Are We Better Off...?

[Lumpy 1]

IS AMERICA BETTER OFF THAN WE WERE 9 MONTHS AGO?

I believe than when a new administration moves into the White House, that even if your party comes up short there is still a majority of hope that the country will move forward in a positive way.

I'll admit that I felt reservations with the Democratic Party controlling the House ,Senate and White House but I resolved to take a wait and see attitude and hope for the best.

I feel substantially let down on the economy, employment issue, government waste, bipartisanship, foreign affairs,.. ..the list goes on.

So, what's the general feeling out there?

 

[DiamondDave]

We are worse off in most every aspect.. and I have a feeling it will not get better unless we get a vast majority of incumbents out in 2010 and Obama out in 2012

 

[Big Black Dog]

Are you being serious? How can anybody with a brain in their head think the country is better off now than it was 9 months ago? It gets worse every day... The pot of "stupid" is just starting to boil.

 

[Lumpy 1]

Are you being serious? How can anybody with a brain in their head think the country is better off now than it was 9 months ago? It gets worse every day... The pot of "stupid" is just starting to boil.

Are you being serious? Hard to tell, Many Democrats on this board seem to have great expectations and feel things are moving along swimmingly...

 

[Lumpy 1]

We are worse off in most every aspect.. and I have a feeling it will not get better unless we get a vast majority of incumbents out in 2010 and Obama out in 2012

I'm inclined to agree. Through the years, I'm still surprised by the optimism of the American people in the next election.

 

[Avatar4321]

For me, my life is much better. But not because of the President. I am better off because of my own actions.

Course, if this government continues the way it is, Im going to quickly lose what I've gained.

 

[REVxERIK]

so sad that personal responsibility is so lost. we scream "socialism" at them when they try to help, then blame them when things get worse.

 

[Lumpy 1]

For me, my life is much better. But not because of the President. I am better off because of my own actions.

Course, if this government continues the way it is, Im going to quickly lose what I've gained.

More power to Ya, I feel the stock markets in bubble mode, what's your opinion?

 

[BasicGreatGuy]

If anything, this Republic is in worse shape.

 

[MaggieMae]

The economy: A lost decade
The U.S. Census Bureau last week released its annual report on the nation’s living standards, providing “sharp evidence of how much the falling economy has touched Americans across incomes and races.”

September 17, 2009

It’s been a brutal few years for the American dream, said Conor Dougherty in The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. Census Bureau last week released its annual report on the nation’s living standards, providing “sharp evidence of how much the falling economy has touched Americans across incomes and races.” Median income fell 3.6 percent in 2008 alone—the steepest one-year drop in four decades. And the poverty rate climbed to 13.2 percent.

But it’s not just during the recent recession that most Americans have lost ground, said Marc Ambinder in TheAtlantic.com. Over the course of George W. Bush’s two terms in office, median income declined 4.2 percent, wiping out much of the economic gains of Bill Clinton’s presidency, when incomes rose 14 percent. Bush’s “wretched” record, unmatched in modern times, should “compel Republicans to answer a straightforward question: If tax cuts are truly the best means to stimulate broadly shared prosperity, why did the Bush years yield such disastrous results?”

The results were hardly disastrous for all Americans, said Robert Rector in National Review Online, and as for the poor, the Census Bureau’s statistics are misleading. For “nearly three decades, in good economic times and bad, Census has reported more than 30 million Americans living in poverty.” Why? Because official reports “underestimate government spending on the poor.” We spent $714 billion on “cash, food, housing, medical care,” and social services for the poor last year, more than enough to “eliminate” poverty outright. That’s why 40 percent of “poor” Americans own their homes, while the majority of them enjoy amenities ranging from air conditioning to cable TV. The real cause of poverty is out-of-wedlock births and family dysfunction, not government economic or tax policy.

In our ruthless new economy, it’s not just the poor and the unemployed whom I worry about, said Ellen Goodman in The Boston Globe. It’s the 90 percent of Americans who’ve managed to hold on to their jobs. Even as they work without raises, and take cuts in benefits, employees at severely downsized companies have raised their productivity by an impressive 6.6 percent. In other words, “more work is being done in the same time,” but workers aren’t being rewarded for the gains—corporations and owners are. Rather than gripe about this rip-off, workers just work harder, and “gratefully” cling to their jobs. So there’s your choice: Join the legions of the unemployed, or work like a dog, in a perpetual state of fear.

http://www.theweek.com/article/index/100577/The_economy_A_lost_decade

 

[Avatar4321]

so sad that personal responsibility is so lost. we scream "socialism" at them when they try to help, then blame them when things get worse.

Socialism is what is making it worse. We dont need the governments help. Ive never asked for the governments help. In fact, the last thing I ever want to hear is "Hello. We're from the government and we are here to help."

Stop interfering in our lives and we will be fine.

 

[Avatar4321]

For me, my life is much better. But not because of the President. I am better off because of my own actions.

Course, if this government continues the way it is, Im going to quickly lose what I've gained.

More power to Ya, I feel the stock markets in bubble mode, what's your opinion?

Probably. I dont play stocks. Id rather invest in things I have more control over. But we cant keep inflating the dollar and not have bad consequences.

 

[MaggieMae]

“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." -ETB

Christ hasn't been doing a very good job, has he...

 

[Sherry]

So, what's the general feeling out there?

Aren't we all better off knowing who in America are the racists?? No more hiding behind white sheets. Just disagree with the policies of this administration and be exposed for the hater that you are.

 

[Lumpy 1]

So, what's the general feeling out there?

Aren't we all better off knowing who in America are the racists?? No more hiding behind white sheets. Just disagree with the policies of this administration and be exposed for the hater that you are.

hater that you are... I'm slow, do you really mean that?...

 

[Ame®icano]

Of course we are better...

You go to McDonalds and you see they are selling 1/4 ouncer, you're getting pre-declined credit card offers in the mail, you compete with illegals for a job, unemployment is so high that you hope they gonna call you for jury-duty, matchbox car companies are trading higher then car companies...

It couldn't be better...

 

[Thinman]

So, what's the general feeling out there?

Aren't we all better off knowing who in America are the racists?? No more hiding behind white sheets. Just disagree with the policies of this administration and be exposed for the hater that you are.

hater that you are... I'm slow, do you really mean that?...

Really Lumpy, that sure is a hate filled comment you made. lol

I think you are right, the stock market will probably test a previous low. Don't ask me where support is, because I don't know. Some of the rebound is because of over reaction by the market last fall. Rebounds tend to increase confidence to new or inexperienced investors, thus driving the market higher, while the big guys begin to sell off. I am completely cash. Sold everything last week.
Disclaimer: I am not an economist or a market professional. This is merely my opinion.

 

[Lumpy 1]

Aren't we all better off knowing who in America are the racists?? No more hiding behind white sheets. Just disagree with the policies of this administration and be exposed for the hater that you are.

hater that you are... I'm slow, do you really mean that?...

Really Lumpy, that sure is a hate filled comment you made. lol

I think you are right, the stock market will probably test a previous low. Don't ask me where support is, because I don't know. Some of the rebound is because of over reaction by the market last fall. Rebounds tend to increase confidence to new or inexperienced investors, thus driving the market higher, while the big guys begin to sell off. I am completely cash. Sold everything last week.
Disclaimer: I am not an economist or a market professional. This is merely my opinion.

Ah Thinman my newest buddy/chum, I was listening to some radio show and the guest financial expert (?) scared the heck out of me talking about the cycles of age and the connection with the Stock Market. His prediction was that within the next 4 months the rich man stock market crash would happen. Who the heck knows but this guy made allot of sense. Seems somewhat crazy but I'm considering more precious metals.

Now I hear the Stock Markets rising because of unemployment and the health care bills going down in flames. No rhyme , no reason, hidden cash may be the answer.

Disclaimer: who in their mind would trust a market professional named Lumpy..

 

[Thinman]

I expect a retracement down to 7900 to 8200 range. I will buy back in ,starting at 8100, if conditions are right. If economic indicators are bad, or the health bill passes, it may retest the low in March.

 

[Polk]

IS AMERICA BETTER OFF THAN WE WERE 9 MONTHS AGO?

I believe than when a new administration moves into the White House, that even if your party comes up short there is still a majority of hope that the country will move forward in a positive way.

I'll admit that I felt reservations with the Democratic Party controlling the House ,Senate and White House but I resolved to take a wait and see attitude and hope for the best.

I feel substantially let down on the economy, employment issue, government waste, bipartisanship, foreign affairs,.. ..the list goes on.

So, what's the general feeling out there?

Why are you feeling let down on bipartisanship? It's not like the Democrats have bent over backwards to be bipartisan. They reached out to Republicans on stimulus by including a lot of spending proposals they wanted and making more of a package tax cuts. The Republican response was to vote en masse against it. They also reached out on health care, with Baucus's efforts to draw Republicans to the table. How do the Republicans response? By admitting up front that even if they get every concession they ask for, they'll still vote against the bill.

The Republican reception of Baucus's bill doesn't so much represent a crisis for health care reform as it does a crisis for our system. The GOP is no longer representing interest groups; rather, it has become an interest group itself -- and an implacable one. So that a compromise piece of legislation that achieves a rough consensus among the various factions in the debate fails to get even one vote from one of the two major parties.

http://www.tnr.com/article/madison-weeps