Gone with the Wind came out in the late 30s I believe, in the middle of some of the toughest economic times. Adjusted for inflation it is the highest grossing movie ever.
Not sure about the federal govt., but here in Massachusetts, low income people that are receiving other state benefits can get a basic cell phone with (I think) a few hours a month. No kidding.
Have read that what you ask is true... even pay for their monthly service charges.. or at least part of them. Couldn't the Government spend money more wisely? Like, you know, FEEDING AND SHELTERING THE HOMELESS??? If I were running "social services", support would consist of cot in a common barracks shelter and 3 meals a day. If someone receiving that support wanted more for themselves, THEY SHOULD GET A FRICKIN' JOB!!! No subsidized housing, no subsidized utilities, no big flat-screen LCD, no Iphone or its ilk.... not even food stamps. If you're on subsidy, you eat at the government-run soup kitchen... that's it!! If you choose to be a parasite on society (or are incapable of being more), you're subsistence support should be "minimal".
Those new 3d movies are like $13-$14 a ticket, I don't go to many movies, maybe 1-2 a year, the reasoning is that it goes to DVD in about 2-3 months after it comes out so whats the rush to run to the theater to watch a movie. Aside from that how Avatar made that much is beyond me, I saw 2-3 trailers and just thought how bad this movie looked, it was so cheesy, I guess when you hype up a movie thats the newest in 3d technology its going to do well, looking at sales of movie tickets you would think there is no recession what so ever in the US today.
The reason you have to round up the homeless in the winter or they sleep on the streets instead of a shelter is because shelters are full of crime. Shelters are not safe.
If you're on subsistence, you take what you can get. Like Grandpa's Wisdom which was preached to me... "the world doesn't owe you a living"
tell that to someone who had to train their h-1b replacement from india education means you're replaced with someone from india, instead of someone from china or mexico
Newspapers and TV news attaract people by running catchy headlines.In mass market economic figure, however horrible, can make just one headline. Even form this thread one can see that most people feel for a cat that got soaked in a flood on the other side of the globe more than for all the millions of unemployed in their own country. The cat is real, figures are abstract. On the other hand, a new tech gadget can make many-many headlines thanks to the marketing department and the active fan base.
I would assume the metric of "dollars spent at the cinema per visitor" (including soda, popcorn, nachos etc.) is painting quite a different picture than record box office sales. You can head to the movies and easily double your total expenses by loading up on gallons of drinks and a few pounds of snacks at rip off prices as part of the "experience". An afternoon with the kids to see the newest Disney flick can easily cost a little fortune if parents give in to the crying.