Those people who believe that with markets going upwards those countries which suffered the GFC, that the worst is over, ought to think again. It's just that it doesn't seem to make headlines unless you are a basket-case like Greece.
Two pieces, from different sources, clearly show all is not well out there.
First, from The Washington Post:
"This 12th-century gem, birthplace of the poet Giacomo Leopardi, rests on a lyrical hilltop in the Apennine Mountains. But these days, Recanati is also sitting on something else: a pile of financial trouble.
Concern over near-bankrupt countries forced Greece on Thursday to request a huge international bailout. The plight here, however, underscores fears of a new front in the battle against global debt -- at the state and local level.
Recanati is one of hundreds of municipalities around the world facing a deepening financial crunch from bad investments, plummeting tax revenue, high debt levels and rampant overspending. In the United States, at least six states have budget gaps bigger than Greece's, with Hawaii shifting to a four-day school week to cope. In Spain, a substantial drop in tax revenue from a bust in construction is battering budgets in the cities of Madrid and Valencia, as well as in the provinces of Catalonia and Andalusia, raising the threat that ratings agencies will downgrade their debt.
The picture is particularly bleak in Italy, where many cities and towns invested heavily in complex bets on interest rates. Now deep in the red, Recanati is being forced to sell off parkland, unload a public kindergarten, scale back aid to the elderly and scrap costly repairs on leaking churches and ancient cobblestone streets."
And second, this from AlterNet:
"A series of recent studies conducted by the Pew Research Center shed new light on the scope of the economic crisis in the US and the level of hostility the majority of the American population holds for the US government.
Released in March, before the passage of the Obama administration’s health care legislation, a 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.
The poll saw an aggravation of conditions in every area of economic life studied the year before. Increasing numbers of people are reporting difficulty receiving or affording medical care (26 percent) or paying their rent or mortgage payments (24 percent). More Americans faced problems with collections and credit agencies (21 percent), or had mortgages, loans or credit card applications denied (19 percent).
As could be expected, the poorest Americans are suffering the most. Some 44 percent of those making $30,000 per year or less report difficulty obtaining medical care, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 per year or more. A similar gap can be found in the category of rents and mortgages, with 37 percent of those making $30,000 or less reporting difficulty making rent or mortgage payments, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 or more. However, the percentage of those facing difficulties paying rent has increased dramatically for both groups since 2009."
Two pieces, from different sources, clearly show all is not well out there.
First, from The Washington Post:
"This 12th-century gem, birthplace of the poet Giacomo Leopardi, rests on a lyrical hilltop in the Apennine Mountains. But these days, Recanati is also sitting on something else: a pile of financial trouble.
Concern over near-bankrupt countries forced Greece on Thursday to request a huge international bailout. The plight here, however, underscores fears of a new front in the battle against global debt -- at the state and local level.
Recanati is one of hundreds of municipalities around the world facing a deepening financial crunch from bad investments, plummeting tax revenue, high debt levels and rampant overspending. In the United States, at least six states have budget gaps bigger than Greece's, with Hawaii shifting to a four-day school week to cope. In Spain, a substantial drop in tax revenue from a bust in construction is battering budgets in the cities of Madrid and Valencia, as well as in the provinces of Catalonia and Andalusia, raising the threat that ratings agencies will downgrade their debt.
The picture is particularly bleak in Italy, where many cities and towns invested heavily in complex bets on interest rates. Now deep in the red, Recanati is being forced to sell off parkland, unload a public kindergarten, scale back aid to the elderly and scrap costly repairs on leaking churches and ancient cobblestone streets."
And second, this from AlterNet:
"A series of recent studies conducted by the Pew Research Center shed new light on the scope of the economic crisis in the US and the level of hostility the majority of the American population holds for the US government.
Released in March, before the passage of the Obama administration’s health care legislation, a 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.
The poll saw an aggravation of conditions in every area of economic life studied the year before. Increasing numbers of people are reporting difficulty receiving or affording medical care (26 percent) or paying their rent or mortgage payments (24 percent). More Americans faced problems with collections and credit agencies (21 percent), or had mortgages, loans or credit card applications denied (19 percent).
As could be expected, the poorest Americans are suffering the most. Some 44 percent of those making $30,000 per year or less report difficulty obtaining medical care, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 per year or more. A similar gap can be found in the category of rents and mortgages, with 37 percent of those making $30,000 or less reporting difficulty making rent or mortgage payments, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 or more. However, the percentage of those facing difficulties paying rent has increased dramatically for both groups since 2009."
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