+- MacResource (https://forums.macresource.com)
+-- Forum: My Category (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: 'Friendly' Political Ranting (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Thread: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think (/showthread.php?tid=56279)
The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - maco - 06-08-2008
http://www.newsweek.com/id/140553
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - kj - 06-08-2008
No one I know thinks the economy looks great. On the other hand, a lot of the negativity is coming from people whose aim is to help get a democrat elected, rather than accuracy. Makes it hard to know what's really happening. kj.
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - Grateful11 - 06-08-2008
I suppose mass lay-offs, plant closings, sky high commodity prices, hours being cut, record
foreclosures, virtually every retail price is up for essential goods, etc. are just to get a Dem elected?
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - Racer X - 06-08-2008
I just had a record year, and this one looks the same.
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - JoeH - 06-09-2008
[quote Racer X]I just had a record year, and this one looks the same.
Apparently the repo guys are also having a record year so far. There are always persons who will still be doing okay when many of their neighbors are in deep doo-doo.
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - Racer X - 06-09-2008
A friend is a boat broker. His business is doing fine too. Those that had money still have it.
The problem is that there is a huge divide happening. There was a lower, middle and upper middle class, but the middle is gone these days, and the lower middle, and upper middle is narrowing.
House values in Seattle aren't declining, but financing for beginning home owners is damn hard, if not impossible to find. But the houses are still selling eventually. I do see a number of houses in my neighborhood that sold a 1-3 years ago up for sale again, and I doubt they are moving up.......
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - SDGuy - 06-09-2008
Oh boo-hoo. Let's see:
The unemployment rate is LOWER than it was from 1980-1996. I seem to recall people thinking we had it pretty good back then, from 1984 onwards.
YEAR.............LABOR FORCE.......EMPLOYED......UNEMPLOYED......UNEMP RATE
2008 YTD Average 152,918,500 145,046,500 7,872,000 5.1%
2007 153,167,750 146,093,917 7,073,833 4.6%
2006 151,427,583 144,427,000 7,000,583 4.6%
2005 149,297,833 141,707,250 7,590,583 5.1%
2004 147,401,000 139,252,000 8,149,000 5.5%
2003 146,510,000 137,736,000 8,774,000 6.0%
2002 144,863,000 136,485,000 8,378,000 5.8%
2001 143,734,000 136,933,000 6,801,000 4.7%
2000 142,583,000 136,891,000 5,692,000 4.0%
1999 139,368,000 133,488,000 5,880,000 4.2%
1998 137,673,000 131,463,000 6,210,000 4.5%
1997 136,297,000 129,558,000 6,739,000 4.9%
1996 133,943,000 126,708,000 7,236,000 5.4%
1995 132,304,000 124,900,000 7,404,000 5.6%
1994 131,056,000 123,060,000 7,996,000 6.1%
1993 129,200,000 120,259,000 8,940,000 6.9%
1992 128,105,000 118,492,000 9,613,000 7.5%
1991 126,346,000 117,718,000 8,628,000 6.8%
1990 125,840,000 118,793,000 7,047,000 5.6%
1989 123,869,000 117,342,000 6,528,000 5.3%
1988 121,669,000 114,968,000 6,701,000 5.5%
1987 119,865,000 112,440,000 7,425,000 6.2%
1986 117,834,000 109,597,000 8,237,000 7.0%
1985 115,462,000 107,150,000 8,312,000 7.2%
1984 113,544,000 105,005,000 8,539,000 7.5%
1983 111,551,000 100,834,000 10,717,000 9.6%
1982 110,204,000 99,526,000 10,678,000 9.7%
1981 108,670,000 100,397,000 8,273,000 7.6%
1980 106,940,000 99,303,000 7,637,000 7.1%
http://www.nidataplus.com/lfeus1.htm
Mortgage rates are the lowest they've been for the past few decades:
The gross domestic product STILL has a positive (albeit small) growth rate:
"The Commerce Department said on Thursday that gross domestic product grew at a 0.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter. While sluggish, that marked an upward revision from the anemic 0.6 percent rate estimated a month ago and an acceleration from the fourth quarter's 0.6 percent gain."
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc03/idUSN2736173520080529
So - what are people griping about? Gasoline costs too much. Guess what - Europeans have been paying more than us for quite some time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_usage_and_pricing#Gasoline_usage_and_pricing_in_Europe
People WERE complaining about being "priced out of the housing market" - well, guess what - you got your wish. House prices are down substantially from where they were.
Like I said before http://forums.macresource.com/read/2/446021/446021#msg-446021 - what a bunch of whiners this nation has become...
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - kj - 06-09-2008
[quote Grateful11]I suppose mass lay-offs, plant closings, sky high commodity prices, hours being cut, record foreclosures, virtually every retail price is up for essential goods, etc. are just to get a Dem elected?
That's an odd interpretation of what I said. Of course, there is usually a real issue behind the b.s. But is it possible that some people might exaggerate the trouble we're in to help their favored politicians get elected? Is it possible they might imply making a change in leadership will have more impact on the economy than it actually does? I'm just saying that politicians use issues to get elected. I know that's a controversial claim... kj.
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - Lux Interior - 06-09-2008
Like James said in, "Sex Machine":
The way i like it
is the way it is
I got mine
I don't worry 'bout his
Re: The Economy - Why it's worse than some people think - Black Landlord - 06-09-2008
[quote SDGuy]Oh boo-hoo. Let's see:
The unemployment rate is LOWER than it was from 1980-1996. I seem to recall people thinking we had it pretty good back then, from 1984 onwards.
YEAR.............LABOR FORCE.......EMPLOYED......UNEMPLOYED......UNEMP RATE
2008 YTD Average 152,918,500 145,046,500 7,872,000 5.1%
2007 153,167,750 146,093,917 7,073,833 4.6%
2006 151,427,583 144,427,000 7,000,583 4.6%
2005 149,297,833 141,707,250 7,590,583 5.1%
2004 147,401,000 139,252,000 8,149,000 5.5%
2003 146,510,000 137,736,000 8,774,000 6.0%
2002 144,863,000 136,485,000 8,378,000 5.8%
2001 143,734,000 136,933,000 6,801,000 4.7%
2000 142,583,000 136,891,000 5,692,000 4.0%
1999 139,368,000 133,488,000 5,880,000 4.2%
1998 137,673,000 131,463,000 6,210,000 4.5%
1997 136,297,000 129,558,000 6,739,000 4.9%
1996 133,943,000 126,708,000 7,236,000 5.4%
1995 132,304,000 124,900,000 7,404,000 5.6%
1994 131,056,000 123,060,000 7,996,000 6.1%
1993 129,200,000 120,259,000 8,940,000 6.9%
1992 128,105,000 118,492,000 9,613,000 7.5%
1991 126,346,000 117,718,000 8,628,000 6.8%
1990 125,840,000 118,793,000 7,047,000 5.6%
1989 123,869,000 117,342,000 6,528,000 5.3%
1988 121,669,000 114,968,000 6,701,000 5.5%
1987 119,865,000 112,440,000 7,425,000 6.2%
1986 117,834,000 109,597,000 8,237,000 7.0%
1985 115,462,000 107,150,000 8,312,000 7.2%
1984 113,544,000 105,005,000 8,539,000 7.5%
1983 111,551,000 100,834,000 10,717,000 9.6%
1982 110,204,000 99,526,000 10,678,000 9.7%
1981 108,670,000 100,397,000 8,273,000 7.6%
1980 106,940,000 99,303,000 7,637,000 7.1%
http://www.nidataplus.com/lfeus1.htm
Mortgage rates are the lowest they've been for the past few decades:
The gross domestic product STILL has a positive (albeit small) growth rate:
"The Commerce Department said on Thursday that gross domestic product grew at a 0.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter. While sluggish, that marked an upward revision from the anemic 0.6 percent rate estimated a month ago and an acceleration from the fourth quarter's 0.6 percent gain."
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc03/idUSN2736173520080529
So - what are people griping about? Gasoline costs too much. Guess what - Europeans have been paying more than us for quite some time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_usage_and_pricing#Gasoline_usage_and_pricing_in_Europe
People WERE complaining about being "priced out of the housing market" - well, guess what - you got your wish. House prices are down substantially from where they were.
Like I said before http://forums.macresource.com/read/2/446021/446021#msg-446021 - what a bunch of whiners this nation has become...
But everyone didn't have $3-500 a month in cell phone, cable, and broadband expenses to shoulder back in 1984. Times are =much= tougher.