How about that economy? Are you doing better than you were 8 years ago?

[The_Casual_Observer]

Is anything better than it was 8 years ago? Can you afford to buy a house right now? A new car with cash? How's that 401k doing? Got any unpaid medical bills? Paying more or less for insurance coverage?

[Redstone]

1. Forget the specifics; the core question you asked is this:

"Is anything better?"

And no, nothing is.

Screw anything that might be better for me personally, noting else is. And that's what is important.

4,000 dead Americans. For nothing. How many dead Iraqis? For nothing.

That counts more than any personal conditions.

Redstone

[HCE SuiGeneris]

29. delete -- wrong spot

[napi21]

2. The only things I can think of that is better today than 7 years ago is

corporate profits, executive salaries, and those invested in oil, gold, or the companies who produce products for the military. Unfortunately, I don't fit into any of those catagories!

[MiniMe]

3. Not only no, but Hell No

In 2000, I was very comfortable. Good job, pretty comfortable income wise. Then came * and 9-11. I got laid off, spent some time unemployed because all of a sudden, the job market disapeared. Had to take a job with a significant pay cut. That plus all of the inflation recently, and I can't even afford to take my dog to the vet or totally fill my gas tank. I'm definitely living paycheck to paycheck.

[smalll]

4. Most of us aren't, but a lot of people are. On our side, they're called Obama supporters --

Latte Liberals who don't actually need a Democratic President, and who can indulge their fantasies of an imaginary hip black friend. The kind of people who blithely boast about donating $2,300 to Barack in one shot. (Likely the same kind of people who blow two hundred dollars on three bras, or who tell us that where THEY live, "no-one can SURVIVE on less than $100K a year!")

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. I really didn't intend for this to be about Dems. The Dems haven't

been running this show.

[smalll]

8. I know and I'm sorry. I should go to bed. Good night!

(And your point is very apt.)

[The_Casual_Observer]

10. Peace!

[Common Sense Party]

14. Dang. That's a pretty bitter broad brush you wield.

"On our side they're called Obama supporters"

WTF?

You think all Obama supporters fall into that narrow caricature you just painted?

[earth mom]

30. Bingo-you nailed it!

:applause:

[ellisonz]

33. Ignore.

[Hoof Hearted]

6. No. We are worse off, and less certain.

[emilyg]

7. No.

[cynatnite]

9. How many different ways can I say 'hell no'...

Can't afford gas, groceries and the crappy medical insurance. Can't afford to take trips, buy my kids the stuff they need or pay off the medical bills that continue to pile up.

Our daughter wants to start college in the fall and I'm scared as hell we won't be able to help.

:(

[whatchamacallit]

11. Yeah, but

no thanks to these fucking assholes. I've gained a little ground despite full-on class war, though I'm pretty sure they'll be the end of us all.

[Nay]

17. Same here -- better, but no thanks to these assholes. Mr Nay and I

were always frugal thru Dem and Pub reigns alike, and we have advanced in our good jobs to the point where we are very comfortable. But again, no thanks to these assholes, just pure dumb luck to chance into the jobs we have. Luckily, our bosses love us and the companies are never going to go under.

That said, the wholesale destruction of an economy is not a pretty thing to watch, even if it doesn't impact us like it does others. Our kids, without our help, would be truly suffering and would be prey to any piece of bad luck that decided to land on them.

The only people I don't feel sorry for (other than the dumb Pubs, of course) are all the idiots who bought all sorts of junk on credit so they could keep up with the Joneses. There are tens of millions of these people. There are women at work who make lots less than I do who carry $300 purses. This is insane. Batshit insane. I would venture to say that the country itself would be better off now if its citizens showed any sort of restraint with regard to consumerism, but that's just my feeling.

[whatchamacallit]

26. Your feeling is correct

Feast your eyes on Consumer Credit Debt alone http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/default.htm

[Common Sense Party]

12. Doing much better. No longer in sales, no longer an 'independent

contractor,' which means I no longer have to pay for two insurance policies all on my own, one Blue Cross family plan, and also a CHIP plan for my autistic son, who Blue Cross rejected.

I have good benefits, a decent match in my 401, a company car. We live in a town I really love, which unfortunately has waaay overpriced real estate. So we have a comfortable, modest home...yeah, I'd *like* something with a view, but we don't need it.

Plus, all the kids are in school, so my wife can work part-time now. Much less debt than 8 years ago.

It's been a topsy turvy 8 years, went from sales to secure job, back to sales/trying to start own business, back to secure job.

[Mythsaje]

13. I'm doing better than I was 8 years ago, but that has nothing to do

with the economy as a whole. It comes from making better life choices than I was making eight years ago.

[Common Sense Party]

15. That's a good way of putting it.

Same here. We're making better choices. I've made some bad ones over the past several years, but lately been wising up.

[walldude]

16. Making better money

after starting my own business. Funny thing is, in a way, a freeper caused the whole thing. Got me fired from my job(don't ask, I was stupid and posted too much info about a job I was doing) and forced me to start freelancing. I'm making nearly triple working for myself. The dumb fuck couldn't even screw up my life right. Freepers, you gotta love em'. Can't get insurance for my family though. Too many "pre-existing" conditions. Need to fix the goddamn health care system.

[blondeatlast]

18. Better, but my kid's kids' kids' kids already owe the government (my child is 11)

and my neighbors are having a very tough time of it.

All in all, bleak.

[laylah]

19. If it wasn't for

the generousity of my ex, I'd have been living in my VW van somewhere on the streets. These past 4 years have been a nightmare for me financially...but then, from what I am told, that is part of being a member of the "Divorced Wives Club". So, with that taken into consideration, and theoverall economic climate, it sucks to be me :P

[zalinda]

20. Welcome to the club n/t

[Bennyboy]

21. God no....

8 years ago,I was making over 100 thousand a year on new construction. In July of 06, I closed that business. No more building, nomore business. It had been slipping for a while before that. SOme of the illegal workers inthe area had enterd my business and were charging MUCH MUCH less for the same service. I had to cut my prices. By half or more. the illegals did not need to be licensed, pay employees above board, get permits to advertise etc and they beat me out of a lot of jobs.

Then one day I passed out 1000 flyers in neighborhoods that used to be big moneymakers for me. NO RESPONSES. The enxt day I did the same thing to another area that was good for me. Same thing...NO RESPONSES.

Next day i settled my accounts and closed up shop.

[ileus]

22. Better, but nothing to do with Bushco's econo...could be doing much better.

What's hurting most is petrol and food prices, that takes most of the "extra" money we had/would have. We've managed to upgrade almost everything compared to what we had in 2000. Houses, (sold our old house in 2006 just in time)bought a nicer home that will retain it's value in our market area. Our transportation has actually upgraded with lower payments on her SUV, and my cars 10 years newer...LOL We're both paying more into our retirements than in 2000. Health insurance is much better and cheaper than what we had in 2000 thanks to a job change. The wife just started back to college which is costing 300 bucks a C/hr. Petrol we can prolly survive with going to 4 or 5 bucks, but food seems to increase 15-20 bucks a month or more. We've really cut back when it comes to grocery budget allowances. The biggest problem we're facing right now is finding a Wii.

[Libby2]

23. Hell NO!! n/t

[Rosemary2205]

24. I'm actually doing pretty good.

2 years ago I was an inch from filing bankruptcy. Now I have about $400 more than I need for my bills in the bank (not $400 a month more but just $400)- though it is getting harder and harder to add to that because the price of everything is going up, my salary isn't, and I am physically incapable of of the energy needed to work more hours to earn more money.

My home is about 3/4 paid for - but the taxes and insurance on it are now almost as high as my house payment. We eat a lot of noodles, beans, cooked bulk whole wheat and oats at my house - toss a little of whatever meat and veggie is affordable in there. I can still afford some fresh fruit every week but that's getting harder.

I have extenuating circumstances - we had a terrible car accident on New Year's day 2000 that left me paralized and my husband with just barely too much brain damage to hold down a job or function all alone - I did not work again until 2005 and he will never work again. -- So I have much less than many on this board but I do feel incredibly fortunate none the less. I HAVE A JOB. -- which I never thought I would. And thanks to my sister's help I managed to keep my home.

My only complaint is that the price of gas has forced me to stop driving to Michigan every other month to see my father who is dying from colon cancer. I have a real hatred for the oil companies because of their desire to just suck the life out of everything and then move on.

[doc03]

25. Well, to be truthful yes.

In 2000 my company was in bankruptcy because President Clinton would not enforce our trade laws. The Company and Union joined together and asked for an investigation into illegal imports of foreign steel. It was found that steel had been illegally dumped in the US and the trade laws had been clearly violated. At the time the Asian economy was in trouble and President Clinton was willing to let them destroy an entire industry here to prop up the Asian economy. So at this time I am doing better, I know a lot of other people are not though. You ask, I just gave an honest answer.

On edit: That's why I will have a very hard time supporting Hillary Clinton.

[Orsino]

27. Much better, yes.

However, a more apt question would be: how much better or worse would someone my age at the same point in his career have been doing eight years ago? Most of us tend to become more financially secure as we age (at least through our working years). We need to publicize the way hard-right rule has salted the earth for the next generation.

[earth mom]

28. Yes and No. Hubby lucked into a better paying job a few years ago...but....

the way prices are rising, we're still living paycheck to paycheck-pay raise pretty much canceled out. We're not able to completely fix up our fixer upper, though we will be able to do a few small things with our tax return. I started up a little micro biz on ebay recently, but there is so much more competition than when I first looked into it about 8 or 9 months ago, we'll see if I can hang in there. If not, it's back to the drawing board.

I worry a LOT about the economy and the looming Great Depression 2. If it happens, my little biz would of course be history. And while my hubby has a solid union job, you just never know what's going to happen with the * cabal in charge. :scared:


I really wish we could pay off our mortgage right now...

[HCE SuiGeneris]

31. Hell no! eom

[blues90]

32. I have not been this bad off since 1980

The entire automotive field where I worked went right down the drain , after 33 years try to find something else and start at the bottom at 59 .

[butterfly77]

34. Hell Naw!!!

[usaftmo]

35. Things were so much better 8 years ago.

No huge tax cut for the super-wealthy while everyone else can go to McDonald's with their tax savings

No ignoring Presidential daily briefs warning about an imminent terrorist attack

Longest recession in the last 60 years

No appointing someone to run the UN that despises the UN and wants it gone

No lying to the UN about WMD in Iraq

No lying saying Iraq was behind 9/11...nearly all of them were from Saudi Arabia

No AWOL person in the White House

[MrSlayer]

36. Actually, I just had my best year financially in 2007.

The construction industry is doing quite well right now. I already have a house, I could buy a new car if I wanted to, my annuity is doing ok, no unpaid medical bills, my insurance is up to date. I had a few down years in this decade but right now I'm doing good.

[OhioChick]

37. Hell No. n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

38. I actually am

only because eight years ago I was married to an alcoholic/addict. I was making much more money then, but what with bailing him out of various financial jams and jail all the time, you wouldn't know it. I'm glad that's over with.

Luckily, I bought my house in 1990 for not a whole lot, and our truck, which is paid for, is holding up okay. The IRAs, though, aren't doing too well with the stock market like it is (my new husband has lost $25,000 in the past two months; I don't watch mine, it's too depressing). Plus, his union has been increasing the amount taken out of his pension for medical every year. It kind of sucks because the pension is fixed income, and we're paying over 1/4 of the gross amount for the insurance, which we seldom use. By the time we meet the deductible, it's another year. :shrug:

We're managing, though. It helps that I work at home and we don't have to drive much.

[mondo joe]

39. I am. But not in any ways I attribute to Bushco at all.

I made some good career moves, and I live in an area that is doing relatively well.