How are you coping these days? Share your story.

reply to post by weedwhacker


WW,
I tried those internet income sources. You know, I was young I needed the money kind of thing.
Alas, my figure and hairline a thing of the past, not to mention my over-lethargic sperm, I can't "model" like that any more. I'm afraid "Lance Thrust" has retired.

On a similar topic, how many of us have had to cancel our ugh beloved internet subscriptions? You know our "research" sites!

[edit on 7/3/2008 by schrodingers dog]

reply to post by ALightinDarkness


you cannot say they there are NO economic problems.. believe me.. in the Mid West it is wide spread.... Not all states suffer the same, not all communities do..

But I dare you to drive through the Ohio River Valley between Ohio and West Virginia and tell me all is "ok" .. and I certainly dare you to drive from South Ohio to Detroit Michigan along the I-75 Corridor and tell me everything is "ok" .. and I will dare you to drive through Cleavland and Youngstown and tell me "the economy is just peachy" .. Travel down south through the dehydrated and parched Georgia and Kentucky fields.. tell me those people don't mind it..

People are hurting in this economy, as a Brother, I charge you to show some compassion for your suffering neighbors..... And to believe that not everyone who says they suffer is making it up, over-exadurating or confused..

Do you pay bills your self? Have a mortgage and kids, a wife and car payment, insurance and mounting credit debt? Own a business or work to feed your self?

Scholarly work aside mate, I listen to the men who trudge through the economy before I listen to some stiff back tie wearing prick living off a government salary any day!

The one thing that I wish we could incorporate in our culture here in America is what the French call "manifestations". It's just basically marches for a cause. Now I'm not suggesting that we do it as much as they do it in mainland Europe where they basically have a protest march every week.
I know that in the States, protest carries a huge social stigma, and it only happens to protest wars or abortion rights. But I don't see why we can't express a visible popular presence every once in a while to show our disapproval at our elected officials. I want to be perfectly clear, I'm not starting a socialist movement here. Just a once in a while show of hands. But I don't think it's in the culture here. Marching for a cause seems to label the participants as extremists or hippies. It's unfortunate though because it's much more effective than a faceless letter to your senator.
Just thinking out loud here.

reply to post by Rockpuck


Straw man. There are always "economic problems" for someone, some where. I have never stated otherwise. The economy however, is not a zero sum game even though the media and doom & gloom propaganda would have us think otherwise.

People have got to learn that their local economy is not generalizable for everyone. Detroit and the rest of the autobelt has been in ruins for quite some time, even when the rest of the country was in a boon. However...bad economic development practices do not signify the need to run for the hills. It does signal a need to move perhaps over the long term, or slap the current economic development practitioners into reality (by voting out the people that hired them).

People always suffer, but I will not whine when the people who lived through the only actual time of national economic hardship (the Great Depression) think comparing current conditions to it are laughable.

Finally, I would hardly call me working 50 hours a week, going to school, and driving a 15 year old car not suffering by the standards we use on ATS (which so far has included, no cable, no internet, higher price of cigarettes, among other sad stories). But I do not cry, because I know that I - and most other people in this and every other first world country - live a life of unimaginable prosperity that so many would die for.

People put themselves in a doom and gloom mindset because they buy the media propaganda. I'll stick to the data. When the data say its time to run for the hills, I'll join the doom and gloom club - until then - I'm just a realist. As I said previously I'm a pretty pessimistic person, but I'm a rational one that looks at the data. But compared to the doom and gloom preached on ATS, I look like a huge optimist.

reply to post by ALightinDarkness


ALD, I'm actually not even disagreeing with you.
But nobody here is "whining" as you keep saying, and I haven't heard a single reasonable post telling people to "run for the hills" as you also keep saying. Posters are just answering the question I asked in the OP. It's not like people are flooding your U2U box with unsolicited sob stories. Perhaps your issue is with the OP itself, and that's fine, but why aggress those who are merely responding with honesty?
Think about it this way, I come up to you and ask you how old you are, let's say you tell me you're forty, and some random passer by tells you "stop bitching about your age" when all you were doing is answering my question.


[edit on 7/3/2008 by schrodingers dog]

[edit on 7/3/2008 by schrodingers dog]

wow, its amazing how many people have it so bad. i cant name anyone that i know having a hard time right now. just had my 10 yr reunion and everyone there seemed to be doing great. some of the bills you guys are paying sound very high. maybe its just the area you live in though.

i had a truck and was paying 90/week on gas (30 miles each way to work and back). this was when gas was 3 dollars. so i sold my truck, and bought a brand new car. my payment is the same as my truck was, 250/mo but i get a brand new car that only costs me 40/wk to fill up. so even with gas prices going up, im still only paying half of what i was.

just bought a new house. 1400/mo for that. everything in my house is electric, no gas or anything. my electricity bill is 120/mo for a 1700 sq ft house. the ac is always on about 74. we leave for work and i tell my wife to turn it off, but she keeps it on for the dog. we signed a contract on the electric bill that locked in our rates (before they started to jump) so i guess that helps.

water/trash/sewer is about 80/mo and i water my lawn every other day.
i have full coverage insurance on mine and my wifes cars for only 120/mo combined. we both get free health insurance from our jobs. ive actuallly had 2 promotions at work this year alone (still dont make alot though).

id say we average about 200 a month on food, sometimes a little more or less but generally in that area. we dont eat fancy, but im full after every meal. usually hamburger helper or sandwiches, or frozen pizzas and other similar items.

cable and internet run 89.00/mo. This is no movie channels but everything else and cable internet.

we go to a movie every other sunday and usually go to a bar on saturday night.
i put 200 in saving every month and i usually have a few hundred left over at the end of the month. we probably make 60000/yr combined. im the poorest person in my group of friends.

things are sometimes tight, we had to pay 1000 to get my wifes vehicle fixed this past month, so no money left over but i just wont go out as much this month.

In sept we are taking our 3rd vacation in 3 years. going to vegas for the first time with a big group of friends. im working overtime for the next 3 months to pay for it. life has been good so far to me. oh by the way, im in texas. i curious to see what regions of the usa everyone is in. i didnt read all the posts but most seemed like they were on the east and west coast. those areas might be getting hit harder then others.

hopefully every ones luck will change. i guess im lucky i havent been affected yet. it actually was an eye opening experience reading this thread. i havent seen the problems you guys are describing.

Honestly....I sell guns. I have a few shops, and I do BETTER when times are tough. When I was a kid my Dad told me to get into biz either selling food, healing people, or selling guns. So I took door 3 and have done fine. I hate the gas prices as well, but the food price thing really I have not noticed. I try and eat good food, and that usually mean expensive so it was already high for us 10 years ago. Your higher end stuff has not gone up as much as the Hamburger Helper crowds food has.

reply to post by TXMACHINEGUNDLR


Just out of curiosity, has the price of weapons and bullets gone up recently?
A few people have posted that they had to pawn or sell their guns.

[edit on 7/3/2008 by schrodingers dog]

reply to post by ALightinDarkness





Sounds like you are trying to convince yourself of these things you say more so than the rest of us.


Maybe the best way for you to cope with a very real and very serious economic downturn that is approaching is to wave it off and dismiss it as being less severe than it will likely turn out to be. Whatever gets you by I suppose.


Nobody here is complaining. I think it is safe to say that everyone understands your point of view by now, so why keep up the pressure? These are just folks venting because life for many, wheather YOU wish to acknowlege it or not, has become increasingly more difficult and cumbersome to manage with the recent economic developments that have take place.

These people are obviously in a tough spot right now and simply looking to bond and share discussion with others who may be in the same predicament as they are. Discussing problems alleviates stress and helps to increase morale at a critical time when it is needed most.

Why rob them of that?

reply to post by schrodingers dog


Uh, I've seen several posts where people are claiming they are literally running for the hills.

Secondly, if this is not a "tell me your sob story" thread, I don't know what is. People are free, of course, to tell their sob stories, and I'm free to talk about how I'm doing just fine even though by ATS standards I should probably be crying on someones shoulder right now.

reply to post by ALightinDarkness


Just 3 or 4 posts before yours by tdubz is about a person doing well. It's not the only one including my OP. But if it makes you feel better: You're right, I'm sorry, it's my fault.

[edit on 7/3/2008 by schrodingers dog]

reply to post by BlackOps719


I'm afraid your projecting in your attempt to blame your personal problems on someone else. I'm sorry that the data does not indicate the economic apocalypse you are hoping for.

As I said, anyone who goes against the doom and gloom mantra is lynched on ATS - but as I personally don't care, I'm not going to sit around and join the crowd even though I could tell quite a sob story. Everyone else is free to tell theirs, and I am free to talk about how thankful I am that I have basic luxuries available to almost everyone. It is also refreshing to see a few other ATS members who are not under the influence of the doom and gloom propaganda - although they are, of course, in the very small minority.

[edit on 3-7-2008 by ALightinDarkness]

reply to post by ALightinDarkness





Fine, super, outstanding.


We are thrilled to hear how well you are doing. We are all sub human scum. Your words are abundantly clear.


Your point has been made.


What are you looking for, a cookie?

reply to post by BlackOps719


You should really stop projecting, its getting frightening.

Anyways, back on topic:

I've seen the light.

I should shut up because we all know life sucks and how dare I go against the hive mind on ATS. I get it. I bow to your supreme knowledge of the economy because even without looking at the data you can divine Its The End Of The World As We Know It. Life sucks, its all the government's/George Bush's/the NWO's fault and its time for me to run for the hills. Ladies and gentlemen, the end is nigh.

I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your programming. We now resume your regularly scheduled doom and gloom.


[edit on 3-7-2008 by ALightinDarkness]

reply to post by ALightinDarkness




Fanstastic.


Thanks for sharing

reply to post by BlackOps719


Hey BO, (unfortunate acronym) lol

What do you think of the post I made earlier about "protests"?

reply to post by schrodingers dog





I wouldn't even know where to begin, or what to protest first to be honest.


To me the whole protesting thing died with the hippies. The type of change required in order to really do any good in this day and age will have to be far more blunt and direct.

Then again I suppose it wouldn't hurt.


Edit to - LOL @ BO comment (sniffs himself) not so bad

[edit on 7/3/08 by BlackOps719]

Good or bad times, nothing stays forever. Plus the best things in life are free, no?

Perhaps a morning walk in the grass, barefeet ... with your loved ones. Maybe a sunset stroll from the library ...

reply to post by ALightinDarkness


ALightinDarkness - We get it, even though you're not living the "dream" you're happy that you arn't stuck in the mud, that's great. In fact we understood it the first time you said it. Also, the vast majority of posters in this thread are NOT complaining so why do you keep restating yourself? Oh and what's the deal, can you feel no empathy? I know everyone's not sleeping on the street and starving but why are you so numb to the human condition?


As for me, once I'm free to leave this city(probation) I'm heading out on the road, I've got some old camping gear and I plan on hitch-hiking around the USA. I'm even learning how to play Fiddle for some extra cash if I need it. I couldn't really careless about the economy because I have no desire to get a house/job/etc. but my heart goes out to those that are struggling and I wish you the best of luck!

[edit on 3-7-2008 by AreaMan]

reply to post by BlackOps719


I have another question if you don't mind.
I remember from your first post that you said you're single.
I've been married for eight years so I can't even remember that kind of dignity.
I wonder, have you cut back on dating?