The Coming Depression has Begun:Tent Cities have gone up in Suburbs

As more and more reports comes out of the health of our economy and this reports do not match the standards of our economic spending our nation will be hit by depression.

A lagging economy means souring unemployment and more challenges ahead for American homeowners, the federal reserve will keep cutting interest rate to match the weak outcomes while corporate America is hit on their profits.

The government spending budget will also be hit presenting to the American people the real state of our nations economic affairs.
Something that this government has done everything it can to keep it hidden.

As the holiday spending freezy is over we will be face during the next year with the results of our actions, because most of the spending was on credit and as the oil prices keep rising so the desperation of many hart working Americans.

I would like to personally address Simonsays, and relay that what ever you do, please don’t end your life. Your children are depending on you and need you. While you, as well as many of us here in the United States are experiencing extremely rough financial times, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This light starts with posters such as, Pjsconcrete, and his message.

Please read this carefully. There is no packing up and leaving. There is no “Eden” to go to. Times are rough and will continually get rougher. Action needs to be taken while there is still an opportunity at exercising freedom.

The rapidly increasing decline in the USA economy should be obvious for all to see, and is being purposely caused IMO. The standard of living must be equalized between MEX, USA and CAN for the NAU to come into being, and since raising the standards south of the border aint happening, ours are being brought down. I’m glad that I’ve been awake to this long term plan for a while, and have managed to squirrel away a fair amount of food and such. I also have a nice big tent ready to go just in case. I highly recommend that anyone who can do so start preparing now if you haven’t yet. It’s going to take a massive blow to break the American peoples will to breath free, and it won’t be just economic in nature.

Originally posted by marg6043
... the federal reserve will keep cutting interest rate to match the weak outcomes ....

... as the oil prices keep rising ...

The price of "oil" and ultimatly refined fuels are a direct result of the value of the dollar reletive to international markets. The value of the dollar is a direct result of the "interest" being earned on it by foreign traders. Interest rates WILL be increased as it is now obvious the "credit crisis" as well as the homeloan "crisis" cannot be saved by FED action alone.

Yes it will be a bout of inflation, probably recession too, yes it will further damage the credit crisis and likely hard working families and persons, but imho, it is the turn of events that will begin to stabilize these issues in whole and on all fronts.

Easy and cheap credit is always confronted sooner or later.

I work for a property development company, and about a year and a half ago, we custom built a commercial building for our local title company to lease from us. They were doing really well. That building is now closed.

The company layed off all but two employees, and relocated them to another office. I stopped in to see them this morning. Things are really free falling for them. One of the ladies told me that she was looking at the Federal lunch assistance program for her two kids, and for the first time in her life she qualified for full assistance, and it made her cry. Her husband is a real estate broker, and he's only sold one house in the last year. If you want to take the real pulse of the housing market, ask an Escrow Agent, hardly anything is coming across thier desks.

This housing market has had an impacted just about everyone I know. Electricions, Framers, Plumbers, Mortgage Brokers, Title Companies. It's getting to the point where some will not recover. Like the OP said, these are all small businesses, and they will just fall off the map.

I just don't see this being covered in the media. But, I'm not surprised.

A just slightly off topic comment/question. Is it just me, or do prices on gas almost always go up just before the first of the month?

I'm an oldster, and my SS check comes in on the first of the month. That's when I will have any "extra" cash, if at all. I pay my bills, we buy the months worth of consumables, and see what's left.

But for whatever reason, usually a crisis somewhere, a few days before the end of the month, gas prices jump ten or twenty cents. Then on into the month they go back down, usually not to the prior level, but down.

As an example, today prices jumped twenty-one cents a gallon on gas. I know, the death of BB in Pakistan. It's always something. But it always seems to be subtly able to work out so that any extra cash those on a fixed income have will be taken advantage of.

Most people on a fixed income get their check from SS near the first of each month. They do most of their shopping (driving) around this time. This is when they decide if this is the month we can afford to go visit "cousin Mildred" or not. And gas prices seem to go up the first half of each month to take advantage of this.

Now I would guess there are six million seniors and disabled getting checks around this time. So, if they each have to spend an extra five bucks for gasoline from a "manufactured" price increase, this is thirty million dollars a month free profit, just by making a concerted effort to raise prices at a point when you know it will be most profitable. And it's over half a billion a year, if you see it that way.

Now I personally cheat. I keep containers of gasoline. I buy when prices are low, and "pump from home" when they are not. But many people do not have this option, and a lot more never notice, just complain that gas is too high.

I just wondered if anyone else noticed this trend, and thought how easy it would be in this era of up and down prices on gas, to manipulate an advantage.

Prisoners of Envy:
philrockstroh.com...

Excerpt:

...Don’t bandy back at me inane platitudes such as, “these are the necessary risks and excesses inherent to ‘the free market’ system” — and other such manifestations of willful ignorance and flat-out deceit. Your so-called free market has caused our nation to become imprisoned in debt, including our collectively becoming obeisant to China, who now owns our shabby asses and dwindling assets, like some global village pawn broker, by the purchase of our national debt...

To escape the knowledge of our enslavement and its concomitant sense of powerlessness, emptiness and hopelessness, we have become obsessed with the pursuit of piffle. Yet we cannot consume away the pervasive sense of unease. Moreover — following Eric Hoffer’s dire dictum that “You can never get enough of what you really don’t want” — we’re driven to “develop” more soulless subdivisions, open more lifeless Big Box stores and compulsively throw ourselves in to the thrall of even more mindless consumerism.

Anyone familiar with my posts and threads knows that I am passionate about the fate of America. Not because I am struggling but because I really see the big picture of where we are headed and how we got here. That isn't to say my family hasn't had it's challenges - we have. More and more it is difficult to make ends meet, sometimes it seems a Herculean effort, but we manage it. I will do whatever it takes to support my family.

My point is more exspansive. As children and grandchildren of Boomers and the "Greatest Generation" why should maintaining the standard of living we were born into be so difficult? Were our forefathers not the best examples of achievement in American history? In general, we were supposed to have access to better education, better health-care and a better overall society. Yet it is very hard succeed, inexplicably so.

I look around and wages are stagnant but bonuses are through the roof, even in a time of reduced profit margins. It's hard to comprehend that it's not a systematic fleecing of Middle America. It's almost grotesque in it's absurdity and yet Americans are content to turn on the T.V., shop at the Target and send their most precious asset, their children, to Government sponsored, sub-standard, endoctrination sites called public schools. Places really meant to raise a generation of LameStreamMedia influenced sheep.

I hate to offend any ATS members with my stark analogies but if my postings wake even one person up it's worth it.

[edit on 28/12/07 by kosmicjack]

[edit on 28/12/07 by kosmicjack]

I thought I was in a boat all by myself but now I see so many of you in the same situation, so what do we do, go on a million man march or what.
Some of you have read my posts and know I recently returned from a long time living in the land of the pyramids Egypt. Life was great up till we did a pre-emptive strike on you know who, then my world came tumbling down. I worked for several defense corp over the years on many things, (not to mention) but one thing after another dealing with the corporations and me not being a so called team player, I decided to stick it out over there and try my hand at my own things, like yacht repair and was making a living surviving. But time and the after affects of the war took over and I found myself in a lonely world as an american trying to make a living, it didnt work out.
I first lost my friends and this was a shocker, then I found myself competing for odds and ends jobs around the yacht businesses with russians, chinese, philipinoes, ukrainians, italians etc. All would underbid me for the jobs until I had no choice but to return to the states. So many of my competitors lived in shared housing with their fellow comrades and would ask 1/4 the amount for the same job.
You ask why didnt I return years ago, I did, but I found that America has been struggling for years from so many natural disasters, that work has been hard to find for expats trying to return, so I would go back to Egypt and look for more jobs to do, until finally this year, I'm really tired of it all.
Our gov basically want us returning expats to just disappear or crawl in to a hole and die. The work we did in other countries should not be mentioned, so I go into interviews and get the look from the interviewer as if I am from Mars and what can I say, the truth of course and I feel as though I blew their mind, I worked on what?, end of the interview.
I am not intitled to any kind of benefits and I am not retiring age (almost) but what can I do,I feel as though I could be considered as a terrorist in employers eyes and the doors stay closed, amazing dont you think.
Provide transportation and I will go with the millions to Washington, this seems impossible to be happening for some one with family roots from the Mayflower that settled this great country of America, so what now????
gwhint

reply to post by pjsconcrete

I also work in Construction in Indian River County. I have been out of work since September, The outlook here is very scary. I read and hear that some people think that it will get better, However personally from what I see here it is getting much worse.

Every day the amount of foreclosures in the local paper rise. jobs in the local paper have went from three pages of Help Wanted two years ago, to Three columns'.

I think personally that the construction crash will effect other jobs more than some will admit. My heart goes out to you pjs because I personally are in it with you as well as a large number of people in our county.

A glimps into the mind of an unemployed American:

Get up, make some instant coffee.

Check e-mail

Check out the job websites

Attempt to motivate self with sayings such as “you are not a loser, you will find a decent paying job, ect…”

Throw out some resumes and cover letters

Eat Ramen noodles for lunch

Take nap to shut off conscious mind.

Get up, make some more instant coffee.

Check e-mail

Throw out some Follow-up letters

Go to Dollar Tree to buy more Top Ramen Noodles

Ward off temptation to apply at Dollar Tree

Eat Ramen noodles for Dinner

Check out the news websites

Tell yourself you are doing the right thing, holding out and budgeting, waiting to be hired by an employer that pays a decent living wage and who cares just as much about their employees as they do about the dollar.

Pray that you don’t have to work at the Dollar Tree, a store that I personally despise, but am forced to buy from because the cost is so low.

Fall asleep and dream about the Dollar Tree store and how buying from them is a problematic cycle for all of us poor folks. I dream about how I don’t want to work there, the pay is lousy, yet I am forced to buy from them because the food & products are so cheap. I see the cashiers through a dreary haze and think to myself, man, I can’t decide whether I admire them all or despise them. I dream, should they be admired for working? Sure, it is a well known ideal that one should be admired for working, but now it has become skewed – because the problem in now becoming, who is one working for? Why do adults, with no developmental disabilities, work at the Dollar Tree for such lousy pay in the first place? Why in the heck do they put up with it? I would like to say, they work there because they have no choice but to work there. Speaking for myself, I would be working there only because I have no choice, as in, I have bills to pay, rent and so forth, so therefore, that would mean, that I was being forced to work there, under the guise of being a free American and free to do what I want. Well I want to utilize my college degree, but no one’s biting – so therefore I am not free to do what I want, even if I have the right credentials, as you can see, I am not free to do what I want. And I wonder to myself, why isn’t anyone biting? Well, because those are the jobs that are coveted and hard to come by – their hiring process is set up like a Mrs. Universe Beauty Pagent. The jobs by the hundreds are those merry-go-round jobs, like Dollar Tree and McDonalds. So basically I think to myself, you know what little missy? …. technically you are not a free American if you are being forced to work at such low paying jobs such as the Dollar Tree to pay your rent and get some food in your belly. Any adult employee with no developmental disabilities, that works at the Dollar Tree or any other low paying job and is doing so out of being forced to, be it lack of jobs/positions that pay a decent living wage, is technically NOT free. They are free in a sense to either be homeless or work in a position that pays a humiliating hourly wage and they are free to pick which of these Merry-go-Round jobs they want. There are so many to choose from! My dream then reverts to how proud I am to be an American, where at least I know I’m free, and the time I spent serving my country in the military and blah, blah, blah and yadda ding dong, and then I'm falling, and then blackness.

Wake up, make some instant coffee

Say out loud, “you will not break me, you will not break me!” over belly rumblin'.

And start all over again.

keyminder..you have no idea how close you are!!!!
i'm game for a million man march!!!!! damned right!!

hey SIMON!!!!! i know what your feeling dude. i can't say
the thought hasn't crossed my mind also but, i have a son
who needs me and i know that god will, as he/she has done
countless other times, come through....NEVER LOSE HOPE BROTHER!!!!!!


i don't know WHAT PLANET radardog is on but it ain't EARTH!!

[edit on 28-12-2007 by last time here]

[edit on 28-12-2007 by last time here]

Originally posted by gwhint
...I feel as though I could be considered as a terrorist in employers eyes and the doors stay closed, amazing dont you think... so what now????
gwhint

First, more and more employers require a satisfactory credit check as a condition of employment. It will be interesting to see how this fact is reconciled with the credit/loan debacle. Talk about being considered a terrorist or at least persona non grata.

Furthermore..."so now what?" - STOP FEEDING THE HIDEOUS BEAST! In other words, stop giving corporate America your hard earned money! Only then will the beast be tamed. Will it be hard? Yes. Will it hurt? Occasionally. Will it work? Yes - it is the only way.

Originally posted by radardog
Sorry the United States can not compete in a manufacturing economy due to wage and standards laws. As long as the Chinese, or any other country has a free labor market (ex. wage law differences), we simply can't compete with our socialist leaning ways.

To the OP and others, I am sorry your businesses failed, but in any economy, most small businesses do fail. If worse comes to worse, put down your pride and work for 10%; 10% of any number is better than 0 imo. Especially if you have a family to support.

I, for one, believe the unemployment numbers. A lot of employers in my area of the country are having a tough time finding qualified people for their positions, which is a sign of almost too low unemployment (and yes, there is such a thing).

Huh? I think you're refering to the slave-labour practices in todays China I assume? So, wage laws and ethical employment laws are ''socialist'?? Heh!
Too funny.

So I guess what you're saying is that what america needs to compete is....slave labour??

J.

[edit on 28-12-2007 by jimbo999]

reply to post by kosmicjack


If I could applause you I would!!!
I absolutely agree with you 1000% and share your concerns for your family.
At times I just feel so powerless, meaningless...its like we struggle all our lives to earn more of this worthless paper so that we can buy more and more crap and then we get some debilitating health issue (Thank You FDA) and die.
There has got to be more to this life then being a "consumer", if America would just wake up and see that we don't need any of this "stuff", that in the end none of it matters. We should take more of our energy and put it towards our families, our children and forget about those brand names. If we stop consuming we could possibly start to take control of our own destiny's instead of just being another statistic.
The American Dream is killing us.

reply to post by kosmicjack


Too true. In the final analysis, it will be the only way to regain financial control of your lives. But it would have to be enmasse..

J.

[edit on 28-12-2007 by jimbo999]

reply to post by kosmicjack


Thanks kosmicjack for your insight and I think being persona non grata is my label and I also have no credit to report as well, bummer, you know living in egypt for years had so many great benefits and to think we were labeled as technical experts and american ambassadors representing our country with alot of fringe benefits,all gone.
It was an honor to go into a locals home and listen to them brag about their GE Frig or RCA TV and other items made in america, now all gone and so is our reputation. Everything now even in Egypt is made in China and the locals there are complaining as well. What has America done to it's americans, I guess some day soon I will be scoping out the tents, but hopefully not before our million man march. gwhint

Gwhint, hang in there.

pault0126, I wish only the best for you.

Last Time Here, thanks for supporting all of us here.

Seewhatudo, I couldn’t agree with you more.

Jimbo999, you are right, this way, no one is left behind. Organization in this particular matter is of upmost importance.

Everyone, and especially the OP, thank you so much for shedding light on how serious this has become.

Good dreams to all; may financial nightmares be instead turned into a promise for justice and fairness.

I’m out for the night…

It really is amazing how quick people try to condemn/demonize the USA!!

Everything is our fault!!

Listen to the news, that bhorto gali sinbad chic is our fault!

As bad as some of you want us to fall, we wont!!

Envy is a powerfull crutch!!

I am sitting here laughing my a$$ of at all of you that would rather place blame, than right you own situation.

After all its easier to say "He did this to me" than to say "I am responsible for my own actions"

WORLD WAKE UP!!!!!!!!

AHH the great scape goat, its not your fault, the good old USA is to blame!!

What a bunch of BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

reply to post by redseal


The whole point is that people no longer have the means and the resources to correct their situation. No man is an island. The problems that many Americans are facing today are the result of a deliberate conspiracy being perpetrated against them by world bankers and the power elite.

Our leaders, government and media have been lying to the American people about the true state of our economy for many many years but more so in the last 10 years. True inflation is running close to 10% and unemployment above 9% if the old methods of accounting were in effect.

The Bureau of Labor statistics began to change their method of reporting these stats under Clinton in 1995. Since then the government and media only reports "core inflation" striping out food and fuel and uses other "substitutions of equal value" when some items rise in costs! eg. house prices use to be included in the calculation but was substituted by "rentals" when house prices went ballistic. The costs of computers and electronics where also given bigger weightings as the price of computers came down in costs due to technology advances and cheaper components from asia. This had the effect of dampening the rise in costs of other things. But how many computers and DVD players does the average householder consume in a year???

This is downright fraud as the government can pay retirees less in Social Security each year and each year you fall further and further behind in real wage growth as companies also index wage increases according to phony government CPI numbers. For the real numbers on our economy check out John Williams site "Shadow Government Statistics" www.shadowstats.com for the real deal.

The average American is getting screwed and I am mad as hell! Social Security is a big joke as there is absolutely no money in the fund to pay the 70M baby boomers that are beginning retirement in 08. The government will just print the money to pay and everybody will just get more and more worthless dollars that will buy less and less. That is why our dollar is plunging against other currencies as foreigners are not stupid. They can see how our government just prints more and more money to meet its obligations and to pay for the endless war on terror etc. Creating money out of thin air just devalues each dollar in circulation and creates inflation.

The housing debacle will continue to accelerate as an estimated 1 trillion in adjustable rate mortgages are due for resetting in 08 and 09. What banks are going to refinance those risky loans when some of these mortgages are underwater already? ( Outstanding amount of mortgage exceeds the market value of the house ) This is a disaster of unprecedented proportions and all the FED will do is pump more liquidity ( print more money ) to bail out the big banks, and Wall street ( the f**ing btards that concocted this fraud ). Little relief will come to the average Joe as banks are terrified of lending in this environment to Joe homeowner.

America is falling and the btards that run our government have run it into the ground. Protect yourself by getting out of the US dollar. Buy gold and silver now as I can see it going ballistic in 08 and 09.