I am sick and tired of hearing about how the "economy" is picking up, when it is most certainly not picking up for most people who work for a living. And no matter how much this "mantra" is repeated, it means nothing to more than 90% of the people in this country who are losing ground on a daily basis, when all real income and real costs are factored into the equation.

---

hwystar
___________________

teelblue">"The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who loves his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair." ~H. L. Mencken Ibid.: "The Coolidge Buncombe", pp.411-2

I'm going for an interview tomorrow for a job that probably pays about 30K less than my last one.

But that would be a huge improvement over unemployment.

See? The economy is picking up!

hwystar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> I am sick and tired of hearing about how the
> "economy" is picking up, when it is most certainly
> not picking up for most people who work for a
> living. And no matter how much this "mantra" is
> repeated, it means nothing to more than 90% of
> the people in this country who are losing ground
> on a daily basis, when all real income and real
> costs are factored into the equation.
>
> hwystar

Economic numbers can and are fudged these days. Most people around me are working their butts off to hold on but are loosing ground as every year goes by. And they're scared.

The all mighty dollar doesn't go very far these days.

---

JoeM

I agree. I am looking around for a job change. Not many jobs are offering benefits and most want contract labor.

move to Shanghai where the market is booming!

just don't be there when they invade hong kong - or japan

when wage increases are roughly equal to COL increases, and housing costs are going up 5-20%, how are things getting better?

Racer X Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> when wage increases are roughly equal to COL
> increases, and housing costs are going up 5-20%,
> how are things getting better?

Personally, I doubt that even wage increases for the majority of jobs (not individual, for a given job, but overall, for all jobs) are keeping pace with C.O.L. A couple of CEOs getting a few more million can help the average, but it does nothing for 99% of the wage earners, whose real wages are going down while expenses are going up. And I would guess that health care related costs are increasing much faster than wages, as are transportation and housing costs.

If there is a way to twist the numbers to make it look like things are getting better, then I bet I could demonstrate 10 or 100 ways to make the numbers look worse.

"The economy getting better" doesn't mean anything to the average person unless it translates into real wages increasing relative to what it costs them to survive, and that has not been the case for about 5 years. Go figure. It isn't just Bush's fault (as the cartoon even shows) and he has had lots of help.


hwystar



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2006 02:36AM by hwystar.

the economy is rosy for CEOs and politicians themselves.

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Errrr....Hong Kong does not have to be invaded. It was handed over to Mainland China in 1997.

Otto @#$%& Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Errrr....Hong Kong does not have to be invaded. It
> was handed over to Mainland China in 1997.

Well technically, the lease ran out and control reverted to the original owner.

Gitmo's on the same deal.

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When fascism Comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying the cross - Sinclair Lewis

I think mrbigstuff probably meant Taiwan, rather than Hong Kong. Although, Hong Kong is having its own difficulties with the transition. They are accustomed to elections and local control of public policy there -- which is causing the Central Committee a certain amount of heartburn.

And hwystar, why aren't you reporting the good news about the economy? It is negativity like yours that is getting in the way of the next Gilded age. Why can't you just let the magnates, power brokers, and king makers at Bohemian Grove enjoy their naked owl-worshiping bacchanals. I mean, really, it isn't enough that you have 30 channels of news stories about disappeared white women, car chases, consumer electronics, celebrity break-ups, and kittens that "found a home" -- why do you want people to think about difficult stuff like the economy? Its all hard math and depressing statistics.

If you keep this up, you know what you get? A discontented rabble, instead of a thrifty (and compliant) working class.

In short, hwystar, why do you want the islamofacists to win?

What I find interesting is for all the @#$%& about the economy, I still see lots of SUV's and other low mileage vehicles flying around like nothing's changed, and restaurant
parking lots filled, and another holiday season where people spent much more than they said they would. My point is that it seems like people are still spending money like crazy and that's here in one of the most economically depressed areas of the nation (Detroit area). I see people complaining and yet their hair is styled and fingernails are sculptured. I see houses that have needed a coat of paint for years and there are two and sometimes three satellite dishes attached and a big screen TV seen in the front window. I see their kids with $75 Hollister jeans and cell phones with all the accessories and text-messaging and other options that run up the bill.
This is a bad economy?

Gitmo's lease is just a little longer than the one that applied to Hong Kong.

As in... forever.


YOU JUST CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!


Both the U.S. and Cuba must mutually consent to terminate the lease.


not likely....

x-uri Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think mrbigstuff probably meant Taiwan, rather
> than Hong Kong. Although, Hong Kong is having its
> own difficulties with the transition. They are
> accustomed to elections and local control of
> public policy there -- which is causing the
> Central Committee a certain amount of heartburn.
>
> And hwystar, why aren't you reporting the good
> news about the economy? It is negativity like
> yours that is getting in the way of the next
> Gilded age. Why can't you just let the magnates,
> power brokers, and king makers at Bohemian Grove
> enjoy their naked owl-worshiping bacchanals. I
> mean, really, it isn't enough that you have 30
> channels of news stories about disappeared white
> women, car chases, consumer electronics, celebrity
> break-ups, and kittens that "found a home" -- why
> do you want people to think about difficult stuff
> like the economy? Its all hard math and
> depressing statistics.
>
> If you keep this up, you know what you get? A
> discontented rabble, instead of a thrifty (and
> compliant) working class.
>
> In short, hwystar, why do you want the
> islamofacists to win?

err... yeah, i did mean taiwan. thanks for setting me straight but gently

DP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What I find interesting is for all the @#$%&
> about the economy, I still see lots of SUV's and
> other low mileage vehicles flying around like
> nothing's changed, and restaurant
> parking lots filled, and another holiday season
> where people spent much more than they said they
> would. My point is that it seems like people are
> still spending money like crazy and that's here in
> one of the most economically depressed areas of
> the nation (Detroit area). I see people
> complaining and yet their hair is styled and
> fingernails are sculptured. I see houses that have
> needed a coat of paint for years and there are two
> and sometimes three satellite dishes attached and
> a big screen TV seen in the front window. I see
> their kids with $75 Hollister jeans and cell
> phones with all the accessories and text-messaging
> and other options that run up the bill.
> This is a bad economy?

EZ CREDIT! NO PAYMENTS FOR 12 MONTHS! STEP RIGHT UP! STEP RIGHT UP! END THE HEARTBREAK OF PSORIASIS!

• Average card debt among people who have at least one card is $9,205 -- triple what it was in 1990.

[www.bankrate.com]

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_____________________________________________
I think….
there….
4a.m.

x-uri, that was awesome. I am stealing it and passing it on to a couple of knuckleheads I know.

I was laid off in 2003 and have not had a permanent job since. A couple of temp jobs with no benefits, and luckily some freelance work. I bought my house at the height of the tech bubble, and after the first year, have struggled with the mortgage ever since. We have managed to hold on, but that is about it.

Last year I earned approximately 60% of what I did in 2000 and 2001.

no COL wage increase here, so in reality due to the price of everyday things like groceries, fuel, and so on, my earning power is decreasing year after year.

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