"Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?"

[snot]

Are you better off than when unfettered capitalism took over ca. 1980?

(Probably not, per E. Warren; see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVL7QY0S8A&feature=player_embedded )

[Sherman A1]

1. i'm not better off, but I could be far worse than I am now

and while that isn't necessarily the answer to the question, it will have to do.

[Rex]

2. Yes, if for no other reason Dick/Bush are no longer holding the

executive branch hostile. It is like George jr. once said, 'conspiracy theories abound'!

[FrenchieCat]

3. Much better off thank you. less aggrevation. But why measure this 4 years time now?

What happened 4 years ago? I need to know...cause perhaps I missed something
I should be aware of. :shrug:

[Unrepentant Fenian]

4. No, I've been jobless for 15 months!

[hack89]

5. Yes - very much so. nt

[snot]

6. how, why? "Cuz I don'tknow anyone else who is.

[Cid_B]

8. Much betteroff than 4 years ago...

nt

[hack89]

20. Not every industry is hurting

the real pain has been in manufacturing, construction and retail. My company does software that is not dependent on any of those.

I have a combination of experience and skills that are scarce and in demand.

[liberal N proud]

7. Emphatically YES!

[elocs]

9. Defining "better off" is different for each individual.

Four years ago I certainly made and had much more money than I do now, but I don't really think I am less better off at this time.

I work a fraction of the hours I did 4 years ago and I am under the poverty level, but I make enough to pay my bills, have a comfortable home, and I have enough food to eat. I live a simple, frugal, and relatively stress free lifestyle now and have a lot of time for myself and I really feel like I am better off now than 4 years ago when my income was 4 times what it is now.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. What If Your Income Was Reduced To Say, Nothing?

~

[elocs]

16. But it's not and the question was am I better off than 4 years ago.

This is a question where each individual must answer for themselves, which is what I did.

In my circumstances if I answered that question based upon income I would not be better off, but even though I make far less money I don't feel like I am less better off.

[Fla_Democrat]

11. no

not even close.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. +1

Where in Florida are you?

I'm in Orlando and hanging on by a thread.

[Dappleganger]

30. We're in NE FL

Jacksonville is only slightly better or worse than Orlando, depending on if you have a job.

I do think that Orlando is worse off, though.

[pecwae]

14. Add another in your category.

[old mark]

12. Yes, I am - but it is not the politicians doing - we were very fortunate

with money, and I made some very good investments just by dumb luck, and circumstances just worked out. I was able to retire at 59, and we will have more income this year than we did when I was working. A little part of this is due to Obama and the congress very recently, but most of it was our own perseverence and blind luck.

4 years ago I was working at a shitty job in a shitty place and had no idea I was getting ready to leave it...
Our health is even better than it was 4 years ago!

m

[Dappleganger]

26. I'm sincerely happy for you.

We also persevered but didn't have your luck, so we are still struggling. As are many other good, persevering and hard-working people.

[old mark]

29. I am very aware of this - we got lucky for no real reason. We struggled for many years,

had a bankruptcy for medical bills. My wife has been on disability for almost 12 years and we were told she had 5 years to live (This was almost 11 years ago). I survived 2 heart attacks and horrible work conditions and am now dealing with diabetes, and we feel extremely lucky to be here at all.

I certainly meant no slight to those in hard circumstances - we know what that is like.

Our life today would seem very simple and low income to many people, but compared to where we were and where we could have been, we are very much improved.

m

[Dappleganger]

31. I really am happy for you.

It seems that good luck has more to do with a person's success these days than anything else. Not intellect, planning for the future, advanced degrees, making good decisions in career paths--none of that seems to matter any longer.

There are a lot of us who 'followed all the rules' to success and are wondering where we went wrong. WE didn't do anything wrong--we were betrayed.

Best of luck to your future! :)

[quaker bill]

15. yes

1 Bush is no longer President

2 I am earning more.

3 I have a modestly successful business that I started 3 years ago.

[CBR]

17. Yes. I am am in the final stages of my PhD, my

husband has a good teaching job at a laboratory school, and we are steadily (slowly) moving forward on other life goals. We don't have much money but we keep trucking along on the things we planned to do.

[midnight]

18. Revolving debt, car loans, mortgages...... 2005 savings down, and debt up.

Flexible smaller purchases go Down-Last 30 years spent all savings, and went into debt, and what did they spend it on? Federal via commerce keeps data on where money is spent..... clothes - 32 less on clothes now verses a generation ago? Food? 18 % less now than a generation ago. Appliance 52% less.


Big expenses go Up- 76 more for a mortgage. Health insurance-74 percent more. Car Child car-100 % more. Taxes- up 25%


After five basic expenses paid-family today has less money than a generation ago.

The economics of what has happened in the last generation and now facing more risk....


Hospital gains are because we send them home sicker and quicker..... Insurance shift from coverage to no coverage.


For lots of working people, things are real bad. Tents for homeless. This is not working for the working people.... Now banks have raided our tax dollars, for obscene bonuses.

[stray cat]

19. i had Bush and cheney leading the country before - so yes

digging out pf a hole beats digging it. Just because I didn't no about the mess being created didn't mean it was good.

[havocmom]

21. No, but I didn't expect to be either; I know it takes time to undo decades of damage

What I didn't count on was feeling so let down by the difference between candidate and president. And my life is directly impacted by RWers who have become emboldened of late. THAT is not an improvement. Even the wingers that control everything locally were quiet and some even optimistic and working together for the first few months of last year. Now, it's fucking high school bully crap with pockets of anarchy.

edited for typo

[tammywammy]

22. Yes n/t

[NikRik]

23. No ,we need job creation NOW !

I've been out of work for about two years ! I had a part time job that was paying only $10 per hour ! I thopught it was a getting my foot in the door oppertunity till they started laying people off. I was told by the manager I was looking at spending at least five years in that position if I did not get layed off ! Who can live of a $300 check every two weeks ? I live in San Francisco Bay Area my rent alone is $1375.00 Per nonth . Homelessness is apporaching quickly ! 2 kids 15 and 13 years old ! Sleepless nights,depression lack of motivation. I must have filled out 500 job apps ,at 53 years old your already considered a liability ! My heart hurts mostly for my kids , I have let them down as a father and a provider ! I pray to God ,he is to busy ,I pray that they take care of joblessness B/4 all other problems facing our country ! Instead the spend the first year arguing about health care ! Give me a decent paying job I WANT TO WORK !
NikRik

[midnight]

24. So many people in your situation and for various reasons. There should of

never been the level of money lavished on the health care debate. Dr. Dean already showed the country how to cover everyone and not break the bank. The money should of been put into paying people to get this country back on a job recovery program, and not a jobless one. Get every American working in a job that pays the bills.

[Dappleganger]

28. Nothing else matter unless you have work.

You have to put food on the table and have a place to sleep. People are desperate for this, nobody wants a handout just an opportunity to work.

I feel for you...my husband was out of work for a year, he was just hired by the company where he was temping. Our kids are your kids ages, 12, 13, 15 and 18 and their needs and worries were very great. Our oldest one in particular has depression because of all that's happened over the past year or so. Wish I could tell you everything is going to be alright, all I can say is stay focused for your family's sake and don't let faith or lack of faith distract you. We prayed to God too but heard nothing--right now the only thing that matters is JOBS.

{{{NikRik}}}

[Dappleganger]

25. No, we're worse off than we were 10 years ago.

Because of NAFTA, two lost jobs, stagnant wages and sky-rocketing health care costs.

That's not even taking inflation and other higher prices into account.

[spanone]

27. i'm better off in the last year.