January 1, Dorian Victims Desperately Await Evacuation

Hello Middle Americans.

The situation in the Bahamas sounds more dire everyday. 

“The government is trying their best, but at the same time, I don’t think they’re doing a good enough job to evacuate the people. It ain’t livable for nobody. Only animals can live here,” said Gee Rolle, a 44-year-old construction worker who was awaiting evacuation from Grand Abaco to the Bahamian capital of Nassau.  

These people need our help please take a moment to visit the official Hurricane Dorian relief page for the Bahamas here.  You can also read more about the devastation in the Bahamas from the Associated Press here. 

Meanwhile, the Association of American Medical Colleges says we are running out of doctors, especially for baby boomers.  It looks like smoke, not fire caused the deaths of all those SCUBA divers in California. Also, we are taking a look a the jobs report from yesterday. Mixed messages. What’s your level of confidence with the economy.  Read all about it. 

– Fraser Dixon

America’s Aging Population is Leading to a Doctor Shortage

(CNBC) -“We know older patients use two-to-three times as many medical services as younger patients, and the number of people over age 65 will increase by almost 50%, just in the next 10 to 15 years alone,” said Dr. Atul Grover, the Association of American Medical Colleges’ executive vice president. 

“We need positions across the board in just about every specialty and location … but about half of those physicians needed will be in primary care.”

Learn more about the pending doctor shortage from CNBC here

Smoke Blamed for 34 Deaths in Dive Boat Disaster

(AP) – “The indicators are from the preliminary examination of the bodies that the victims died prior to being burned,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

The revelation came as investigators searched for the cause of the deadly blaze and divers looked for the body of the one missing victim. The Coast Guard said safety concerns over the weather halted efforts to salvage the boat Friday.

Find out more from the Associated Press here 

Jobs Report Points to Slowing Economy, Fed Rate Cut

(Reuters) – Nonfarm payrolls rose by 130,000, some 28,000 less than analysts expected and a 29,000 drop from July, but average hourly earnings increased slightly and jobless rates remained steady, the Labor Department report said.

Read more about the job market from Reuters here