Economic Crisis

The financial woes of the United States Postal Service may have a negative impact on governmental elections.

The USPS is considering eliminating overnight service for first class mail to help cut costs but Postal Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Ruth Goldway told The Christian Post that delaying delivery time may impact states that rely heavily on mail-in votes for elections .

“The changes to delivery are expected to be implemented sometime in the spring, so we are reviewing any modifications the Postal Service may need to implement (in regards to elections),” Goldway said. more >>

With unemployment hovering around 9 percent and the country plummeting into an attitude of defeat, a growing number of Americans have opted to bail out of the American dream and search for a life abroad.

The United States has typically been thought of as the land that attracted the best minds from around the world who wanted to take part in the American Experiment – and, to some degree it still is. Gallup released a poll in June which ranked the U.S. as the top desired destination for adults who would like to migrate. About 23 percent of the potential migrants surveyed by Gallup listed the U.S. as their top desired place to live.

At the same time, however, the Department of State now estimates that 6.3 million U.S. citizens are studying or working abroad. This is the highest recorded number in American history. more >>

President Obama urged Republicans to pass an extension of the payroll tax cut in a Monday afternoon press conference. He also criticized Republicans for demanding that the extension be paid for when they did not demand the same of the Bush-era tax cuts.

“Now, I know many Republicans have sworn an oath to never raise taxes as long as they live,” Obama said. “How could it be that the only time there's a catch is when it comes to raising taxes on middle class families? How can you fight tooth and nail to protect high-end tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and yet barely lift a finger to protect taxes going up for 160 million Americans who really need the help? It doesn't make sense.”

The tax breaks Obama referred to were passed in 2002 and 2003 under President George W. Bush. Those cuts lowered the tax rates for all income brackets, not just the brackets for high income Americans. more >>

The U.S. Postal Service announced on Monday that it will be implementing cuts to first-class mail next spring due to its dismal financial outlook. The changes will result in a slower delivery service and is the first time in 40 years that change of this type has taken place at USPS.

This is all in an effort to cut nearly $3 billion dollars in cost for the agency that has steadily lost customers for the past decade due to the rise of the Internet.

The cuts are still being finalized, but if passed it would close approximately 250 of the 500 mail processing centers around the country as early as next March. The coming changes means that first class mail will not be delivered within one to three days as is accustomed. Instead, the recipient could expect the mail two to three days after it is sent, thus eliminating the option of receiving it the next day. There will also be a one cent increase in the price of sending first-class mail, beginning Jan. 22. more >>

Labor statistics released Friday show that the U.S. unemployment rate dropped last month to 8.6 percent, the lowest since March 2009. But Republicans say it’s still too high to signal improvement and that many Americans have given up on their job searches, thus causing the rate to decrease.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that the unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 8.6 percent in November, its lowest level in two and a half years, which President Barack Obama applauded as a sign of improvement “despite some strong headwinds this year.”

However, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich argued that the sharp drop in the jobless rate was mostly because some 300,000 Americans had given up looking for work. “The Obama model of class warfare, government takeovers in the economy and creating fear and uncertainty for job-creators have failed,” said Republican presidential candidate Gingrich. more >>

At Perdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., a fundraiser titled "Send an Atheist to Church" and co-sponsored by the Episcopal Student Organization and the Society of Non-Theists, enables people to make donations to a local food bank. In return, SNT atheists will attend church.

According to Jennifer McCreight, president and co-founder of SNT, the charity raises money by allowing people to choose which church they would like atheists to attend. There is no minimum, but the more money donated in the name of a church, the more visits from atheists that church gets, McCreight explained in a blog post.

This is the second year that SAC has organized this event. Last year, the charity raised nearly $400 and the Episcopalians edged out the Baptists in number of donations. This year, the Episcopalians have teamed up with the atheists to raise even more money for the local food bank. more >>