Is the depression worse than what we are lead to believe?

I am noticing a lot of changes in business practices. I am noticing a lot less leniancy with bills. I have had situations where my bills have been a little past due simply because of pay dates falling at different dates and delayed pay etc. I have a budget I go by and I go by it exactly.
I usually pay only a day or sometimes up to a week after my bill is due on my phone/internet bill. They have a 10 day grace period. I just paid my bill 3 weeks a go. I am within the grace period yet they are threatening to disconnect me before I have the money to pay. The absurd thing is they will shut me off one day before I get paid.
In the past I would jujst pay and not have problems but the past 2 months I have had problems. There are no longer seperate tech support, billing, customer service or collections. When you call 611 you are put on hold for 20 minutes or so. Sometimes they have someone call you back 2 days later. You can't even get into the automated systems anymore without talking to someone.

I wish could just move from this country. What country would be better? This is no longer the america I dreamed of.

Originally posted by dreamseeker
I wish could just move from this country. What country would be better? This is no longer the america I dreamed of.

Why would any nation want illegal US immigrants coming in to their country and draining their tax-funded public resources?

reply to post by dreamseeker

If you believe Chris Martenson, the Fed is playing a Shell game with the sale of bonds and notes, selling them to a shill broker, who then sells them back to the Fed.
The original sales of notes and bonds are then reported to the press, with commentary that demand for Fed Financial Instruments remain strong.
Then , without fanfare, the notes and bonds are bought back 7 days later by the Fed.

IF this practice is wide spread, then indeed, it may actually mean that the US Fed position is on its Death Bed, and that US Bankruptcy is only months away.
Stay tuned.

reply to post by ProfEmeritus


Hyper inflation my friend.

Tis coming sooner than we want/think.

reply to post by mikerussellus

Hyper inflation my friend. Tis coming sooner than we want/thin

True, it is inevitable. However, I don't see it happening until the unemployment numbers go down significantly. That will then drive up the consumer confidence numbers, and then inflation skyrockets.
I would (in fact, I am) take advantage of the deflationary period that we are in now, and buy goods that are non-perishable, and are used throughout your life.

reply to post by dreamseeker


I had outpatient surgery at the local hospital. Got a bill for $380.00. $200 co-pay plus $180 because my deductible was not paid. Perfectly legit bill. Just because I'm stubborn I never pay the first bill. I wait for the 2cd and pay. Well they called me up and said that if I would pay $230 now they would forgive the rest. I jumped on it but it makes me think they are in financial trouble. Why else would they offer such a deal? Not from the goodness of their heart.

reply to post by Trader52


I just spoke with a supervisor and he admitted that they do not adequate training. He said I have more knowledge and training then anyone at Time Warner altogether. They have combined several departments.
After speaking with him I really picked up on the fact that Time Warner Cable is facing Finical distress as well.
He said they get 1000s of calls in a day of customers who are behind. They are less leninat now than they used to be because of the volume of people in finicail distress.
He was able to work out something with me. He said that I have a better solution than what anyone there could come up with.
There is a huge difference between business now and business pre 2007.

Last month hit hard with major bills that could not be ignored so I did not pay my satellite bill, again, so they were about to shut it off and I called this am for a stay of execution.

The guy on the phone first said it must be paid in full, then it began to change, he finally said ok, if you drop showtime... I said no way I cant drop showtime it is why I have sattelite, he said ok you keep satellite but promise to pay the minimum by the end of the month, I said I have no money at the end of the month it will have to be next month, he said impossible I can only extend this for 10 days and that is the 28th, I said fine but I will have to call on the 27th and get it extended again, he finally said f.i.n.e. you call back on the 27th for another extension for another 5 days, he was so nice and I just kept talking to him giving more reasons to keep my satellite on, I would like to say I wore him out, who knows, I still have satellite.

Originally posted by Taikonaut

Originally posted by dreamseeker
I wish could just move from this country. What country would be better? This is no longer the america I dreamed of.

Why would any nation want illegal US immigrants coming in to their country and draining their tax-funded public resources?

No if I were come to any country I would do it legally. I would get a green card or become a citzen of that country.

[edit on 19-8-2009 by dreamseeker]

The 'depression' is nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophesy.

If enough people believe that there is a depression, they then behave accordingly and cut-back on consumer spending/investment/financial risk-taking etc, and therefore restricting the flow of finance (which must continue to move in order to create prosperity) so creating the very conditions of a depression

Explains why the MSM is busy spreading the idea that the depression isn't happening and trying to boost confidence...to prevent such a self-reinforcing mindset.

reply to post by Taikonaut


The depression is a product of our soceity. We set up a soceity based on money which can flucate and weaken. It sets us for failure right from the start.
When we put money before the person we have taken the humanity out of our soceity.

Taking the consideration of job loses so far since 2007 (the beginning of the economic crisis and the housing bubble crash) we are in a deep depression right now.

Due to the fact that we are at a worst level with unemployment since the last great depression.

But the word depression will never be used in the government after the trillions of dollars been taken from tax payer to pass the bailout for the financial.

Is not way that they government will tell that the economy is doing "worst than expected" after gouging the tax payer.

reply to post by marg6043


I am not sure if this related to the depression but I just tried to go to att for phone and internet. I am sick of Time Warner Cable. They asked for a social security number but I refused but gave them my state id number instead. They will still able to do a credit check even though I was trying to aviod that. Now they can justify charging me a deposit just to get phone and internet services.
I am so sick of how things are now. What happened to the good old days of anyone could get phone service. This seems more like trying to get a cell phone. This absurd; credit can be manipulated, changed and messed up.
It is just another way for the big companies to make money off use little guys.
I wish I could just establish my own services and not be dependent upon the greedy, who gives a s*it coperations.
All they want is money; they dont care if the customer is satisfied.
Another thing that makes me mad is they charge you NOT to have your name in the phone book. It is saving them money but not printing your name. Is this just another way they can justify selling your information to other companies.
I am so sick of this BS! I am only less than a week behind on my bill and they told me they are going to disconnect me today. I just spoke with a supervisor yesterday. I am usaully either right on time or only a day or so behind.
I hit a snag when I was charged outragous amounts for long distance. I had a $400 long distance bill that I finally paid off. They told me it was at 5 cents minute but they charged me a lot more than that. I was only on the phone for a total of 20 hours.
The bill should have only been $60. They would never admit they were wrong and just went to milk me for all I am worth.
There so many oppurtunist out there anymore just taking advantage of people's desperation. I see a lot of web sites that ask for money to help you find a job?
SIGH! What the heck are we going to do about all this. It is not just one company but 90% of the companies out there that are doing this.
I want to change my internet and home phone service but I can't! I am trapped by circumstance.

[edit on 20-8-2009 by dreamseeker]

reply to post by dreamseeker


Yes, now a days everybody you do business with wants your SS number to do a background check on your credit.

Actually you don't have to give your SS number to anybody by law.

But so private institutions can deny you services if you don't is their prerogative.

Littler by littler they are training us the people to give away all our information to anybody that wants it regardless.

Sad.

reply to post by marg6043

But the word depression will never be used in the government after the trillions of dollars been taken from tax payer to pass the bailout for the financial.

Very true. In fact, the Obama administration just finished saying that the economy is starting to turn around. The next day, unemployment figures came out, and gee, big surprise, unemployment got WORSE.
How many big lies can they tell, before people realize that the only time politicians lie is when they open their mouth?

Originally posted by Taikonaut

Originally posted by dreamseeker
I wish could just move from this country. What country would be better? This is no longer the america I dreamed of.

Why would any nation want illegal US immigrants coming in to their country and draining their tax-funded public resources?

You must understand. it's all part of the big plan. very soon, nothing in the US will ever be the same. That;s why you're seeing changes now. it is changing, and soon, you won't recognize it anymore.
The powers that be are going for the gold ring now, they are instituting changes that have been in the making for decades, and they aren't even hiding it anymore.

The depression we are in will be much worse than the 1930's. I have talked to my elderly mother, who was a child at the time, how was it, living in that time period.
She said, her father always had a job. he was a saw mill man, and they had to go where the work was, but he always could find work . When the saw mills went bust, my graandfather worked for the WPA, doing road, and park projects, and anything to stay busy. They were paid in cash, as there were'nt any open banks. they always had something to eat, even if they had to go fishing, or shoot something. For people in the south during this time period, getting by was a way of life. Some people lived so far away in the boonies, they didn't even know there was a depression till someone told them. They were already poor, and very self reliant.
Something people need to remember about the difference in the time periods. people back then were very self reliant. They didn't have a government program to always bail them out. they also knew how to do things. They didn't wait on some government official to tell them what to do. it was hard times, but people got by.
Also, people didn't have much money, but no one else did either. people bartered for things, and made do with what they had. Use it up, and wear it out was the motto of the era. People survived, and came out stronger.
Foward to today. There are masses of people, actually sheeple to be more specific, who wouldn't know what to do if the government didn't tell them. They don't have a clue how to do anything for themselves. When everything goes south, and it will very soon, these are the people that will be standing in a bread line, waiting for a handout, and then, will gladly be led away to a camp somewhere, when promised that the "gubmint" will take care of them. You can fill in the blanks on the reat of that story. There is no way that our broke a__ "gubmint" can take care of anything. It's over. John Q. Public has given over too much for too long to both parties, with the idea that they are looking out for us. That's "change you can believe in". NOT. Sadly, both parties play for the same team. Sooner or later , everyone will figure that out.
The over-riding thing I have gotten from talking to elderly people wjo lived thru the 30's depression, is the fact that they got by on their wits, and their determination not to bow to the conditions they were in. They looked foward to a better time, and knew they had what it took to get by. They made do with what they had.
again , flash foward to today. There are people who have seen what is coming for a long time. In their own way, they have made preparations for what they envision will happen. These people will get by. They have looked at history, and put 2+2 together, and have a good idea of what we will face very soon. it will be much worse than the 30's, and they know it. These foward thinking people know that the government lies on a daily basis. What they hear on the news, and what they deduce by seeking the truth on their own, are two vastly different results.
people need to get their head out of their a___, and start thinking for their on. Look at what the government is doing, not what they tell you. They are certainly getting ready for something big, and a moron can see it.
Despite what the government will tell you, the economic conditions aren't going to get better for a long time. We are getting ready to go off the edge of a cliff very soon. If you do some things for yourself, you might have a chance to survive. if you do nothing, and wait for the "gubmint" to take care of you,---- well, I hope you like the camp life, and bunk house living. Enough said, have a nice day.