CNN spins Obama’s failures on the economy .. again
CNN.com’s Annalyn Kurtz starts out her article with a strong headline that plants the blame for a floundering economy squarely where it belongs, but then arranges factors and symptoms in an odd order to soften the blow.
The emboldened headlining paragraph reads:
Five years into his presidency, Barack Obama is still falling short of his number one goal: to fix the economy for the middle class.
Ok, first, why fix it just for the middle class? Shouldn’t we just want the economy to work so that everyone has an opportunity to make out of it what they can?
The article is titled “7 Setbacks for the middle class”, but actually there’s just one that’s the cause and most of the others are effects stemming from the primary failure – the economy isn’t producing jobs.
Annalyn lays out the 7 setbacks as thus:
- Workers are taking home their smallest slice of U.S. income on record
- Inequality has widened
- The job market still faces a gaping hole
- The poverty rate remains high
- Record number of Americans are on food stamps
- The manufacturing revival was a mirage
- Global trade isn’t helping much
The first two “setbacks” appear as though income inequality is a major factor in causing the economic hardships Americans have been facing under President Obama. Most informed Americans would have perhaps made a list looking more like this:
Prime Issue: The job market still faces a gaping hole
Effects of the Prime Issue:
- Workers are taking home their smallest slice of U.S. income on record
- Inequality has widened
- The poverty rate remains high
- Record number of Americans are on food stamps
Obama’s cash for clunkers, stimulus, stimulus two, extension of unemployment benefits, easing of welfare regulations and numerous other initiatives have done nothing to spur businesses into hiring – government programs rarely do. Add on Obamacare and the costs to business and consumers – there isn’t as much money left to spend in the economy so that retailers, manufacturers and service industry companies have the ability to hire.
With the, often last-minute, executive proclamation changes to regulations, any business that would think of growing is instead saving for a rainy day – it might just come tomorrow at the stroke of Obama’s pen.
Government intervention is holding back the recovery. Obamacare alone may stall it and the breakdown of the effects demonstrates the true relationship:
Workers taking home smallest slice of U.S. income on record:
Duh! With the labor participation rate at its lowest since Jimmy Carter, disability and food stamps at record levels – of course those living off the government aren’t getting a cut of the profits. That’s the difference between a paycheck and a handout.
Inequality has widened
Ok, what part of this “setback” doesn’t feel like a repetition of the last one? Yes, if fewer people are working, fewer people will be making as much money. Government handouts do not offer opportunity – just enslavement. The last five years have been a steady proof of that.
The poverty rate remains high
Of course is does. Not to sound like a broken record player but.. if you aren’t working, it is very hard to not be poor. No one gets rich on disability, welfare and food stamps.
Record number of Americans on food stamps
No way not to repeat myself here, so I won’t
You see, it comes down to a President and Congress who have no idea how to get out of the way and allow the economy to recover.
Economic Inequality is the mantra of the left and where it appears Annalyn was trying to take the reader, albeit unconvincingly. Measures such as raising the minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits to almost two years, relaxing welfare requirements are all doomed to failure and they are likely going to be the themes upon which many re-election campaigns are rested.