Unemployment Inflation in the U.S

Unemployment Inflation in the U.S Unemployment rate is known to be one of the most vital economic indicators to represent a particular countrys economic performance usually formulated by the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS). While looking at United States unemployment rate, it has been ranging from 4.7 till 10.1 percent. Economists realize that unemployment is a serious problem, as it not only withdraws consumption patterns but also occurs at an opportunity cost of the goods and services that could have been produced. In addition, persistent unemployment can result in a pool of psychological and social welfare costs such as; suicides, depression, divorces etc. In order to understand how unemployment has affected the U.S economy, it is essential to know how unemployment is measured initially and what causes it. Measuring Unemployment Firstly, a monthly Employment Report is generated by the U.S government which is constituted of two surveys. The first being the Establishment Report and the second being the Current Population Survey. The Establishment Report inquires how many workers are being paid regularly from a sample of employers while the CPS, inquires a pool of 60,000 households about any of them trying to seek work or are working currently. When the result is finalized, it helps the BLS to analyse how many Americans are employed and how many are not. It is categorized into six different measures namely; When a person is out of job for 15 weeks or more. When a worker has finished a temporary job or has been sacked. Formulating official unemployment rate by evaluating the proportion of the labour force from the total unemployed. Measuring the total unemployment rate by adding up (3) and the portion of workers who have given up looking for a job (discouraged). Summing up the answers to (4) and adding a portion of workers who are interested to work but have not started looking for it. Summation of all the above results from 3-5 onwards with those workers who are keen to work full-time but cannot. Reasons of Unemployment In general economics, unemployment can be reasoned to occur for a number of economic factors. However, while generalizing it only to the U.S economy, unemployment is caused by either frictional, structural or cyclical reasons. Frictional Unemployment: Such type of unemployment is generated from the transitions in the workforce that are often caused when workers try to shift in between jobs in order to get a higher salary or because they gave shifted to a particular location. It can also be caused when employers hold back themselves from appointing of sacking workers for in economic reasons. Structural Unemployment: When a mismatch is created due to geographical, demographical or industrial reasons; structural unemployment is caused. Usually, it can be caused in areas where there is a lot of technical advancement but the workers lack the technical expertise to carry out their jobs. Such progress in technology is usually a great cost to the economy. In the U.S, the newspaper industry has faced a loss of jobs for reporters, content editors and so on as the online world has taken over the industry in the form of web-based advertising. Cyclical Unemployment: Keynesian economics states that cyclical unemployment is the effect of booms in the business cycles. Moreover, recession trends lead to lesser workers being recruited thus, rising the unemployment rate. Cyclical unemployment occurs when there is not enough demand for goods and services in the economy at large to provide jobs for everyone who wants one. Basically, it is triggered when consumers have less money at hand to spend money on commodities. This in turn causes companies to lay off their workers due to less demand. Measures to curb the unemployment rate After a specific range, the federal U.S government steps into the scene and tries to create jobs in order to avoid the unemployment rate to persist over a long period of time. The government usually does this via the monetary policy of fiscal policy approach. Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve Bank of U.S is responsible for controlling the monetary policy. The bank is an independent entity that has the key to manage the money supply within the country. Two tools are used accordingly to the economic situation. The first tool adopted is to lower the interest rates. In this way, it is less costly for banks and companies to borrow money as the cost of borrowing is lowered. Governments do this with an aim to stimulate investment spending and expansion of businesses. This results in increased employment and economic vitality. The second tool is to increase the money available to households and businesses. In this way, more money will increase employment and stimulate business expansion. Fiscal Policy: In case the expansionary monetary policy is not enough to curb the unemployment effect, various fiscal policies are adopted to fight the high rates of unemployment. Governments can adopt many techniques to do this. They can: Reduce taxes for encouraging households and businesses to spend. Increase government spending to increase employment rates. Provision of unemployment benefits in order to help them with their basic needs. Recruit workers who have the skills to build things like mass transit systems and who have the skills to cater services such as upgrading and repairing complex infrastructures. (Debt.org, n.d.) Inflation is generally termed as the persistent rise in the general price level of good and services. It can be caused due to three main reasons in the U.S: Demand Pull Inflation: This type of inflation is mainly caused when too much demand is chasing too few goods. A progressing economy just like the U.S; can result in inflation as people start consuming more and more. Growing economies like the U.S can face persistent inflation as people spend more and are optimistic about the future. This can trigger economic growth but after a certain time can be dangerous. Fiscal policies that are discretionary in nature can instigates demand-pull inflation. The government does this by increasing their federal spending and decreasing tax rates which in turn causes an up rise in the demand schedule. For instance, Apple Inc. charges high prices for its products. Cost-Push Inflation: Such type of inflation occurs mainly due to high costs chasing prices. It is caused when supply is low. Wage inflation can trigger cost-push inflation as it is instigated by a good formed labor union. Moreover, when natural calamities occur they can also cause such type of inflation as infrastructure is destroyed such as that what happened in Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. For instance, excessive fishing in the U.S causes a reduction in supply for seafood, thus increasing its price. Another reason can also be flexibility of U.S exchange rate that leads to import-push inflation. Money-Supply Inflation: Excess expansion of money supply can also lead to inflation. Money in general means both cash and credit. Whenever U.S households find loan cheap, there will be a lot of money and too few goods thus in return; increasing inflation. Monetary Fiscal Policies in U.S Monetary policy is referred to the deliberate manipulation of national currency which is set by the U.S Federal Reserve. Monetary policy is a tool which is used to control the value of currency; in this case the dollar, in the open market. In the U.S a contractionary monetary policy can be of great use to stabilize the price level and curb the inflation rate. The main aim of the policy is to decrease the level of inflation in the level. The U.S government does this by decreasing government spending or by increasing interest rates. This results in a stable economy. Furthermore; this affects the consumption schedule which equalizes the price level. However, the same policy has many negative side effects to it. Contractionary monetary policy causes production to slow down as it gets tightened over the years. Businesses might shut down their production which reduces the demand of commodities thus creating a recession. In addition to this, unemployment rises as firms hire less workers with less production. (Monetary Policy) On the other hand Fiscal Policy is referred to the adjustment of consuming spending patterns including that of tax. (Explain Fiscal Policy) The main benefits of this policy that it caters is that once implied it immediately takes it role in the economy. Secondly, in case the U.S economy is in recession, a fiscal policy can be implemented to trigger a rise in aggregate demand. Thirdly, it is specific in nature which means that it defines its role in advance. For instance, federal spending on either schools, infrastructure or medical facilities. However, it can have its own cons such as being inflexible. Social and political constraints can cause fiscal policies to lag behind in its implementation period. (Fiscal Policies Pros Cons) Economic Growth Reforms in the U.S Economic growth refers to the amount of prosperity a country enjoys over a period of time. It is an indicator of the growth in the economy. For instance, in the U.S, the economic growth rate is around 2 to 5 percent. As the U.S is a fast paced economy, such rates persist over long periods of time and are seen pretty well. (Economic Growth) Many policies and reforms have been formed to promote economic growth. One such reform is the President Obama Strategy for American Innovation. The main idea of this reform is the provision of a system that caters to ensure that the American economy prospers. Moreover, this reform also has the aim to generate quality jobs, better infrastructure for medical facilities and improved areas for living. (Innovation Strategy, n.d.) Another policy to promote growth is the Economic Development Administration which helps the economy by providing jobs and technical help to those areas where there is an immense need of aid. In such way, employment is created which ensures that there is a stable level of economic growth. (Eco1) Balance of Payments the Exchange Rate of United States The Balance of Payment (BoP) is referred to a numerical and statistical summary of the proceedings that take place within the economy. The proceedings can be either, goods that are tangible, services, income and foreign debt. (Mosbacher, Michael R. Darby, Allan H. Young,, Carol S. Carson) As the current and capital accounts accumulate to result in an aggregate account, both the deficits in the current and capital accounts are compensated with their respective surpluses. In the U.S, a current account deficit when the prices, GNP, interest rates and the exchange rates are high. For instance, in the U.S, if there is an increase in tariffs, there will be less import buying which will result in a current account deficit. However, such changes only occur when other factors contributing towards the Bop reduce the capital account surplus. If this is not the case, there will be a reduction in foreign currencys demand and there will be an appreciation in the dollar value. As a result, the tariff which was initially increased will be offset as exports increase and imports are reduced. In economics, exchange rates are known as the representation of one currency in terms of another. This means that $1 will be values as 8 pesos in Mexico. If there is an appreciation in the value of dollar, there will be an increase in the export prices and a decrease in import prices as foreign goods are now cheaper for the U.S. There is a current account deficit since, the net export function is negative in nature. However, if there is a depreciation in the value of dollar, a vice ver sa situation will occur where import prices rise. Exports become cheaper for foreign consumers which in turn causes the current account deficit to be lessened. (Balance of Payments) (Exchange Rates) Paying off the Foreign Debt – Unites States An economy experiences an equilibrium in its budgets when there federal revenues and spending equal each other. Whenever there is excess of revenues in comparison to spending, there is a surplus and vice versa. Which is why, it is essential for the government to borrow money in order to fill in this deficit in the latter case. Therefore, a federal debt is where money is being lent by foreign countries and that by the public of its own country to facilitate areas where financial assistance is needed. When the Treasury of the U.S government borrows money, the amounts are reported to the federal accounts. Thus, whenever there is a surplus in the trust fund accounts, the U.S Treasury utilizes this surplus to find for various kinds of government spending. Moreover, around a third quarter of the debt is constituted by the federal accounts, whereas, two-third quarters are owned by general masses. (Borrowing and the Federal Debt) Bibliography Balance of Payments. (n.d.). Retrieved from EcoLib.org: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/BalanceofPayments.htm Borrowing and the Federal Debt. (n.d.). Retrieved from NationalPriorities.org: https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/borrowing-and-federal-debt/ Debt.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from Unemployment in the United States: http://www.debt.org/jobs/unemployment/united-states/ Economic Growth. (n.d.). Retrieved from Investopedia.com: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economicgrowthrate.asp Exchange Rates. (n.d.). Retrieved from Colorado.edu: http://www.colorado.edu/economics/courses/econ2020/section12/section12.html Explain Fiscal Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Investopedia.com: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/051904.asp Fiscal Policies Pros Cons. (n.d.). Retrieved from Yahoo Answers.com: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080202033549AAb3qM Innovation Strategy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Whitehouse.gov: https://www.whitehouse.gov/innovation/strategy Monetary Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from SmallBusiness.com: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/pros-cons-contractionary-monetary-policy-3871.html Mosbacher, R. A., Michael R. Darby, Allan H. Young,, Carol S. Carson. (n.d.). USA Balance of Payments. Smallbussiness.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from Monetary Policy: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/explain-monetary-policy-1504.html

Introduction of Western Religions Essay

Religion is an integral part of human life. Over the years various religions have laid principles with which their followers can easily be identified. Each one of the religions has specific traditions which define them. This discussion looks at three main religions in the west namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam and the traditions that identify each one of these religions. Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Some of the core characteristics of this religion include the belief in one Holy and Supernatural being. This religion does not believe in the existences of many gods but instead they believe that there is only one God who is the creator of the heavens and earth and all that is contained therein. In addition, this religion believes that God who created mankind has concern for the welfare of all human beings. Christianity is equally a monotheistic religion whereby followers believe in the existence of one God. This religion is bended on the life and times of Jesus Christ who is the son of God and who was sent by his Father so as to save mankind. See more: how to write an introduction paragraph Just like in Judaism, Christianity has principles which act as guidelines. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity comprises of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They believe that the Holy trinity works in unison. Christians also believe in death of human beings and life after death. They believe that when a person dies he or she will either go to hell or heaven depending on a person’s deeds while on earth. Another pillar or tenet of the Christian faith is the Church which they equate to the body of Christ. Christians also have faith that Jesus Christ will come again to judge those who will be alive and those who will be dead. Islam also believes in the worship of one God. This religion has five main pillars. They include the shahadah. This is the basic tenet in the religion and it involves the confession that Allah is the only true God who deserves to be worshipped by all mankind. Salah is also one of the Islam pillars and it involves praying five times a day while facing a particular direction. Zakat involves giving a part of wealth to the needy people in the society. Sawm refers to the period of fasting where the Muslims fast for a period of one month during the Holy Month of Ramadhan. This is a period when Muslims refrain from pleasures of the world to reflect on God. Hajj is also a pillar of the Muslim faith where faithful walk all the way to Mecca. This is done once in a lifetime. In conclusion, every religion has its core tenets with which it is identified with. For a person to be considered a faithful of a particular religion, they must concur with the laid down principles of the religion. Any person who wishes to join a particular religion must be well aware of the tenets of that particular religion and follow them to the letter. Of these three religions, one common aspect is that they believe in the existence of only one God. This is what is known as monotheistic religion where there is only one God who is to be adored and worshipped.

Indirect Questions in English for ESL Learners

Indirect questions are a form used to be more polite in English. Consider the following situation: You are talking to a man at a meeting that you have never met. However, you know his name and also that this man knows a colleague named Jack. You turn to him and ask, Where is Jack? You might find that the man seems a little bothered and says he doesnt know. He isnt very friendly. You wonder why he seems bothered. Its probably because you didnt introduce yourself, didnt say excuse me, and—most importantly—you asked a direct question. Direct questions might be  considered rude when speaking to strangers. To be more polite we often use indirect question forms. Indirect questions serve the same purpose as direct questions but are considered more formal. One of the main reasons for this is that English does not have a formal you form. In other languages, its possible to use the formal you in order to make sure you are polite. In English, we turn to indirect questions. Forming Indirect Questions Information questions are posed using the question words where, what, when, how, why, and which. In order to form an indirect question,  use an introductory phrase followed by the question itself in positive sentence structure: Introductory phrase question word   positive sentence Connect the two phrases with the question word or ‘if’ in the case the question is a yes/no question. that begins without a question word. Examples Where is Jack? I was wondering if you know where Jack is.When does Alice usually arrive? Do you know when Alice usually arrives?What have you done this week? Can you tell me what youve done this week?How much does it cost? Id like to know how much it costs.Which color suits me? Im not sure which color suits me.  Why did he leave his job? I wonder why he left his job. Common Phrases Here are some of the most common phrases used for asking indirect questions. Many of these phrases are questions (i.e., Do you know when the next train leaves?), while others are statements made to indicate a question (i.e., I wonder if he will be on time.). Do you know †¦ ?I wonder / was wondering †¦.Can you tell me †¦ ?Do you happen to know ...?I have no idea ...Im not sure ...Id like to know ... Sometimes we also use these phrases to indicate that wed like some more information: Do you know when the concert begins?I wonder when he will arrive.Can you tell me how to check out a book.I’m not sure what he considers appropriate.I don’t know if he is coming to the party this evening. Quiz Now that you have a good understanding of indirect questions. Heres a short quiz to test your understanding. Take each direct question and create an indirect question with an introductory phrase. What time does the train leave?How long will the meeting last?When does he get off work?Why have they waited so long to react?Are you coming to the party tomorrow?Which car should I choose?Where are the books for the class?Does he enjoy hiking?How much does the computer cost?Will they attend the conference next month? Answers The answers use a variety of introductory phrases. There are many introductory phrases that are correct, only one is shown. Make sure to check the word order of the second half of your answer. Can you tell me what time the train leaves?I have no idea how long the meeting will last.Im not sure when he gets off work.  Do you know why they have waited so long to react?I wonder if you are coming to the party tomorrow.Im not sure which care I should choose.Can you tell me where the books for the class are?I dont know if he enjoys hiking.Do you happen to know how much the computer costs?Im not sure if they will attend the conference next month.

Changing Views of Family in Society Essay examples

A Family Portrait: How the Picture Keeps Changing Growing up I believed that the three bears in the tale of Goldilocks were a family because they lived under the same roof and ate at the same table. I also believed that Barbie and her little sister, Skipper, were family because they looked alike, and that Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head were family because they were married. Now that I am grown, my understanding of family has matured, and many sources have helped shape my belief. Carol Shields points out in her article, â€Å"Family Is One of the Few Certainties We Will Take with Us Far into the Future,† that all around us there are different definitions and symbols of family (Shields 558). In short, a family does not have to conform to†¦show more content†¦Thirty years later, parents are semi-reformed hippies whose children were conceived in a commune. For many, our definition of â€Å"family† is learned through what society tells us. Being born means we are somehow connected to someone whether we are th e most famous person or the poorest beggar on the street (Shields 559). In its most basic form, everyone has a family. Today, non-traditional families dominate the scene. The â€Å"normal† family is now uncommon in our society (Shields 562). Teachers have to be cautious when assuming every child has a mommy or daddy. Social workers must no longer be surprised when their clients are actually grandparents taking care of their grandchildren. Some children may have two daddies, or some only have a mommy. The list goes on. The culprit creating these unusual families is not always divorce and can include the death of a parent, unwed mothers, or single-sex parents (Shields 562). New families are not required to be biologically related. In an article about her non-traditional family, â€Å"Why Do We Marry?† Jane Smiley points out that people with numerous marriages or partners extend the definition of family (564). 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