The U.S. economy is approximately $14 trillion and the largest in the world.
The combined economies of Germany, Japan, The UK (Great Brittan), India and China fit within the U.S. economy, with room to spare.
70% of the U.S. economy is consumer driven ie., purchasing homes, cars, refrigerators, groceries, etc.
The U.S. consumer represents 25% of the world economy – thus, as the U.S. consumer goes, so goes the world economy.70% of all Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck.
If you are living in New York City, Washington, D.C. or Los Angeles, and you make less than $50,000 a year, you are struggling just to make ends meet.
If you live in Atlanta, Georgia or Denver, Colorado and make less than $35,000 a year, you are struggling just to make ends meet.
Capitalism and free enterprise are not the enemy. Ignorance, greed and predators are.
Today the high-school drop-out rate in America is 30% across the board, and 40-75% in our urban communities.
30% is breath taking but 40-75% is an economic death sentence for many.
70% of those who drop out of high school end up in our penal system, while individuals who finish high school earn a quarter more than those who do not, and those who go on to finish college earn more than double those who finish high school.
By John Hope Bryant
Founder, Chairman and CEO
Operation HOPE, Inc.
Vice Chairman
U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy
There’s no surprise that our schools and our education are behind. The question is, what are we going to do about it?
We always see these kinds of numbers and i don’t know what it’s supposed to do for us - yes, we look stupid in the world, but so do others, it’s just a question of who is stupider.