Posted on 06/13/2008 5:04:17 AM PDT by shrinkermd
...The case that things are basically pretty good? Unemployment is 5.5%, low by historical standards; income is rising slightly ahead of inflation; housing prices are down, but the typical house is still worth a third more than in 2000; 94% of Americans do not have threatened mortgages...most that do will keep homes.
...Inflation was up in 2007, but this stands out because the 16 previous years were close to inflation-free; living standards are the highest they have ever been, including living standards for the middle class and for the poor.
All forms of pollution other than greenhouse gases are in decline; cancer, heart disease and stroke incidence are declining; crime is in a long-term cycle of significant decline; education levels are at all-time highs.
Sure, gas prices are up, the dollar is weak and credit is tight – but these are complaints at the margin of a mainly healthy society.
Yet the mood of public discourse is four-alarm panic. A recent CBS News/New York Times poll showed "Americans' views on the economy and the general state of the country have hit an all-time low," with 81% saying the nation is on the "wrong track" – the worst-ever number for this barometer. Some 78% told pollsters the U.S. is worse off today than five years ago, the highest percentage to say this since the CBS News/New York Times survey began tracking the question in 1986. Watch any news channel, listen to any political debate, read any pundit. The consensus is we're headed to hell in a handbasket.
Increasing pessimism from the news media is surely a factor – and the media grow ever-better at giving negative impressions. Now we don't just hear about threats or natural disasters, we see immediate live footage, creating the impression that threats and disasters are everywhere.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Dear Diana in Wisconsin—
Love it! You are a true American!
I am blessed with a “can-do” attitude, but others can easily develop one. After 20 years in the Army, every DAY in civilian life has been a cake walk. :)
People are such whiners and so easily manipulated by outside forces. *SIGH*
We’re not fighting in any of those locales.
I gave him the employment stats...The fact that I was working and paying my bills and so were all my friends. Then I told him to look around...in his fridge, in his closet, at his garden...and tell me "How bad are things for people who have "work ethics"? and not a "gimme ethics".
My reason:
This is an election year and no matter who wins-conservatives lose.
Well, yes, it’s not a very good choice of candidates, is it?
I might write in Alf Landon!
Absolutely though I am not from America I could say the same thing about Britain. Though like America we are going through a credit crunch, petrol (gas) is sky double the cost of yours and inflation is not keeping pace with our salaries in real terms despite what the the figures say. Food in particular has risen out of all proportion.
Saying all this though we have much to be thankful for.
Miserable people must constantly have things to be miserable about, then they’re happy.
Why do we feel bad? Because America is losing the blessing of God. I walk into the local Wegmans, a store that markets to the upscale. Overflowing abundance everywhere, but people walk around with scowls on their face shooting daggers at any person trying to make friendly eye contact. The last thought in their mind is to give thanks to The Almighty for this bounty. This is just my POV.
I think you hit on it, stevio. America is turning its back on God and though material prosperity still exists, the spiritual death of this nation has begun. True peace and joy exists only when a nation has its eyes on God.
“Though like America we are going through a credit crunch, petrol (gas) is sky double the cost of yours and inflation is not keeping pace with our salaries in real terms despite what the the figures say.”
I have relatives in Northern Ireland who were telling me how much they were paying for gas these days. I don’t dare bring up our $4/gallon as a gripe. lol
Now we don't just hear about threats or natural disasters, we see immediate live footage, creating the impression that threats and disasters are everywhere.
BTW This has been the single most effective tactic the left has in their arsenal in pushing global warming IMO. I got sick of seeing weather disasters on TV years ago. But most Americans buy the hype.
I feel fine. Yes, gas is expensive, and I think milk has gone up. Everything else seems about the same to me.
You should have joined the SeaBees!
It’s not too simple to figure out: when a Dem is the prez, things are wonderful, and Americans never had it so good. When a Republican is prez then things are awful. It’s not anymore complicated than that.
I have to agree. I grew up poor, and I know what not having much is like. I just don't get todays Americans (including many posters on this forum) who would rather whine than try to improve their lives. At any rate my message to the whiners is QUIT YER WHINING!!! I DON'T CARE! If your life is not what you'd like, try to make it better. But at any rate QUIT COMPLAINING!!!
My wife is from England, and she keeps in contact with her kin who still live there. I visited Britain two years ago. It appears to me, although you pay approximately double for everything that we pay, most Brits are living pretty good. Certainly my in-laws are. When I tell that to the whiners on this forum who think gasoline should be a dollar a gallon, I'm met with scorn. "What does that have to with America" they screech at me.
What it means is Americans pay far less for essential services than most western countries. But we whine a lot more.
Thanks for a great post. I wish everyone had your attitude.
Boy its nice to see your posts here. What a whiney, miserable lot Americans are becoming. Economic cycles come and go, but to act as if the “bad times” will last forever is just as silly as believing “good times” will continue forever. They never do, and today’s “bad times” would be considered “good times” by most of our ancestors. So some will have to go without the newest gadgets or buy a more fuel efficient vehicle until this cycle ends. Oh the horrors!
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