is the u.s economy recovering and do you think it's heading in the right direction?

heard these 2 stats on cnn the other day, u.s. deficit is 2/3 paid off under obama & dow jones is at record highs. it can be argued that jobs are on the rise although possibly artificial and most are low paying, also the fact that a lot of people have given up looking. price of oil is very low which is helping peoples budgets. obviously there is an economic boom created by oil in the dakotas and texas, how long will that last?

all in all do you feel the u.s economy is recovering, how long will it last and do you think obama has had anything to do with it?

originally posted by: conspiracy nut
heard these 2 stats on cnn the other day, u.s. deficit is 2/3 paid off under obama & dow jones is at record highs. it can be argued that jobs are on the rise although possibly artificial and most are low paying, also the fact that a lot of people have given up looking. price of oil is very low which is helping peoples budgets. obviously there is an economic boom created by oil in the dakotas and texas, how long will that last?

all in all do you feel the u.s economy is recovering, how long will it last and do you think obama has had anything to do with it?

If you are in the top 5% the economy is great....if you are anyone else not so much.

The stock market doesn't even effect regular folks...as over 90% of regular folks can't even afford to invest.

The oil price is already taking high paying oil field jobs, by this time next year most will be laid off.

So in short....no the economy is not doing very well at all for the vast majority of us regular folks.

I'm pretty sure you can't "pay off" a deficit. Cliche MSM propaganda at its finest.

Yes. The economy has recovered to a large degree. As with all recoveries it hasn't occurred equally over all sectors or geographies. But there is little question it is in far better shape than it was back in 2008. Is it sustainable? Unlikely. The world economy is teetering and in some markets, coming unglued. That affects the US directly. The wealthy (as usual) have been the largest benefactors. Their wealth has gone up significantly while the rest of us have remained mostly flat when corrected for inflation. So if you're a one-percenter you are happy as a pig. And if you're part of the rest of us you are probably sleeping a bit better but that's about it.

I never pay attention to the pundits, talking heads, alleged experts because you know what the easiest way to tell if the economy is getting better is?

Look around.

Are they finishing office complexes and malls that for a decade have stood empty? Are homes selling again? Are new home starts/sales up? Is it easier to find a job again?

Atlanta, hit pretty hard by the mortgage crisis, is recovering at record speed on all these accounts.

We aren't generating enough jobs for the lower skilled worker. Those at the top are doing well because that is where the skill sets in demand are concentrated. We need to do something policy wise to encourage more growth in blue collar and manufacturing sectors. Our society is severely bifurcated where those who are above average intelligence, certain schooling, etc are finding extremely well paying jobs while your average joe simply is struggling.

It used to be you could earn a reasonable living as long as you were willing to work even if you didn't go to college. You could get a job at a plant, etc and still have a decent middle income life. Our economy has gotten so competitive now that unless you learn a trade, most high school drop outs are screwed. Even most college grads aren't getting the choice jobs.

We need some policies to help folks learn some skills like plumbing, electrician, construction, etc. Everyone can't be an investment banker or even a marketing manager.

I also think our policies need to encourage companies to keep their operations in the US. Companies that maintain plants in the US should be getting some significant tax breaks and/or we need to look at our trade agreements and start putting some tariffs on imports to level the playing field. Also, the average consumer needs to understand basic economics and that by commoditizing everything by price, they are encouraging companies to ship jobs overseas. I am willing to pay a little more to buy local or something made in the US but a lot people are not.

HMMMMM. I see ALL kinds of empty BUILDINGS around town now, education in the arts STILL sucks...military is getting dangerously under powered ,and small buisnesses are NUKED for healthcare so not so much.

The economy has gotten a little better, but it is so far from being stable that it can fall over any day. This economy is so plagued by deception that I can't see how it is surviving. I see the administration is changing the way they judge it's shape more than any other administration. They make it look like they fix things but what do they really do? They change the way they interpret the evidence. I guess that has been going on a very long time. Every administration does that. But this one is really not shy about twisting things.

Remember though, the economy is based on belief, sort of like a religion. But religions crumble when the head of the church is corrupt too.

I think there is no doubt that the economy has recovered under Obama. The statistics i have seen show that many areas of the economy have seen some positive directions while other facets still need to be worked on. That is to be expected.

I think people expect way too much from Obama, and i think he has done a great job with regards to the US economy and domestic/national issues. Not many here will agree with me on that, but it's the truth. Obama has managed to sail the USA through the economic crisis, and he has even moved the state towards social and health reforms which are actually beneficial factors for the people (see Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK etc).

I think the main reason the deficit is shrinking is because of the deadlock kicking in the automatic across the board budget cuts. It just means the government is borrowing less money than it use to...they are still borrowing money!

The fact that the EU is about to do the same thing the US did, a QE program, shows that it worked how they wanted it to. The US seems to be in better shape than others in a global slowdown.

a reply to: daaskapital

Do people actually believe anything changes between one president & the next. I'm pretty sure the federal reserve is still around doing what it does best. Our societies addiction to partisan politics is pathetic. (& I mean global society)


a reply to: noeltrotsky

Oh ya, QE worked *exactly* how they wanted it to. We are pretty much guaranteed hyperinflation & total economic collapse within the next 1-10 years.

Not recovering. When smoke shops close after a week you know the economy's no good. Record numbers on food stamps, and finding a job is very difficult. Unless of course you're on the top.

Let the average person be your indicator of how well the economy's doing, not the corporations. Average person's cutting back, downsizing, learning to live with less. The media's busy telling everyone it's all okay, says the people who don't even interact with people (except their fellow caged in wealthy utopians).

Crumbling infrastructure, buildings empty. You can cover crap in sprinkles all you want, it doesn't make it ice cream.

a reply to: rickymouse

I noticed that too. If you can doctor the numbers you can fool the fools. And they're doing a wonderful job too.

originally posted by: Eunuchorn
Oh ya, QE worked *exactly* how they wanted it to. We are pretty much guaranteed hyperinflation & total economic collapse within the next 1-10 years.

The long term effects of QE are somewhat unknown. It sure isn't well understood by myself...and I've tried reading up on it! Eventually I'll take another run at understanding it...

The economy could be having a good impulse. Although if I am correct, right now it is only affecting a very small percentage of the population.

From what I know there also is a current upcoming trend in liquified natural gas. This in combination with the development of shale gas, could be very beneficial for the US economy. It also changes the power dynamics in the energy market.

HOWEVER, the economy can rise again, but is does not change the fact that there is something FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG in the economic system. I am of course talking about the Federal Reserve Sytem and the infinite debt they are building. At one point it WILL crack.

The economy will never get better for the majority of average joe since it is all trickle up to the ones who control the banks and in effect the whole monetary system. If you control the currency you can like with Warren Buffet give cheap debt money that he can buy companies and resources and therefor compete in a way other 1% cannot.

The whole 1% thing is a thing to keep you from looking at the real problem 0.00001%. The 0.00001% who have advantages in the system since they created the system that the other 99.99999% do not have.

Since you are paying tax to pay interest to banks on national debt you will always pay the bank owners tribune. If you go low taxes and have a high deficit then you increase the debt to banks and increase interest payments in the future. If you go high taxes for even the rich without way to get away you are in the end taking resources from 1% to give to 0.00001%. The 0.00001% feed on all others even the 1%. Trickle up economics. Feed on those below.

Maybe with gold standard or resource economy you could have a fair system. With usury and fiat money you will never have it because the controller of the currency have all the power.

originally posted by: daaskapital
I think there is no doubt that the economy has recovered under Obama. The statistics i have seen show that many areas of the economy have seen some positive directions while other facets still need to be worked on. That is to be expected.

I think people expect way too much from Obama, and i think he has done a great job with regards to the US economy and domestic/national issues. Not many here will agree with me on that, but it's the truth. Obama has managed to sail the USA through the economic crisis, and he has even moved the state towards social and health reforms which are actually beneficial factors for the people (see Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK etc).

I agree, Daas.

The systematic abuses, lies, and blood sucking that the banks have inflicted on people.

Does anyone remember when the banks started penalizing small accounts,


so they could confiscate the 5 dollars little Susie's Grandmother had used to start an account for her granddaughter.

Does anyone remember when the banks started heaping up fines and penalties.

Does anyone remember when the banks started using credit scores.

Does anyone remember when savings accounts stopped paying interest.

Does anyone remember the transaction fees.

Does anyone remember the small print used to change their contracts with customers, that said "and if you don't contest this we'll charge you X amount of dollars for no damn reason."


Does anyone remember when the pension funds were pillaged.



Does anyone remember all the off shore accounts, used to avoid taxes, that turned the Caymans into a banking mega center.

Recovering doesn't even begin to describe it.





The Economy might be entering a period of eternal torment.






The Economy is recovering like crops recover during Rains of Fire.








The Economy is as solid as A new Ice age.






The Economy has recovered its place in the pits of hell.

a reply to: conspiracy nut

Nothing has changed in order for it to recover.

Anything happening in the market right now is an illusion.

Remember when this tiny State in the 40's started building rockets.



We transplanted their scientists and launched trips to the Moon from Florida.

Seventy years later and we should have at least twenty five rocket programs, not half of one. Our so-called Economy has had its face rubbed in social issues for so long, it doesn't even remember where the moons are. Let alone how to get there. These disposable plastic topics that are shuffled around every four years are so irrelevant as to be meaningless. Our current banking system is not capable of sustaining a space program. It certainly will never grow one.


Mike Grouchy