Studies reveal Americans’ declining living standards and increasing anger

...Released in March, before the passage of the Obama administration’s health care legislation, a (Pew Research) survey entitled “Health Care Reform—Can’t Live With It, or Without It” indicates that 92 percent of Americans give the national economy a negative rating. No fewer than 70 percent of the respondents report having suffered job-related and financial problems in the past year, an increase from 59 percent the year before. Fifty-four percent report someone in their home has been without a job and looking for work in the past year, up from 39 percent in 2009...

Large numbers of workers polled in the study say they have little confidence in job security and prospects for the future, with almost half (49 percent) saying it is “very or somewhat likely” they will suffer “job-related financial stress” in the next year. Twenty-five percent of workers say they expect to be forced to take a pay cut this year, while 24 percent expect to be laid off.

The Pew survey found that 85 percent of Americans reported difficulty finding jobs in their communities. This and other statistics revealing the increasingly dismal employment opportunities facing millions of Americans are provided context in another study released this month by the Pew Economic Policy Group...

The restructuring of society taking place, in the direct interests of the corporate-financial elite and at the expense of the working population, is not occurring unnoticed. The American and international working class will inevitably find itself drawn into struggle against the present, untenable form of social organization.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/apr2010/pewr-a23.shtml

or the decades since raygun.

The economy stupid can cut both ways.

Because for the vast majority of the people in Congress, whether they are in office or out, they are part of the corporate life. They can and will control and gather millions of dollars simply by virtue of being in "the club". Frankly, it doesn't matter if it is the Democrats, Repubs, Teabaggers - whomever. One can "threaten" politicians with being replaced, at which point they just go make their millions somewhere else. There might be a handful of true believers, but I think there are not as many as one might think.

Note: Coca Cola's profits exceeded analysts expectations - totally based on sales to consumers _outside_ the U.S. Domestic sales were down significantly. Corporations have figured out they can do quite well by selling to all the rest of the consumers coming on line in the rest of the world. Their corporate offices stay here because of the relative freedom and lack of obstruction to business. For such multi-national corps, and the businesses that serve them, such as attorneys, marketers, and others it provides a natural path into and out of politics. Just sayin...

Anyway, there is no, none, nada impetus to work on jobs - 27 million people unemployed or underemployed and they are working on health care, banking, war, anything except the one thing that would make the people stronger. They know very well that the absolute worst anyone can affect is their ego - if they are in office they are working for the corporations, and if they are out of office they are working for the corporations. This, by the way, seems to leave most local political offices up for grabs by people who are largely conservative\religious, or who try to manipulate local politics to their own business advantage.

And until _the people_ , may of whom swear allegiance to one of the two major parties, take this in hand politics will be largely a distraction.