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It's ironic that here in Oklahoma it's the best it's been since Jimmy Carter was president. However, just like then, the people here think it would be even better if an oil friendly president were in office.
As for me personally I am probably better off than in 2008 but I am sort of in a recession proof career so maybe marginally so.
Your success in life has less to do with the President and more to do with you.
Stop blaming others for your misfortunes
Not quite. Here's why:
Our success not withstanding, the state of the economy has everything to do with our happiness and wellbeing. Especially for the self-employed, and there are many of us!
A poor economy usually means there is some inflation (and right now prices are escalating and expected to go higher this winter). Inflation is something that to a large extent is affected by government policy.
To drill, or not to drill. This affects energy prices. We feel it most at the pump, and in home heating. But it may also affect other prices, because energy drives industries. Higher energy costs mean higher production costs, and higher product prices. Anything tied to oil will see a price increase as oil prices rise.
The mere mention of more drilling, and speculators drive the price of oil down, seeing more supply. Cut off drilling, and the opposite happens.
Converting food into fuel instead of using it to feed livestock. Prices of eggs, poultry, tortillas, corn oil, beef, pork, etc. All increase when we use more corn to produce fuel, and that fuel costs more to produce than the fuel made from oil. Not only that, but it isn't good for engines.
A poor economy slows the Construction Industry.
Since consumers feel the pinch on their budgets, they spend less. They may put off buying a home or doing the remodel or putting in that new tile kitchen floor (that is where I felt it, being a tile guy — my business died, and so did that of a client -who is now a good friend - in the excavating and landscaping business).
Business expansion may suffer
A company may be feeling a slump in sales. This means less production, and may even mean downsizing or laying off of personel. I've been there too (I'm old! LOL).
The fiscal policies and actions of an administration very definitely affect an individual or a family.
Those are just a few things that came to mind right off the top of my head. I'm sure there are a lot more.
I was one of those laid off in 2008. While I have seen some recovery in my 401K, I'm now earning half of what I did in before 2008.
I've heard it said that if you never lost your job, there is no recesssion. I wouldn't know, I lost mine and had to take one making half of what I was making just to have work and benefits.
If I had not lost my job and still had that income, I'd be picking up investment properties around where I live. You can buy houses cheap here. Unfortunately, my money was spent weathering unemployment for almost a year and underemployment since then.
You stated upthread that you are an engineer. Engineers are one of the more recession-proof careers that one can be in. I'm having difficulty understanding why you cannot find a job as an engineer. In this area, where there are a lot of defense companies, engineers are gold.
While it's easy for me to say that you need to go where the jobs are, I realize it's not easy to sell your home, pack up the family, and do that. Especially if your house is underwater.
What I have noticed about *this* recession is that many people have become completely inflexible. You say you are worse off, and I believe you, but there are engineering jobs out there that pay very well. It just may require you to move across the country to where those jobs might be located. It's a changing world and you cannot count on staying in your hometown all your life anymore. The country changes, industry changes, and you have to be able to change with it or you become vulnerable.
Yes, I'm better off. DH is making more than he ever made before, the DDs are both out on their own and don't need help from us. Little DD graduated from college in 2009; what a horrible year to graduate! She got a job working in a day care center. There were lots of other workers there with college degrees as well. Now she's in grad school. The older DD graduated from physical therapy school in 2009. She was one of few in her class to actually get a full time job; this is with a doctorate. She's doing great now and just got married!
You stated upthread that you are an engineer. Engineers are one of the more recession-proof careers that one can be in. I'm having difficulty understanding why you cannot find a job as an engineer. In this area, where there are a lot of defense companies, engineers are gold.
While it's easy for me to say that you need to go where the jobs are, I realize it's not easy to sell your home, pack of the family, and do that. Especially if your house is underwater.
What I have noticed about *this* recession is that many people have become completely inflexible. You say you are worse off, and I believe you, but there are engineering jobs out there that pay very well. It just may require you to move across the country to where those jobs might be located. It's a changing world and you cannot count on staying in your hometown all your life anymore. The country changes, industry changes, and you have to be able to change with it or you become vulnerable.
I will tell you why (some) engineers are loathe to do the above. They will be the first laid off in the new job as well! Relocating the fam, selling the house, giving up a spouse's job are not easy things to do and no one wants to do so and then be jobless again.
Engineering is not recession proof; in fact, engineering is one of these fields where people are constantly getting laid off due to the end of a project, etc.
I will tell you why (some) engineers are loathe to do the above. They will be the first laid off in the new job as well! Relocating the fam, selling the house, giving up a spouse's job are not easy things to do and no one wants to do so and then be jobless again.
Engineering is not recession proof; in fact, engineering is one of these fields where people are constantly getting laid off due to the end of a project, etc.
Well, there are two choises:
1. Go where the jobs are
2. Stay where you are and cry about your situation and blame the politicians
I will tell you why (some) engineers are loathe to do the above. They will be the first laid off in the new job as well! Relocating the fam, selling the house, giving up a spouse's job are not easy things to do and no one wants to do so and then be jobless again.
Engineering is not recession proof; in fact, engineering is one of these fields where people are constantly getting laid off due to the end of a project, etc.
I understand all that about moving but I don't understand sitting back and just floundering either. I also know the field is not immune to recession but I do think it has more "safety" than many fields. I've been working with engineers for the past 25 years and they are the same ones. I'm not seeing layoffs at all and, in fact, they are in high demand (defense industry). But I realize my personal experience is anecdotal.
That depends. If I'm doing poorly while the rest of the population is doing well, yes. If I'm doing poorly and so is the rest of the population, that's another story. That's why I posted a poll. I'm curious as to what percentage of the population is better off because of Obama's policies and spending. I know I'm not.
I have a masters in engineering and 20 years experience and can't buy a job other than teaching. So, I'm, severely, underemployed (but glad to have any job at all in this economy). I know so many educated people who cannot find work. We're more than three years into Obama's term and I see only incredible debt to show for it.
You're exactly right, and it's because no one is hiring engineers when they don't know if they are even going to survive this administration. They don't know what ObamaCare is going to cost them, and they don't know what other little "gems" this administration is going to burden them with. So, at the very least, they sit tight. They may have even had to lay people off due to slow sales.
This is the problem with having someone like Obama as president who has no idea how businesses operate. He is clueless about business. He thinks profit is evil, and something that should be taxed more heavily and redistributed!
It's also why he "invested" taxpayer money in businesses that failed (Solyndra, and others). He didn't have the skill or experience to be able to judge the market. We are told that he was advised that these were not good investments. He ignored the advice, because he was focused on the wrong thing. He focused on the "idea", not on it's feasibility or demand. We have so much gas and oil that is yet untapped, that there is simply no demand for so-called, "green" energy. There is no market.
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