Voice of the White House
August 15, 2011
Washington, D.C.: "You see mention of this problem occasionally in some of the more responsible newspapers but it apparently is being blithely ignored at the higher levels of government. The problem is massive, and growing, unemployment. When more of the growing poor have to leave the unemployment benefits lists, the government crows that there are fewer unemployed! No, there are more not less because now these people have to get on public assistance and the states are no longer able to do much for them. This immense body of the unemployed is added to every year when the high schools disgorge their seniors into a jobless world. Our business community has moved almost all the blue collar jobs overseas because they can pay a dollar or two an hour. That the unemployed cannot buy much of anything, let alone homes or automobiles, does not seem to register on this business community. Eventually, there will be serious social unrest and the unemployed youth will use their social networks to riot here, steal and burn just as they are doing in England and threatening to do in other countries, such as Greece and soon, Sweden. The politicians should realize that when a country suffers serious economic reverses, the marginal are the first to go and later, the first to rebel. Americans are a violent and well-armed people and it would take very little to start civil disobedience in this country. Instead of waving his arms around and making elegant speeches, Obama should take immediate, and very public, steps, to start up a Rooseveltian CCC type program because if it is perceived that the Government does not care about the growing poor, the growing poor will take matters into its own hands."