Our long slide toward economic oblivion continues, and survey after survey has shown that most Americans are deeply unsatisfied with the current state of the U.S. economy. Inflation is out of control, most Americans are getting poorer due to the rapidly rising cost of living, the housing bubble has started to burst, and the commercial real estate market is a giant mess. But employment is supposed to be our bright spot.
The Biden administration continues to tell us that the unemployment rate is less than 4 percent and that there are lot of jobs available for those that want them. But is this really true?
To answer that question, it is imperative to understand that our government places unemployed persons into one of two categories…
Jobless people are classified into one of two categories by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)—either unemployed or not in the labor force. To be classified as unemployed in the month they are surveyed, people must be actively looking for work. If they are not actively looking, they are classified as not in the labor force.
Over time, the definition of “officially unemployed” has gotten more restrictive, and today only 6.097 million working age Americans are considered to be in that category. Meanwhile, a staggering 99.800 million working age Americans are considered to be “not in the labor force”.
When you add both categories together, you get a total of 105.897 million working age Americans that do not have a job right now.
Let me try to put that into perspective. During the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, that number never even got up to 90 million. So that means that the number of working age Americans that are not employed at this moment far surpasses anything that we witnessed during the Great Recession.
Please do not believe the garbage that the federal government is trying to sell you. Unemployment is not low. In fact, John Williams estimates that the real rate of unemployment in this country is somewhere around 25 percent.
If you are out of work at this moment, please realize that you are not alone. In April, 37-year-old North Carolina resident Al Brown lost his job, and now his family is really struggling…
Al Brown and his fiancée faced a tough call in May when reviewing their weekly budget: What’s a higher priority, more food or dish soap?
Based in Concord, North Carolina, Brown was the main breadwinner for his fiancée and their two children. Then in April, he was let go from his job as a global director of business development at software company Cascade.
He’s since quit his gym membership and sold miscellaneous items around his home, including a computer and yard furniture, to make ends meet. His 13-year-old son quit the basketball team. While losing the family’s source of income has taken a financial toll, it’s also resulted in a mental one.
Since he was laid off, Brown has submitted more than 600 job applications, but that has produced only a few interviews and no job offers…
Brown, 37, now spends his days scouring the internet for jobs or reaching out to potential connections. After filing over 600 applications, only a handful have produced interviews, he says.
If jobs are easy to get, why hasn’t Al Brown been able to find one?
Can anyone out there explain that to me?
Perhaps I am just a little slow, because what the Biden administration is telling us about the economy does not seem to correspond with reality at all.
54-year-old Nina McCollum has applied for “hundreds of jobs” since losing her position in March, and she is still jobless as well…
Nina McCollum, 54, was laid off from her writing gig at jobs site Glassdoor back in March. She hasn’t found a new role since, despite applying to hundreds of jobs.
She’s been living off her savings, selling her blood plasma and frequenting food pantries just to get by — all while taking care of a teenage son. Her domestic partner helps out, but he can’t make up for her lost income.
Why can’t these people find work?
What is wrong with them?
Of course the truth is that there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. They are diligently searching for jobs, but the reality of the matter is that the employment market has gotten very tight.
Meanwhile, the cost of living just continues to rise, and that has resulted in a “collapse of household savings”…
In February, the U.S. personal savings rate was estimated to be around 4.6 percent—much below the decades-long average of about 8.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. But what does this mean?
Some economists think that the collapse of household savings could lead to a spending slowdown and trigger a recession.
The Biden administration may never admit that we have entered a major economic downturn, but that is precisely what we are witnessing.
In fact, the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing purchasing managers index has now been below 50 for eight months in a row…
The U.S. manufacturing sector fell deeper into recession territory in May, extending a multimonth slump as experts warn that the economy faces “clear challenges.”
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said in a report Monday that its manufacturing purchasing managers index dropped to 46.0 last month, the lowest reading since May 2020 and the eighth consecutive sub-50 reading.
Any readings below 50 represent recession, with all key sub-components in contraction, including the employment index, suggesting layoff pressures are building.
It’s really happening.
Other than for a brief period during the pandemic, we have not seen economic turmoil of this magnitude since 2008 and 2009.
Unfortunately, we are still only in the very early chapters of this crisis.
The economic outlook for the remainder of 2023 is very bleak, the outlook for 2024 is even worse, and the long-term outlook is nightmarish.
But you have to give our leaders credit for propping things up for as long as they did. By flooding the system with money, they were able to delay our moment of reckoning for a long time.
Of course their gimmicks were also making our long-term problems even worse, and now our long-term problems have become our short-term problems.
There is so much pain ahead of us, and our country is not prepared to handle it.
Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
Article cross-posted from The Economic Collapse Blog.
Three Reasons a Coffee Gift Set From This Christian Company Is Perfect for Christmas
When you’re searching for a Christmas gift that’s meaningful, useful, and rooted in faith, you don’t want to settle for anything generic. This season is filled with noise — mass-produced products, last-minute picks, and trends that fade as quickly as they appear. But one gift stands apart because it blends genuine quality with a message that matters: a coffee gift set from Promised Grounds Coffee.
This small Christian-owned company has become a favorite among believers who want to support faith-driven businesses while giving friends and family something they’ll actually enjoy. Here are three reasons a Promised Grounds Coffee gift set may be the most thoughtful and impactful present you give this year.
1. It’s Truly Delicious Coffee
Too many “gift-worthy” coffees look beautiful in the package but disappoint when the cup is poured. Promised Grounds takes the opposite approach — exceptional taste first, thoughtful presentation second.
Their beans are sourced with care, roasted in small batches, and crafted to bring out a rich, smooth flavor profile that appeals to both casual drinkers and true coffee lovers. Whether someone enjoys bold, dark roasts or lighter, more delicate blends, every sip reflects quality that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the biggest specialty brands.
Simply put: this coffee is good. Really good. Some say it’s absolutely fantastic. If you want a gift that won’t be re-gifted, ignored, or shoved in a cabinet, this is it.
2. It Spreads the Word While Serving a Real Purpose
There are many Christian gifts that are meaningful… but not exactly practical. There are also useful gifts that have nothing to do with faith. Promised Grounds Coffee bridges both worlds beautifully.
Each gift set delivers an encouraging, faith-centered message through its packaging and presentation — a simple but powerful reminder of God’s goodness during the Christmas season. The cups are especially popular and serve as a daily reminder of the blessings from our Lord. At the same time, the product itself is something people will actually use and appreciate every single day.
It’s a gift that uplifts the spirit and fills the mug. A gift that points loved ones toward Scripture while still being part of the normal rhythm of life. And in a culture that increasingly pushes faith to the margins, giving a gift that quietly but confidently honors Christ can make a deeper impact than you might expect.
3. It’s Affordable, Valuable, and Elegantly Presented
Many people want to give something meaningful without breaking their Christmas budget. Promised Grounds Coffee strikes that perfect balance — the sets look and feel premium, but the price remains accessible.
The packaging is classy, clean, and gift-ready, making it ideal for:
- Family members of all ages
- Co-workers or employees
- Church friends or small-group leaders
- Hosts, neighbors, and last-minute gift needs
It’s the kind of gift that feels more expensive than it is — and more thoughtful than most of what you’ll find on store shelves.
The Perfect Blend of Faith, Flavor, and Christmas Cheer
A coffee gift set from Promised Grounds Coffee checks every box: a gift that tastes amazing, conveys your faith, supports a Christian business, and brings daily enjoyment to the person who receives it. In a season when so many gifts are forgotten, this one stands out for all the right reasons.
If you want a Christmas present that reflects your values and delivers genuine joy, Promised Grounds Coffee is the perfect place to start.
Weird?! No mention that Manchurian Joe’s first actions as prez was to remove all caps on foreign visa workers and offshoring of American jobs and opening the borders to allow in millions of ILLEGAL invaders?!
A teensy oversight?!?!
Obviously, the war on small business with those lockdowns has been highly successful AND since small business has historically been both a major employer, and the infrastructure of FREE ENTERPRISE, this is an enormous hit on the American (and China’s) economy!!!
From 1980 to 2014, real wages overall in America rose ONLY 0.47% —– as opposed to other OECD countries where it averaged from 80% to over 500% —- so the lowest nation to America real wages increased over 160 times more so than in America —– what one gets when jobs are offshored combined with the insourcing of foreign visa workers and illegals!!!
And now it is far worse, given both the aforementioned and the introduction and heavy emphasis on AI today!
(Have never trusted any government unemployment/employment stats for decades, especially ever since Harvard’s Martin Feldstein was involved!)
Word up, Snyder —- flooding the system with excess $$$$$ while destroying the USD as the global reserve currency while artificially dismantling the supply change appear to be MAJOR DRIVERS of real inflation (25% to 40%) so “our leaders” are the perps, dude, not the saviors and our benefactors!
Intended “SUPPLY CHAIN”