Read this section from the book, and see if you need to take action NOW!

SECTION III:
A BASIS FOR CHANGE

It has often been said that necessity is the mother of invention. In other words, when you are backed into a corner and your survival is threatened, you would be surprised at how creative you can become.   In order to heighten your awareness of the need for change, let us explore the price of ignorance, the extent to which our society is out of balance, and whether or not our survival is threatened and at issue.

Let’s take a quick look at the state of emergency that exists as of the final writings in this edition of Collaboration, Teamwork and Networking.  The economic crash that we predicted has happened. Look at some of the major indicators.

Jobs and bank changes

When we began writing the first edition of Collaboration Teamwork and Networking in 2004, the highest number of annual FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) bank closings was 11 during 2002.  Since that time, particularly during the past 2 years, that number has increased more than tenfold.

2005                0

2006                0

2007                1

2008                25

2009                140

2010                167

Banks go under when they are no longer able to meet their obligations. They might be unable to pay the bills, or a bank failure may arise because they can’t provide cash when depositors demand it. Although FDIC banks offer insurance protection to its clients within pre-defined ceiling amount, their closings are indications of economic problems in the marketplace.

In 2006 the national unemployment rate was 5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  In December, 2010, it was 9.4%.  That translates to 14.5 million people.  The unemployment rates for Blacks is 15.8%, much higher than the national average.

What does this mean?  As if our readers don’t already know, it means that many people in our communities are out of a job, with no immediate prospects in sight.  It means that the problems are much broader than our own communities. It is beyond nationwide.  It is worldwide.

Get your copy of the 2nd edition of Collaboration, Teamwork, and Networking, and make sure that you don’t become one of these statistics!

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