The World’s ‘Richest’ Country? More Than 30% Of Population No Longer Working, Nearly Half Are Either “Poor” Or “Low Income” And Lives In Households Receiving Gov’t Benefits, And 40 Percent Of The Population Are Close To The Edge Of Financial Ruin

A World’s Record: More Than 30% of U.S. Population Are No Longer Working

March 8th, 2013

THAT IS A STAGGERING NUMBER!
The number of Americans designated as “not in the labor force” in February was 89,304,000, a record high, up from 89,008,000 in January, according to the Department of Labor. This means that the number of Americans not in the labor force increased 296,000 between January and February.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) labels people who are unemployed and no longer looking for work as “not in the labor force,” including people who have retired on schedule, taken early retirement, or simply given up looking for work.
The increase marks the second month in a row, after rising in January from 88.8 million in December. Those not in the labor force had declined in December from 88.9 million in November.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/record-89304000-americans-not-labor-force-296000-fewer-employed-january
89 million not in the labor force =  29%, give or take, assuming the US population is 310,000,000 + official unemployment 7.7%

DOW CLOSES AT BRAND NEW ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH: Here’s What You Need To Know
Another all-time high for the Dow.

First the scoreboard:
Dow: 14,390, +61.4 pts, +0.4 percent
S&P 500: 1,551, +6.9 pts, +0.4 percent
NASDAQ: 3,244, +12.2 pts, +0.3 percent
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/closing-bell-march-8-2013-2013-3#ixzz2N07y8hYv

Nearly Half Are Either “Poor” Or “Low Income” And Lives In Households Receiving Gov’t Benefits

U.S. Poverty: Census Finds Nearly Half Of Americans Are Poor Or Low-Income
WASHINGTON — Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans – nearly 1 in 2 – have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.
The latest census data depict a middle class that’s shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government’s safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/census-shows-1-in-2-peopl_1_n_1150128.html
CENSUS: 49% OF US LIVES IN HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVING GOV’T BENEFITS
According to US Census Bureau data, 49.1% of the US population lives in a household where at least one member is receiving government benefits:

The 49.1% of the population in a household that gets benefits is up from 30% in the early 1980s and 44.4% as recently as the third quarter of 2008.

The increase in recent years is likely due in large part to the lingering effects of the recession. As of early 2011, 15% of people lived in a household that received food stamps, 26% had someone enrolled in Medicaid and 2% had a member receiving unemployment benefits. Families doubling up to save money or pool expenses also is likely leading to more multigenerational households. But even without the effects of the recession, there would be a larger reliance on government.
The Census data show that 16% of the population lives in a household where at least one member receives Social Security and 15% receive or live with someone who gets Medicare. There is likely a lot of overlap, since Social Security and Medicare tend to go hand in hand, but those percentages also are likely to increase as the Baby Boom generation ages.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/26/half-us-lives-in-households-receiving-benefits
Foodstamp Recipients Hit Record, Alongside Record Dow Jones And Record Debt: 20% Of Eligible Americans On EBT
Record Dow Jones, record US debt ($16,701,846,937,879.74), and now, once more, record number of Americans on foodstamps. According to the USDA, an all time high of 47,791,966 Americans closed 2012 in possession of the highly desired Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, managed by who else but JPMorgan. And with a civilian non-institutional population of 244.4 million in December, this means that a record 19.56% of eligible Americans are on Foodstamps.
In December an additional 109,924 Americans became reliant on foodstamps for their poverty-level needs, bringing the total to 47.8 million.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-03-11/foodstamp-recipients-hit-record-alongside-record-dow-jones-and-record-debt-20-eligib

40 Percent Of The Population Are Close To The Edge Of Financial Ruin

Rumors of the spendthrift American consumer may be slightly exaggerated. Bankrate’s 2013 February Financial Security Index found that a majority of consumers — by a narrow margin — say they have more savings than credit card debt.
For more than half the country, 55 percent, an emergency fund outweighs credit card debt. Nearly a quarter, 24 percent, admit to having more debt on plastic than money in the bank, while 16 percent say they have neither credit card debt nor savings. That puts 40 percent of the population close to the edge of ruin while everyone else seems to be sitting pretty.