Increase in Pay

Although the unemployment rate is 9.7%, wages have in fact been increasing. In the past 12 months, the average hourly wage has increased by 1.9% and total salaries have increased by 0.7%. This might have to do with the fact that there are fewer people in jobs, so there is more money available for pay for people that do have jobs. Also, some businesses are increasing pay as an incentive to work harder.
This means more money in US consumers’ pockets. Approximately $42 billion extra dollars of spending or saving money. It is up to the average American if it will be spent or saved. Of course, Americans with jobs aren’t enough to help circulate spending in the economy; they need the 8 million, jobless Americans too. America’s economy will only get better if these Americans’ lives get better – meaning they are employed.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/04/news/economy/better_paychecks/index.htm

Bust the Filibusters

A filibuster is a when a Senator opposing a piece of legislation talks non-stop in order to get people to dismiss a piece of legislation. Either the bill’s sponsor drops it or the other senators vote to oppose it just to get them to stop talking. Filibust-ing is such a flaw in our government that it is stopping attempts to fix the economy.
Originally, a filibuster was used as a last resort. Now, however, a minority has the power to stop a popular, most likely necessary, bill. Harry Reid, the Senator majority leader, and his fellow Senators should take hold of their government and law and stop filibust-ing, simply by calling on a member with the opposite stand point to let it be a fair debate, instead of letting one Senator talk for hours.
Currently, Republicans are trying to block almost all of President Obama’s wants, which are necessary to saving this country. They are succeeding in part because of the filibusters.


http://gawker.com/5146086/how-faux-filibusters-are-ruining-the-economy
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/opinion/02RePass.html

Movies in the Recession

With high movie attendance and movies like Avatar and Shutter Island being released, the movie industry seems like one of the few things not being hindered by the economy. During the Great Depression, for example, movie attendance hit record high. People want a break from their real life and they can afford a movie here and there (a ticket is cheap compared to sporting events and concerts). For instance, Avatar grossed $714,464,000, and is officially the highest grossing film in the US, right before Titanic. Of course, highest grossing doesn’t necessarily mean good quality. Even more so during economic recessions, movies that will let the viewer escape do better than real life, non-mainstream movies. A cheap, easy, mainstream movie that will reach a wide-spread audience will be made before a small indie film with no big stars. So, the movies coming out during a recession, some might argue, tend to be worse quality than during a boom (for example: Valentine’s Day).
An outsider might not be able to tell, but the behind the scenes of the movie industry is actually being affected. Directors are offering less for big name actors, it is harder for producers to get loans (and the loans tend to have higher interest rates), and investors are pulling out of the film business. Despite these downturns that affect actors, directors, producers, and, slightly, the product they make, the movie industry is booming now, and will be for a long time.

http://www.film.com/features/story/people-skip-movies-down-economy/20274376
http://www.movieweb.com/box-office/alltime