December 12, 2014 12:00 PM
State of the Nation
In the 3rd week of November, the NBC/WSJ poll found that 65% of us think the country is on the wrong track while 25% of us think the country is on the right track.The official BLS unemployment rate for November 2014 is 5.8 %. There is no change from October and it is down 1.2% points from a year ago. If one takes into account the total unemployed + those marginally attached to the labor force + those working part-time who want full-time work, the rate is 11.4 %. This is down from 13.1% in November 2013. 2.7% have been unemployed for 15 weeks or longer, down from 3.7% in November 2013.
In the first week of December, Gallup found an unemployment rate of 6.1%, down from 8.3% at the same time in 2013. It also found an underemployment rate (unemployed +those working part-time, but wanting full time) of 15.1%, down a touch from 17.3% in December 2013.
The Youngest Members
In 2015, the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the youngest person ever elected to any of the 50 State legislatures will be Republican women.Elise Stefanik, age 30, won her election in New York’s 21st Congressional district. She will also be the youngest member of the House when it convenes.
Saira Blair, age 18, won her election in West Virginia’s 59th legislative district. She will be the youngest member of the West Virginia legislature when it convenes.
In a recent article in Politico, pollster Anna Greenberg wrote in part, “Looking forward, the lesson of this election is that Democrats lacked an economic narrative that could convince voters that they would do a better job looking out for people who are struggling to get into or stay in the middle class.”
Greenberg then went on to write, “Now more than 40 percent of children are born to unmarried women, and women head more than 80 percent of single parent households. Forty percent of all households with children age 18 or younger include a mother who is the sole or primary source of income – compared with just 10 percent in 1960. Overall, 41 percent of all mothers are the primary breadwinner, and 22 percent are co-breadwinners. Women make up two-thirds of the low-wage workers in the United States, and women are more likely to live in poverty than men.”
The following are a series of feelings expressed by the American public as reported by the NBC/WSJ 11/17/14.
* 56% believe “the economic and political systems in the country are stacked against people like me.”
* 41% believe there will not be much change as a result of the election, while 9% believe there will be a great deal of change.
* 63% want folks elected to office this year “to make compromises to gain consensus on legislation.”
During 2013, 76% of those over 18 years of age read at least one book. The number of folks who read an e-book has grown to 28%. Half of us now own a tablet or an e-reader.
Over the period of May 2010 to January 2014 the percentage of adults who own a tablet has grown from 3% to 42%, and the number of folks who own e- readers has grown from 4% to 32%. While one might expect that the largest number of owners of tablet computers or e-readers would be those from 18-29 years of age, only 48% have one or the other. The largest number of owners are those 30-49 years of age – 52%. Only 25% of those 65 and over own one of these devices. [PEW 1/14]
Of those same three age groups, 39%, 38% and 37% respectively, used text messaging, a cellphone or email on a given day in late 2014. Only 15% used a business landline phone. [Gallup]
23% of men and 17% of women 25 years of age and older have never been married. This is more than double the number of unmarried in 1980. [PEW 9/14]
72% of Americans think that religion is losing its influence on American life and many are not happy about that reality. 49% of us think that houses of worship should express their views on social and political questions. And a record number, 32%, think that houses of worship should come out “in favor of one candidate or another.” [PEW 9/14]
If you spend any time observing or participating in the electoral political process you know instinctively that the number of people who consistently express liberal or conservative opinions has grown, with the attendant result that the country is increasingly polarized. In June 2014, the Pew Research Center put numbers to the obvious. Here are some of the findings:
1. The number of Americans who “express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions” has grown from 10% to 21% in the last 20 years.
2. The percentage of Republicans who have a “very unfavorable” opinion of the Democratic Party has grown from 17% to 43%. The percentage of Democrats who have a “very unfavorable” opinion of the Republican Party has grown from 17% to 38%.
3. In 2004, roughly 50% took an equal number of conservative and liberal positions. Now that number is down to 39%.
4. 62% of liberals think that compromise means that any deal between Obama and the Republicans should be closer to the Obama position, and 57% of conservatives believe any deal should be more on the GOP’s terms.
5. Three quarters of conservatives prefer living in communities that are quite different than those preferred by roughly the same number of liberals.
Since 2000, the number of people who think having a gun in the house make it a safer place, rather than a more dangerous place, has grown from 35% to 63%. This latter number includes 67% of men and 58% of women. Twice as many Republicans (81%) as Democrats (41%) are in the 63% group. [Gallup 11/14]
33% of Americans say that they or some member of their family has put off medical treatment in the last year because of cost. This is the highest number recorded in the last 14 years. The largest cohort some 38% of folks putting off treatment are in the group earning $30,000-74,999; 35% of those making under $30,000 have put off treatment; and 28% of those making $75,000 or more have put off treatment. [Gallup 11/14]
As the Supreme Court began its Fall 2014 term, 48% of Americans disapproved of the job it is doing, as opposed to 44% who approved the job being done. In 2000, the Court received a 62% approval rating. In 2009, it had an approval rating of 60%. At only one time, in 2005, did disapproval exceed approval. [Gallup 10/14]
By a small margin of 49% to 46%, we believe that the Supreme Court should base its rulings on what the Constitution means in current times as opposed to what it meant as originally written. Democrats favor the “current times” view by 70% to 28%, while Republicans favor the “as originally written” view by 69% to 29%. Independents split evenly. [PEW 7/14]
