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Moping and crying going on around here we got to many grown men acting like little girls.
It isn't that bad! It isn't that great but not that bad either.
I answered "Yes, the recession will end soon and things will be great in a few years" not because I believe the recession will end soon (it won't) but in 2011 things will start to turn around as long as we do not allow our nation to be transformed into some sort of socialist, communist cesspool freak of nature.
Imagine the economy much worse than today but without a safety net. No welfare or social security and no food banks.
As bad as 1935 was ten years later we won a world war, then just 15 years after that we were putting men on the moon.
What is hardship today, not being able to pay for your internet connection? Oh, boo hoo! Worried about the little ones being all traumatized come Christmas because they won't be getting the latest $400 video game whatever?
Geeez, people crying because they don't have medical insurance but in 1935 they didn't have medicine as we know it today either.
Tell you what, to many of you guys are crying like little girls and that is what has me concerned.
Amen!
Our biggest problem isn't our monetary system it's our population. A population littered with people who talk instead of do, who think the world owes them something or worse yet actually believe things were better before. Or as you put it, a nation of cry babies who blame everyone but the guy in the mirror for their troubles.
They lose their job and it's because of some CEO making a stupid decision. They lose their money in the stock market it's because of Wall St (whatever that means), and on and on.
The fact is whether or not your living well has absolutely nothing to due with the overall economy unless of course you allow that to happen.
Moping and crying going on around here we got to many grown men acting like little girls.
It isn't that bad! It isn't that great but not that bad either.
I answered "Yes, the recession will end soon and things will be great in a few years" not because I believe the recession will end soon (it won't) but in 2011 things will start to turn around as long as we do not allow our nation to be transformed into some sort of socialist, communist cesspool freak of nature.
Imagine the economy much worse than today but without a safety net. No welfare or social security and no food banks.
As bad as 1935 was ten years later we won a world war, then just 15 years after that we were putting men on the moon.
What is hardship today, not being able to pay for your internet connection? Oh, boo hoo! Worried about the little ones being all traumatized come Christmas because they won't be getting the latest $400 video game whatever?
Geeez, people crying because they don't have medical insurance but in 1935 they didn't have medicine as we know it today either.
Tell you what, to many of you guys are crying like little girls and that is what has me concerned.
try to imagine a fiat currency which has been devalued / debased by the government to the point that nobody buys our treasuries at auction or continues to fund our debt, and then tell me that they are just crying like "little girls". that would certainly be a different scenario for america when the money tree stops bearing fruit. what would happen to our safety nets then?
this whole mandatory medical insurance issue is just a sideshow to what is really going on in the world.
So what do you folks think will happen to all these subdivisions that sprouted up on the outskirts of towns..urban sprawl..huge houses on postage stamp lots with no amenities within walking distance ?
no, that 10% unemployment represents not a temp drop and fluctuation in the job market. those jobs are gone, its a contraction of the economy. welcome to mcdonalds and i dont mean mcdonald douglas. do not buy a house, car or take out any loans, we are about to step off the reef.
My take on this may be a bit different. We were very fortunate to have the standard of living we had for over 60 years(WWII to present). I hate to say it but an average person having a 2200 square foot home and two cars in the drive and all the modern fixtures can probably only be sustained for so long. After WWII it was if all the stars were in perfect alignment for a middle class high standard of living. But, as they say, nothing last forever. All the factors in play now indicate that the middle class standard of living will be in decline. With rising federal debts, medicare and social security obligations, competition from emerging market nations, loss of industry and unions, declining natural resources and so on, it is almost a giving that our standard of living will decrease. I believe once we decided to dive head first into the global economy we sealed our fate and we will decline to the world mean standard of living if we like it or not.
I agree, but I think you could have said a similar thing after WWII. Could the average person really afford that 57 Chevy? Could they afford those new homes in the suburbs. Could they afford that new television set in the living room?
Compared to living standards 50 years before that (in 1900), it seemed like pure luxury. You could say, oh, the foreigners are going to take it. Remember Japan, Inc in 1990. Japan was buying up golf courses, hotels, etc. That turned out to be a bust.
I think after WWII, all the stars did align. And we rode a HUGE 60 year wave after that. Fueled by real wage gains, manufacturing, real goods, low debt, etc. But primarily peace in the world. It allowed everybody to gain footing globally.
There's a retracement in the wave now, but people still have internet. The 2,200 sq ft house is going to go to 1,600 or 1,400. The 3 suv's is going to go to one compact (fuel efficient car). The $400 Xbox's are going to go back to $100. This is still a very comfortable recession. In real depressions in the 3rd world, people starve. This is probably the first depression where 60% of the country is still overweight.
The wave will probably carry us another 7-10-15 years, maybe a little longer. Thats when its really going to hit the fan. Who will be buying the dollar then? Is anybody going to be buying US bonds in 10-15 years? Theres still enough ammo and momentum left to carry us for a while. If you think housing is bad now, whats going to happen when bonds go to 15 or 25% or much higher?
If you actually understand the anatomy of why our monetary system works the way it does, and more importantly, for whom it works for, then you'll come to the quick realization that absent a fundamental change in our monetary policy, and the political implications that has for our "economic partners", we are very much past the apex in the American Economic Case study. Combine that with the changing demographics (boomers eventually dying off, hispanic birth rates accounting for the majority of replacement value where other demographics are unable/unwilling to keep up) and increasing insolvency of attaining or maintaining a middle class tax base, and you get 2040 America: no SS, no medicare, widespread income gap, pockets of high income earners surrounded by millions of working poor, widespread expatriate communities/retirees....i.e. Brazil. That is certainly not what this country's social experiment was striving for 200 years ago; it only took us that little, Rome and Spain lasted a lot longer.....
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Middle class families have been duel income for many decades. Both parents have to work in order to pay the bills as the cost of living just about everywhere has done nothing but increase. Add onto that all of the taxes that we all have to pay ALONG WITH increasing property taxes as well. I also read that wages have largely stagnated for years prior to this financial meltdown for many years. We will be looking at a deflationary cycle in the short-term with rampant inflation as the Asian realm economies will be rapidly jump starting over the next several years. Expect oil to go well above $100 again along with gold continuing to go up to possibly $2000 an ounce. I agree with you that our currency is in big trouble as globalization has finally caught up with us along with us being a debtor nation. Will China continue to buy our debt? In terms of demographics, most rural areas have been completely aged out with no job growth and only elderly left. Most of the populace (including Hispanics) are seeing birth rates gradually fall over time. Illegal immigration is still a concern and must be addressed, though. The US, in general, I think is gradually becoming more libertarian, hedonistic, and neurotic over time. Natalism, devout religiosity, and functioning stand alone small towns are rapidly becoming a thing of the past in many areas. Most people are looking out for their own self-interests as well as their family. Charitable organizations have taken a severe hit during this recession. Remember to donate to the food pantry and volunteer in the community.
Our biggest problem isn't our monetary system it's our population. A population littered with people who talk instead of do, who think the world owes them something or worse yet actually believe things were better before. Or as you put it, a nation of cry babies who blame everyone but the guy in the mirror for their troubles.
They lose their job and it's because of some CEO making a stupid decision. They lose their money in the stock market it's because of Wall St (whatever that means), and on and on.
The fact is whether or not your living well has absolutely nothing to due with the overall economy unless of course you allow that to happen.
^^^Ah, yes, the "poverty is a moral choice" crowd. I knew it would pop up soon enough.... Yep, nothing is a matter of timing and chance, it's all under your control. You know what I see from this crowd? Outright FEAR. Classic projection diversion ....accuse others of something to mitigate being called out on the same.
The very thought that life is not under your complete control really puzzles this crowd, which is why it's such a low hanging fruit for them to assert the idea that modern day economic servitude is solely and specifically a moral flaw on the part of the masses. Couple that with an almost American-endemic optimism-bias (i.e. "I'm not poor because I'm different, I'm different ergo I'll never befall to illness/unemployment/inability to keep up with the joneses") and you get an almost fanatical adherence to a "ATTITUDE determines OUTCOME" NASA astronaut program public relations poster mantras. Meh.
^^^Ah, yes, the "poverty is a moral choice" crowd. I knew it would pop up soon enough.... Yep, nothing is a matter of timing and chance, it's all under your control. You know what I see from this crowd? Outright FEAR. Classic projection diversion ....accuse others of something to mitigate being called out on the same.
The very thought that life is not under your complete control really puzzles this crowd, which is why it's such a low hanging fruit for them to assert the idea that modern day economic servitude is solely and specifically a moral flaw on the part of the masses. Couple that with an almost American-endemic optimism-bias (i.e. "I'm not poor because I'm different, I'm different ergo I'll never befall to illness/unemployment/inability to keep up with the joneses") and you get an almost fanatical adherence to a "ATTITUDE determines OUTCOME" NASA astronaut program public relations poster mantras. Meh.
LOL! wow, let me guess, your just a tad left of center,huh?
Aw. your right. Life is stictly chance and nothing we do can possible make a difference in the outcome because everything is left to fate and ultimately we have no real responsibility for ourselves. Silly me, what was I thinking?
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Yep, nothing is a matter of timing and chance, it's all under your control. You know what I see from this crowd? Outright FEAR. Classic projection diversion ....accuse others of something to mitigate being called out on the same. 
