That is the point that needs to be hammered on!!

My hatred for those bastards continues to seethe.

When the question is asked, I don't think the Democrats and the Obama administration should shy away from answering the question with an unequivocal "yes, we are better off than we were four years ago." Then point out that we were in a financial freefall that threatened a global collapse of the financial industry, a complete meltdown of the US auto industry and the loss of millions of US jobs related to that industry, frightening losses in the stock market that reduced the value of pension and retirement benefits by trillions (that's trillions with the "t&quot , almost a complete shutdown of the capital markets, layoffs approaching almost a million workers per month, and signs that people had lost any confidence in the system whatsoever. In response, President Obama and the Democratic Congress passed legislation and took actions that stimulated the economy, reversed the freefall in the unemployment numbers (at least in the private sector, rescued many financial institutions from collapse, saved the US auto industry and millions of related jobs, provided the promise of health care to millions of uninsured Americans, implemented regulation designed to prevent the financial wrongdoing and risk taking that led us to the brink of disaster, led to a more than 100% recovery in the stock market, and in general, restored some level of confidence in the markets and the economy. All of this was done against the backdrop of Republican opposition designed, in their own words, to limit President Obama to a single term; the Republicans not only didn't help, they actively tried to sabotage the very programs that most economists agree would lead to more robust economic recovery. Cutting back on government spending at exactly the wrong time, refusing to support any attempt at raising additional revenue through tax cuts, refusing to publicly support any additional stimulus while crowing about bringing the bacon home locally through stimulus funds, refusing to support and demonizing health care legislation based on what was originally a conservative idea, blocking the extension of unemployment benefits in the worst job market in generations, and generally standing in the way of any proposal or legislation that didn't either lower (or keep from raising) taxes on those who could afford to pay a little more in taxes or remove sensible legislation. The party of yes we can was repeatedly being blocked by the party of no we can't. The party of we was contested at every turn by the party of me. Yet, despite those who are actively trying to hold us back, we are better off today than we were four years ago. And we need four years to catch momentum and build on the recovery rather than turn back to the same policies that led to the worst recession we've endured since the Great Depression.

Hope the Big Dog or President Obama makes that point clear during the DNC this week.

While we've yet to see what Mr. Mitt-Ann's 2011 income was, the Ryans went from $215,417 in 2010 to $323,416 in 2011.