Can someone explain to me why the economy is so good?

and why the news makers keep saying that it is? I grew up in the late 90's, remembering how great things were with my parents and such. But they are saying the same thing right now and my parents are in worse shape than they were in the 80's with Reagan (I use them as examples because i am a poor college student). I am just so sick of seeing this and the people that come on here, like Lou Dobbs saying that everything is all honky Dorrie when all i see around me is people struggling. How can they say this and when i see these numbers, all i see is inflated fake numbers. I feel like this is all just a veil over the countries eyes, we can't be in good shape after all these distastes and the war. Help me!!:think:

are back on line.

Lot's of money changing hands. War is good for business.

It would be helpful if when they gave the statistics of all the new jobs they would let us know what they are being paid. The way I see it we/the country are living on credit and the interest rates will go sky high soon and there will be hell to pay then.

ignore the cuts in everyones checks caused by high gas,heating prices. And only focus on whats going on with the top 1%. GW, has lost anothe 2 million jobs this year and brags 215000 new jobs came about. Its the reporkicans way of doing math exclude everything except the good stuff.

Surely, there would never be a form of psy-ops against our own people happening.

Somebody differentiated between prosperity and economic numbers the other day. That sounds accurate. The numbers are good, but that doesn't have anything to do with who is prospering. Especially if the numbers are doctored, or are propped up by deficit defense spending, which is happening now and happened in the 80's as well. The 90's was an economy based on the growth of computers and the internet, the tax structure made it beneficial to pay people and provide benefits. That's the difference between Democratic economies and Republican economies. From what I've seen during my time on the planet anyway.

The 'Good' economy and job numbers are BOGUS. The American Middle Class is under attack and does not even realize it is happening.
This is what happens after the lunatics take over the asylum.

Therefore you are one of a very few individuals Bush's ecomomy is not benefiting. (sarcasm)

If not, you're losing purchasing power and the economy isn't so good.

I'd prolly place the number at 450K, more or less, and up 'cause they are the ones getting the biggest breaks, right now. Everyone else below the top ten percent of income and wealth are getting hit, HARD,...the hardest hit being the working class and the poor.

That's how bad things have gotten for the poor and middle class.

I am afraid for folks around here. These are hard-HARD-working Americans who just can NOT make it.

Pisses me off! :grr:

My SO is doing okay in the 180K bracket; but, he's not benefitting, dishing out 40% of his income to taxes. He falls into solidly middle 'cause he can do little beyond necessities, mortgage, insurance, car payment and college tuition for his kids. In my world of 35K/yr, he's "RICH" when, in reality, he's squarely middle.

When anyone claims that someone who makes 180K is middle class.

Holy batshit!

This never fails to happen in one of these threads.. we talk about people who sleep in boxes and a couple of these boohoo comparisons are always thrown in.

If you make 180K and you are middle class, you need to refreaking evaluate your priorities. Period. Timmy doesnt need to go to Harvard. You do not need a new car every couple of years. You do not need a big huge house if you have kids that are in college. Holy crap, I just cant even imagine this way of thinking.. no matter how many times it is posted, I still spin.

Holiday gift idea: Howard Ruff's Safely Prosperous or Really Rich.

My husband and I are at a point in our lives when we're making decent money and have fewer expenses. But we're not getting ahead. We're just staying level.
And I really worry about our two 22-yr. olds. I don't see how they'll ever be able to find better paying jobs which will allow them even a comfortable, middle-class existence.
I feel we've really screwed things up for the younger people.

Shams, lies, delusions. Not good in terms of affect on the average person's life.

I suppose you want Al Quaeda to win that one too?

empty refrigerators cartons. I'd say that's a real good sign, wouldn't you?

us into a war? If they are willing to tell lies to send young to die in a seletive war, lying about something as meaningless as the economy will be very easy.

What next, shrub is really smart and the public display is all an act?



Bush Lied. People Died. Media Cheered. And you?

The economy isn't good, it's just the mainstream media saying it is.

The mainstream media are owned by those few who's economy is in fact doing better then ever. But their economy isn't ours.

...I'll paraphrase Clinton from the early years of his administration:

"I'd be able to make the economy look strong too if I was writing bad checks all the time!"

This was in response to a question about how well the economy was doing under Reagan. Don't have a source except for memory.

to find a link to that. Let me know if you find one.

like it alot

you know, the one where Saddam, who planned 9/11, was ready to nuke the US, where the Iraqis are welcoming our soldiers with flowers and parades and where adding over one million people in one year to the poverty roll means the economy is doing great!!!

This is because the present school of economics has been around long enough for politicians and central banks to learn how to hotwire the figures. In fact, the economy is riddled with problems. To keep the show on the road, the Fed has kept interest rates low, supporting continued consumer spending atop an increasing ocean of consumer debt. Similarly, the employment level remains high, although living standards are dropping and earnings are falling relative to prices. Ah, prices - they're rising, especially oil. So soon interest rates will have to rise to offset inflation. That would harm American exports by boosting the dollar, but that's nothing compared to what it would do to the domestic consumer base - it might create a tsunami of bad debt.

However, there's one thing holding up the debt mountain - rising home prices. And even that is offsetting the debt, it's simply moving it around. The whole system is very shaky indeed.

What did Murtha say about Iraq, a policy wrapped in an "illusion" that's what they're saying about the Department of Labor statistics,
they are leaned on "to produce" just like the "CIA" was over WMD's

1 million dollars invested at 5% yield is $50,000/year, for a family of two or three that's not really big wealth.

However yields are down, so more like $45,000/year.

this is a good time to be super rich, I guess.

I am still wondering who owns all the new McMansions and what do they do for a living and what they make? Because they sure cost a lot of $$$$$$$.

going down and new jobs being created.
Did anyone have the heart to tell him this happens every Nov./Dec.? Those pesky seasonal jobs.
And he was so puffed up last Friday! Poor little guy. Maybe the war on Christmas really has been successful. He didn't even know it's almost here.
Face it. More and more Americans are under-employed. Working...but not making headway due to increased costs of healthcare, fuel, gasoline, and housing.

... five years earlier in November 2000. This is the worst employment growth over such a period since the Great Depression!

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5516413&mesg_id=5518543

They're collecting profits that're higher than seen for 35 years, at federal tax rates that're lower than seen in history.




At the same time, it's not so good for employees whose compensation (even including CEO compensation!) is as low as it's been in forty years.




This can be more easily seen by looking at the ratio of corporate profits to employee compensation. It's at all-time highs.

Maybe it depends on what part of the country posters live in and which specific areas. The economy *is* good for certain people apparently.
I live in the larger Baltimore-Washington metro area which has been a growth engine for both Va and MD. EXPERIENCED/possessors of security clearances are highly sought after and even certain types of new grads in the govt contracting arena. People with high end jobs are providing impetus for those in the home-building/credit/personal service industries. There isn't a strong manufacturing history here like in other parts of the country except for the old port city works of Baltimore. In the hinterlands there aren't a lot of other types of employment available. In other states, the story will be specific to what each state's historic job creation base was and how it has fared with the new economy/outsourcing/off-shoring/venture capital investments, etc.

Things are never as good as the Repubs say nor as bad as what is said on here. Search for the middle ground.

Some areas are better than others for various reasons. It is difficult to have one sweeping generalization.

.... rude awakening, even a lot of folks who think they are well off are going to be hurting.

Buy rice and ammo as another DUer said, and while you are at it get a lot more stuff like that.

"On average," the economy indicators are slightly UP, but that begs the question. Good indicators mean a degree of optimism at the Wall Street investment level, but they do not mean the average American is doing better. They aren't.

The average American is in a vise, with inflation, interest creep, and declining dollars per hour and hours per week to work.

If 2/3 of Americans are feeling that vise, the average be damned.

Say a few people coming out of their Mercedes to be ushered into a lavish affair, while thousands of displaced workers look on to see what 'the economy is up' really means.

I like the concept.

b*shco is good a number crunching.
I don't know if I heard it correctly, but Big Eddie was saying today that Kerry, Clinto and Biden could not refute the numbers.
Big Eddy thought he saw some good too.
Everything this admin says or does is either fraudulent or questionable.

were reported. it had been one way for forty years and bush said he needed to change them. didnt get a lot of attention. as much as they change numbers, and literaly give wrong numbers for them to be adjusted a month later, who knows

It pretty well lays it all out in fairly readable term.

I'm sure you can find it posted somewhere.