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6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, #845

Irvine, California
U.S Economy: There's Still Hope for the Future

Like many government economies in the world, the U.S economy of late has been
caught up in several economic hiccups. There have been lots of concerns on
unemployment rates, the declining production, which is being replaced by an
increase in imports among other many issues. Here are some of the economic
challenges affecting the U.S.

Problems Affecting the United States

Production- The United States no longer produces goods to satisfy the needs of
her citizens but rather imports. Where production takes place, then it is in small
scale such that the deficit that is not met by such production has to be imported. For
many years, the U.S has been seen as a super power but this status is slowly fading
away due to her ever increasing demand for imported goods.

Other countries that have been racing up with the U.S in supremacy battles are now
planning to celebrate by rendering the U.S a completely dependent economy in
production, innovation and even finance. Hence, this is a major blow to the United
States economy, where most of the production assets instead of being put on use
are now being sold as the country routes to taking massive debts in an attempt to
sustain her high living standards.

Foreign Trade Practices- The U.S trade and globalization policies have been
detrimental for long. Instead of manufacturers in the U.S targeting their potential
markets, they have always been more or less struggling to compete with China and
Mexico in designing, engineering and even producing for third world countries.

Is the U.S economy likely to recess? Here are reasons as to why this is
most likely to happen.

The problems faced by the U.S currently are a clear indication that if nothing is
done things are going to be much worse. Here are seven reasons as to why
recession is most likely to happen.

1. Stunted Growth of the Economy- the only way to beat recession, hands down,
is to have a robust economic growth. This is what the U.S economy lacks as
evidenced by the annual economic growth rate registered in the last 3 years
where in 2010; her economy grew by 2.4%, 1.8% in 2011 and 2.2% in 2012. The
last quarter of 2012 seemed to be the worst hit by stunted growth where a growth
rate of only 0.4% was registered.

Ever since the 2
nd
world war, this is the lowest economic growth rate the U.S has
ever registered, as in most cases the annual growth rate registered has never
gone below 3.4%. Similarly, after every recession, the U.S has been experiencing
an economic growth rate of between 5-6% but this has not been the case in the
last three years.

2. Unemployment- Like other governments in the world, the U.S is now slowly

Cash in a Snap
6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, #845
Irvine, California
joining the list of countries with a high rate of unemployed people. According to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the month of March this year registered a decline
in labor force by 496,000. Much worse, is the fact that most Americans have
already given up in their job search.

3. The return of Home Foreclosures- of late, there has been a rise in Federal
Housing Authority. Among the factors that are alleged to be behind this FHA rise
is unemployment rate which is discussed above.

4. Lack of Consumer Confidence- April this year marked the 9
th
month of a sharp
drop in consumer confidence. What this means is that consumers are not likely to
spend let alone invest. Job seeking also tends to decline among them.

5. Chinas Economy- the drop of Chinas economy from its usual average of 10%
to 7.9% in the fourth quarter of 2012 and finally to 7.7% in the 1
st
quarter of
2013 is a clear indication of tough times ahead.

6. Europes Economy- the EU shrunk its GDP by 0.6% last year and it's projected
that this year they may shrink it by 0.3% as they had suggested. This will not only
make the EU economy weak but will mean a much weaker U.S economy.

7. Taxation and Revenue Expenditure- Obamas administration has continuously
assaulted the economy through high taxation and heavy government budget. The
introduction of new taxes as well as regulations on individuals and businesses
coupled with bad economic policies like those passed by Washington are a good
recipe for recession.

Road Map to US Economic Recovery
According to experts warning, the current US situation is likely to continue for the
next four years, which will be far much above the average economic recovery of 58
months ever since the 2
nd
world war. In these four years, there will be an upswing
that will lead to lack of excesses that often lead to contraction, slow inflation,
shrinking of household debt, slack in the labor market and unemployment as well as
a depression in the housing market.

Economic experts such as Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moodys Analytics, has
further warned that any economic shock can send the recovery off course. This can
lead to things like the collapse of the stock market, sudden spike in long-term
interest rates or even worse, a confrontation between the US military and Iraq hence
leading to an increase in oil prices.

To avoid worse economic situations, action is necessary and inevitable. This,
therefore, begs the question: What should be done to save this situation or rather
promote economic recovery? There are quite a number of interventions that can be
advanced by both the private sector and the government. Here are some of them.

Paying More for Fast Goods
For years, those working in the food industry have been complaining of poor pay. An
intervention into the retail jobs earnings can really help boost the U.S economy. A
good pay will always amount to an increase in the workers purchasing power. This is

Cash in a Snap
6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, #845
Irvine, California
because workers with money are more likely to buy more consumer goods like cars,
homes, appliances among others. This will boost the government, as more revenue
will be collected from taxes.

This is what the renowned economist John Maynard Keynes termed as aggregate
demand as a result of good wages hence leading to the multiplier effect. Therefore,
the minimum wage per hour should be between $10-15 in order to achieve this.

Investing in the Manufacturing Sector
Tough economic times have generally contributed to the ever-declining
manufacturing and construction industry. There are now fewer homes being
constructed as well as fewer cars being made annually. Car repairs are reported to
be on the increase and this is very worrying because the old cars are not going to
last forever. Hence, the law of diminishing returns will definitely come to play.

It is, therefore, essential to promote such activities that will enhance consumers
purchasing power and so will encourage more manufacturing and construction. A
rush of household formation can also unleash pent-up demand for almost everything,
as more young adults will be able to spend after many postponements.

In conclusion, the U.S economic situation needs a lot of intervention. Proper
measures should be put in place so as to curb the high unemployment rates and
the declining manufacturing sector, which is forcing the US to go for imports rather
than being an exporter. This is not only doable but also achievable.

- Kimmy Burgess