Submitted by Jim Quinn from The Burning Platform [19]
We've Never Left The Recession
It is three and a half years since the Great Recession hit in 2008 with the collapse of our financial system caused by the Wall Street banks and their captured politician cronies in Washington D.C. Their mouthpieces in the mainstream media have been telling the American sheeple that we have been out of recession and in recovery since the 4th quarter of 2009. It truly has been a recovery for the Wall Street bankers and the mega-corporations that have laid off millions and opened new factories in the Far East while generating record profits and rewarding their executives with millions in bonuses. The stock market has doubled from its 2009 lows. All is well on Wall Street – not so much on Main Street.
The compliant non-questioning MSM reported that GDP in the 1st quarter rose 2.2%, less than expected. This pitiful government manipulated result confirms that we are back in recession. The first quarter had the huge benefit of fantastic weather, an extra day, and a supposed surge in jobs. And this is all we got? Take a good long hard look at this chart.
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2012/04/Q1%20Prelim%20GDP.jpg [20]
To factually assess the fake recovery reported by the Federal Government, Wall Street and the MSM, you need to check out the data on the BEA website regarding REAL GDP. The average schmuck still doesn’t understand how the government and Federal Reserve are screwing them through the insidious taxation of inflation. I urge you to look at this inflation adjusted data:
http://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=9&step=1 [21]
According to the BEA, REAL GDP was $13.3 trillion in the 2nd quarter of 2008 before the crisis. As of today, the BEA says REAL GDP is $13.5 trillion. These government drones have calculated these figures by having the balls to tell you that the CPI is only up 6% since the 2nd quarter of 2008. Gas prices are up 20% since the 2nd quarter of 2008. Even the BLS manipulated inflation figures show that Food has gone up 11% since the 2nd quarter of 2008.
The truth is that inflation is underreported by the Federal government by at least 5%. Therefore, if GDP was properly adjusted for real inflation, we have never left the recession.
Even if we use the REAL GDP figures provided by the BEA, the result is absolutely horrific when analyzed in comparison to what our “leaders” have done:
- Real GDP has gone up by $200 billion since the 2nd quarter of 2008, a 1.4% increase.
- The National Debt has gone from $9.5 trillion in the 2nd quarter of 2008 to $15.6 trillion today, a 64% increase. Not too much bang for our Keynesian buck.
- There were 146 million Americans employed in the 2nd quarter of 2008. Today there are 142 million employed Americans. The working age population has risen by 10.5 million over this same time frame. According to the fine drones at the BLS, almost 8 million Americans willingly decided to leave the workforce during this time and do not count as unemployed.
- Profits of the mega-corporations making up the S&P 500 are at all-time highs.
- Wall Street Too Big To Fail banks have paid out average bonuses of $130,000 per employee from 2009 through 2011. The average compensation is $350,000.
- Wall Street banks reaped $102 billion of profits between 2009 and 2011, as Ben Bernanke bought their toxic debt and continues to loan them hundreds of billions at 0% interest.
- Five million Americans lost their homes to foreclosure since 2008.
- There will be at least 6 million more foreclosures in the next three years.
- Consumer expenditures accounted for 69.7% of GDP in the 2nd quarter of 2008. After three years of supposed austerity consumer expenditures account for 70.7% of GDP.
- Senior citizen savers are earning $400 billion less of interest income today than they were in the 2nd quarter of 2008, but don’t worry – Paul Krugman says that has only affected a couple senior citizens. These seniors need to embrace their poverty and learn to love the taste of cat food.
- Real GDP went up by $73 billion in the 1st quarter. A full 70% of this increase was due to durable goods purchases by consumers. This increase was solely due to ALLY FINANCIAL (85% owned by the Federal Government) and the rest of the Wall Street banks peddling auto loans to subprime (aka deadbeats) borrowers.
Our beloved leaders have done so much for so few while impoverishing so many. It makes me so proud to live in the corporate fascist states of America.
The reality is that we have never left recession and are sliding deeper into an ultimate Depression. Enjoy your slavery and keep believing the government and MSM propaganda. Docile sheep are so much easier being led to slaughter.