Sorry to say, but by the way things have been going......this country IS already well into a recession and basically, has been for close to 7 years now, IMO. SMALL recovery it truly was since 2003, IMO.
Except for a "run amok" real estate market with soooo many investing in "flipping houses" or stocks in "certain" internet / software companies........the overall trend has NOT been good in America for a very long time.
Anyone who chooses to justify employment stats. based on job growth by including those in fast food / service industry or ANY pathetic job paying minimum or slightly above min. wage.........IS NOT living in reality!
Outsourcing has been going on for far too long where cheaper labor can be had by too many corporations.
Manufacturing jobs have been disappearing along with unions here.
Health benefits, pensions and other "so-called" perks have been vanishing at a steady pace.
More companie's willingness to hire through Temp. Agencies to avoid paying a higher wage, ins. benefits OR.....because of their OWN doubts as to their need to hire on PERMANENT workers for any real length of time! THEIR OWN DOUBTS.....as to what? (existence, buy-out, merger, profit margin)? What?
Lack of stockholders' ability or power to FIRE incompetent or inept CEO's and ALLOW them to either remain in charge of a failing, profit-losing corporation......allowing blatant CORRUPTION and mismanagment to continue to be so pervasive.......and REWARD them with the luxury of HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of DOLLARS to leave with a "golden parachute" all the while, they HURT the company and ALL those invested in it!
Sorry too.....that it has NOT really mattered who and which party has been in the White House because it HAS been going on for many, many administrations.....within both parties!
GREED.........Corporate greed, governmental greed and special interests have fueled our economy here and in other nations for years. With vested interests surrounding the dependence on foreign oil......along with the blatant ability for the oil industry to effectively price gouge the American people at the pump, a "War" in Iraq.......on now to Afghanistan, Iran? Pakistan?
Globalization and BILLIONS-TRILLIONS.....of dollars from OUR corporations, along with those of other nations.....ALL invested in Dubai, India and China.......as a top priority.....it really makes me wonder.....WHO for and WHAT for........the massive investing in such places is really all about?
Definitely an investment based solely from GREED and CORRUPTION, IMO......and AT the expense and demise of many, many Americans!
The WORST IS YET TO COME, IMO.........so a recession is already in progress and a major or long-lasting one it will be....likely a full blown depression IF it goes for a lengthy stretch of time.....OR things on the World Stage......HAVE and CAN again.....take a dramatic turn for the worse overnight! Better? DOUBT THAT!
Americans SHOULD be VERY nervous at this point, IMO........but if not.....you ARE either...(1). quite secure financially already OR (2). you just have your head buried in the sand........or (3). LOTS of FAITH in a Higher Power and don't really care since it may be too far gone for you to worry about it!
WAR ON TERROR.......with a fixation on expanding our insecured borders by hiring more and more Border Patrol, enacting legislation effectively making it NOT worth travelling in or out of America soon enough, 20 MILLION ILLEGALS STILL HERE and a BIG part of the so-called job market all the while......a massive burden on health care which continues deeper into the toilet, a continued NEED for the production of military machines that have been negatively affected by the hot, dry sand and IED's in Iraq, war veteran's returning home with MAJOR disabilities, both physical and mental.....and NO adequate care within our VA clinics/hospitals OR decent jobs for them either, a 75% divorce rate among the soldiers, STILL-CRUMBLING RE market that has yet to bottom out, HUGE personal debt, increasing energy/fuel costs and insurance rates, along with an ever and rapidly...AGING population of Baby Boomers all pushing "retirement age"............GO FIGURE!
RAPIDLY-retiring Air Traffic Controllers along with antiquated equipment, poorly trained and exhausted.....inexperienced Air Traffic Controllers, along with ever-increasingly CROWDED skies.......anyone SEE a problem with this picture? A Congress that WON'T ACT......or work or accomplish a THING anymore!
Consumer Product Safety Commission that hardly exists!
FDA......that ALLOWS more and more pharmaceutical drugs to go ON THE MARKET long before the drug is thoroughly researched.......THEN ALLOW the marketing and advertising of these potentially dangerous drugs CONSTANTLY on TV.......like selling some new candy to a kid!
Its disgusting and just wrong......what's going on in this country now!
Hell YEAH.........R.E.C.E.S.S.I.O.N> (period!) I personally, see NOTHING GOOD about now and the future.
These are just a FEW things I can think of now and so do several of my neighbors.......and MANY in the "younger" generations!
LOTS of HOPELESSNESS and DESPAIR abounds in many a neighborhood in America thesedays!
Can't you SEE IT........on the faces of people everywhere?
Well........I think I can and its nearly epidemic.
Here.....the job market SUCKS!
Also have noticed..........MANY of the jobs posted in the newspaper that "say" they ARE hiring.......really are NOT.....their reply when called on this is...."oh, we aren't hiring but we ALWAYS run the ad......just in case."
How MANY OTHER newspaper classifieds around the country are also FALSELY advertising that they are currently hiring when they are not, I wonder?
No, IMO.......Bush has definitely HURT the overall economy in the US since he has been in office......SURE has NOT HELPED IT ANY.... and.......IMO......Clinton had little or nothing to do with economic prosperity while in office since I personally, believe Presidents themselves.....have little to do with much of what vested interests Corporations have other than their "advisors" advising them of what actions to take globally / militarily /economically and especially in the Middle East and with China and the futility in effectively "fighting" terrorism.....or the prevention of it.
QUESTION.............They
Could'nt STOP ILLEGALS from entering the US........so they
ALLOW them to remain, FREE and employ them?
Could'nt STOP DRUG trafficking......so they ARREST 750,000 /year...for POT?!
ANSWER...........
Build more prisons, enact more laws (Patriot Act) and take AWAY MORE freedoms and EMPLOYMENT opportunities.....from LEGAL AMERICANS!
Rights and liberties are fading away as fast as the decent jobs!
Illegals sure aren't but may do so if they cannot find a reason to come here anymore......just not ALL of 'em.
MORE may still want to come and be willing to work for even less.
So.....IS all this news what makes a prosperous economy in a Capitalist "free" market nation?
IS the economy "doing fine" in YOUR opinion and if you think so........HOW do ya?
What's wrong with this pathetic, ongoing status quo.....picture?
Oh yeah.........it's AMERICA!
Just my 2 pennies......but hey, really can't afford spending much more than that right now.