employed nationwide could well exceed 60 million Americans.

Riverside County and San Bernardino County, two counties east of Los Angeles, may well be in a mild depression. Both counties have unemployment exceeding 10.2 percent and the lines for public assistance continue to grow as both counties are impacted by the downturn in the building and construction industry. Presently hundreds of thousands of jobs seekers remain out of work and many are traveling to neighboring counties to take low paying jobs or part-time employment. Just to make ends meet, many residents are seeking public assistance.

The recent government bailouts have failed to jump start the economy and has failed to create jobs and many economic experts believe any benefits from the bailouts may not be seen for many years. During the month of February, President Barack Obama told the nation that things would get worse before getting better; for millions of working class people, things are getting worst by the day.

President Obama and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are both being optimistic that the U.S. economy will rebound by the end of 2010; however, socialists nationwide believe the economic policies of the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress will lead the nation down the pathway of more misery and poverty.

Socialist Party USA, a national socialist party, believes a fundamental transformation of the economy is needed to address the present national and global economic crisis; socialists are deeply opposed to the federal bailouts and stimulus programs that will only benefit the wealthy few. Socialists have outlined an economic agenda that is designed to meet the needs of working class people; they are calling for a full employment policy and support the provisions of a livable guaranteed annual income or a basic income guaranteed to alleviate poverty and homelessness.

As the unemployment lines and the public assistance lines continues to grow nationwide, Socialist Party USA is calling for increased and expanded welfare assistance and increased and expanded unemployment compensation at 100 percent of a worker’s previous income or the minimum wage, whichever is higher, for the full period of unemployment or re-training, whichever is longer. The party also supports a maximum income of no more than ten times the minimum.

For more information search the Web for: Stewart A. Alexander; Capitalists Attempting to Redefine Socialism.

References:

•    http://socialistparty-usa.org/statements/financialcrisis012509.html

•    http://www.socialism.com/fsarticles/vol29no2/economy29201.html

•    http://StewartAlexanderCares.com

•    http://peaceandfreedom.org/home/

•    http://www.sp-usa.org/

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