Jobless numbers are deceiving, probably worse

Approximately one of every four people able to work is not employed — and is being supported by the rest.

About 156.5 million Americans are categorized as members of the civilian labor force. At least 41 million people who can work and, by definition, want to, are unemployed.

In other words, approximately one of every four people able to work is not employed — and is being supported by the rest. That is unsustainable even in the short term. Money does not grow on trees.

In truth, the numbers probably are even worse. The 41 million people referred to above are only those who have filed new claims for unemployment benefits during the past couple of months. Nearly 5.9 million others were jobless prior to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Getting the economy back in gear may be more difficult than merely declaring that the epidemic is under control.

While tens of millions of us were under various levels of lockdowns and shutdowns because of the coronavirus, spending and consumption patterns have changed. More of us are saving money rather than spending it.

And the way many of us obtain what goods we are buying has been altered dramatically. Far more online purchases are occurring, simply because in many areas, far fewer brickand mortar establishments are open.

Restoring economic normalcy will require changing our shopping habits back to what they were three months ago.

Plainly, that will not happen. A certain percentage of online shoppers will stick with that formula. That will mean jobs formerly available in our communities will not exist anymore.

Normally, government should not interfere with production, distribution and consumption patterns set by the public. These are not normal times.

Throughout the country, tens of thousands of businesses must find ways to evolve — or close their doors forever.

Going forward, government efforts to restart the economy will have to mature from simply handing out money to targeting specific sectors that require pump priming. Small brick-andmortar businesses may well be the bullseye of such efforts.

Clearly, the sooner such a strategy is adopted, the better. Time is running out for many businesses that will either resume providing jobs in our communities — or will not. — Altoona Mirror, The Associated Press

Call for police reforms

This time might be different. George Floyd’s on-camera murder while under the control of Minneapolis police might go down in history as an event similar to Rosa Parks deciding to keep her seat at the front of the bus.

Over the last few decades the deaths of unarmed black men and women at the hands of police have produced mostly local demonstrations and a great deal of hand-wringing among politicians, but scant reforms.

The grim video of Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin grinding his knee into Floyd’s neck appears to have achieved political critical mass, spurring reform proposals from Congress through statehouses through city halls.

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf called for reforms Thursday, mandating a review of use-of-force training standards, creating local citizens advisory boards through the Commission on Crime and Delinquency, creating a special prosecutor to investigate police violence rather than leaving it to local authorities, providing more state assistance to help officers deal with stress; mandating easy access to police camera videos; and other measures.

It’s also clear that civilian authorities must address police training to handle demonstrations. Over the last week, there have been many instances of police instigating or accelerating violence, rather than trying to control it. Video of two Buffalo, New York officers pushing an unarmed, unthreatening 75-year-old man to the ground and causing a life-threatening head injury was particularly disturbing — all the more so when police later filed a report claiming he simply had tripped.

Congress and state lawmakers should take on many other reforms. Police unions should not be allowed to donate to politicians running for district attorney or attorney general, for example, which creates the impression that police are a favored political constituency and casts doubt on investigations of police.

Nobody thinks police work is easy, and everyone knows it is crucial. But requiring accountability from public agencies does not constitute a lack of support.

As Wolf correctly put it: “It’s not about pointing fingers, it’s about building trust.”

— The Citizen’s Voice, The Associated Press