Does your family feel the excruciating financial pain most Americans are experiencing?

Wow Waaa and to think that was a French News station who reported that...I had to double take I was like WOW someone in the MSM reporting this NO WAY then I came to reality. Ill bet these other countries think our government is just the worst.....oh wait they are...how is it we the wealthiest most powerful country in the history of earth has so many homeless, uninsured, and collapsing roads and bridges...its almost pathetic. Im sure some of those people are there because they choose to be but others I KNOW are there because of a bad break. Hey as long as the fortune 500 Execs can still get paid 30 Million a year who cares right?

Originally posted by LOLZebra
This is just a regular economic recession cycle. We were actually due for this over a year ago but the Fed kept pro-longing the inevitable by lowering rates, and pumping the market full of money (thus inflating the dollar which increases the oil prices for us). We'll come out of it eventually. This happens, or should happen, every 4-5 years. You can't grow indefinitely.

For now all we can do is cut unnecessary spending and wait it out. My family didn't change anything that we do other than buy a more fuel efficient car, but the older car was running over 150k miles so it was time for a new one anyways.

Just my 0.02

Zebra

This is no ordinary recession that has or had a past to compare....this one is the Huge Bonanza, and to make matters worse, Oil Speculators....bound to George Soros and Company, have really taken the Price of Oil and Gas to a level of no return, which will finally put the Nail into the Coffin.

You will see things that were never seen before, ecperience things that were never in the mirror and only the Thugs who can loot from the other Thugs will be able to become Presidents. This is the beginning to something that nobody can predict, therefore Expect the Unexpected and be Alert !!!!

reply to post by yellowcard

A weeks pay is enough to pay a months rent around these parts for a small, cheap apartment, and pay will always chase the living cost...so likely you will make much more than $8-10 an hour in "your country" to sustain the cost of living..

Not in these parts. What you think is "likely" is not the case at all. My girlfriend for example, has been working at the same supermarket for seven years and only makes about ten and change per hour.

Feel free to do your own research on employment in Dutchess County if you like, but I can tell you first hand that after a almost a year of putting out applications, I was only able to land a part-time job for nine an hour.

EDIT to add some details about my job-find:

I was lucky enough to get a few bucks above minimum wage due to my extensive and varied work experience. I have never been fired from a job, have some college, and the only gap in my employment history before this was only two months due to illness.

Also, the only reason I was able to get my foot in the door is because I happened to know the owner from one of my old jobs, AND happened to enter her establishment on a day that her full-timer walked out with the bank deposit. Too bad I didn't get all of his hours though, as she also hired another woman in desperate need of a job as well.

[edit on 7/6/0808 by jackinthebox]

reply to post by yellowcard

Oh and yes cigarettes are a waste when you're poor

So I suppose when you're poor you're not entitled to take any enjoyment out of life. Perhaps all poor people should just kill themselves. Did you ever stop to think that maybe the reason so many poor people smoke is because it is the one thing that makes them free to enjoy life for five minutes? No movies, no tv, no vacation, no peace of mind, but at least they can enjoy a puff.

reply to post by yellowcard

that you are more a victim of poor financial management than of the economy or the government.

Kinda hard to manage your finances properly, when your basic cost of living is twice to three times what you earn. Forgive me for splurging on a can of veggies to toss in my ramen.

Yep, I'm doing great. On top of the world. I own a '92 Ford PU, needs a paint job and some body repair, but it runs when I can afford gas.

My house is paid for, so as soon as I can choose between dental work and roof repair, that won't be a problem.

I mow grass once every two weeks with my push mower, as it's the same cost as gasoline to the gym I can't afford, to get the same amount of exercise I need every day.

But I make up the extra exercise requirements with hopscotching over snakes in the tall grass and running pell mell everytime my wife screams while hanging out laundry she does in the bathtub on a rubboard.

I have an internet/phone bundle, but you'll have to overlook the typing errors as I have a hard time seeing the keyboard in the dark, which saves me almost enough energy costs to make up for the electricity to run this thing.

We have heard of cable TV, but can't imagine wasting money when we already get PBS and CBS almost every day on our bent antenna. And the snow in the picture is really good for your eyes as they get the needed exercise we old folks need, what with trying to focus properly.

And I eat like a king. Usually good nutritous oatmeal or grits for breakfast, I skip lunch to watch my boyish figure, and a delicious supper of something like Chicken Neck Soup or Poached Deer, (sometimes refered to as Woodland Steak).

I just can't imagine times getting any better than this.

I have been unemployed since the beginning of May. It's the first time I've really felt any financial burden since I have a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and two masters degrees. However it seems that no one is interested right now in hiring senior engineers. It's cheaper to hire people right out of college or just to ship the jobs overseas. I'll be pulling money out of retirement accounts just to survive. Unfortunately my burn rate is really high due to a son just entering college so it won't last very long.

My best prospects are in fact are overseas. The only price I'll have to pay to do this is the loss of my marriage, since my wife refuses to relocate from our dismal New England town. This is a choice I'd prefer not to make, but hey it's the new 'Amerika'. If Lindsey Williams is right this was planned all along, and he did call $5 gas in CA well in advance....

www.reformation.org...

reply to post by SevenThunders


Starred. Here's a thread I started with some Lindsey Williams video that was passed along to me...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by jackinthebox


You can't help but ask yourself, what is really going on with our useless government? Williams called the gas spike and it went down exactly like he said it would. He claims it is an inside job done by market manipulators on purpose; not just to squeeze profits out of helpless Americans but actually, ultimately to crash the whole system.

If Americans knew what was really going and who is to blame, there would be blood in the streets.....

[edit on 6-7-2008 by SevenThunders]

My youngest child and family will be leaving Michigan to move back to Canada to live with me on the farm. My dogs will enjoy having the children around, and as I grow more frail (which I don't like to admit) it will be good to have them here. Different set of problems for each of us but hopefully a good answer for us all.

reply to post by Pellevoisin


I should have moved to Canada when I had the chance. I was really too young to know any better at the time though. A relative that my grandfather had been close to founded a boys camp up there many years ago, and invited us to come up to live and work at the camp on many ocassions before he finally passed.

Uncle Floyd founded this camp...

www.nominingue.com...

[edit on 7/6/0808 by jackinthebox]

Originally posted by SevenThunders
reply to post by jackinthebox

 

You can't help but ask yourself, what is really going on with our useless government? Williams called the gas spike and it went down exactly like he said it would. He claims it is an inside job done by market manipulators on purpose; not just to squeeze profits out of helpless Americans but actually, ultimately to crash the whole system.

If Americans knew what was really going and who is to blame, there would be blood in the streets.....

[edit on 6-7-2008 by SevenThunders]

Yeah its scary to think about isnt it. But you would have to ask yourself what is the point in crashing the system.....they lose money to if the dollar is worth nothing. If history repeats itself we will see a further decline in this mess but when it looks like the doom and gloom is at its worst the big boys step in and buy all the assets up for pennies on the dollar. That is what Im hoping for but man our situation this time around is nothing like the past. We are a debtor nation and all our jobs are over in China. Not to mention the HUGE debt we are in.

reply to post by mybigunit


That's the $64K question. What's in it for the elite if they crash the system? It does ultimately jeopardize any normal business activities. I believe it is as you suggest, a huge power grab. They intend to impose martial law and dictatorship once the apple cart is overturned. The NWO will not be denied it's global empire. Biblical prophecy must be fulfilled and the antichrist awaits his kingdom.

You know, I really haven't experienced this recession were supposed to be in. I'm now 18. I said this in another thread but i'm going to college (which is paid for), live in an apartment with another friend, and own a car, which is great on gas, (95 ford escort). All of this, well I just got a raise so I do all this on 9.00 bucks an hour working at wally world.

As of yet I have no debt. I have vowed to myself that I never will. I'm trying to learn from my fathers experince. He's 48 and is $12,000 in debt.

I'm going to get blasted for this but it's true I do live on 9.00 bucks an hour.

Maybe the recession has hit just certain areas, or maybe it's just really bad decision making by the populace. But I can tell you that I can't feel it here in Albuquerque.

reply to post by SevenThunders

What's in it for the elite if they crash the system?

Global empire.

reply to post by theendisnear69

I'm going to get blasted for this but it's true I do live on 9.00 bucks an hour.

You shouldn't get blasted for that. I'd be happy if I was you. Appreciate what you have. I am genuinely happy for you myself.

But there are a few things to consider.

First and foremost, you have someone to split the bills with. The next thing is location. Your cost of living is probably a bit lower there than in other part of the country. I know that I am looking to make a move to a city where the average rent is less than half what it is here in NY.

And the last point here is not meant to be demeaning, but you may be getting help in ways that you take for granted. Being able to fall back on family, or even student services, is something that should be appreciated to the utmost. I never had family to fall back on. In fact, I have been paying for housing and utilities since my mid-teens. Though my mother worked, she still fell back on my younger brother and I to make up the difference when the bills came due.



[edit on 7/7/0808 by jackinthebox]

reply to post by jackinthebox


Yeah in another thread I got blasted for it cause no one believed me haha. I am always really thankful that I have people to look out for me.

But every situation is different. It's true to that the cost of living in NY is a hell of alot more than NM. It's not like most people could just get up and move somewhere else either, because you might have a job in a high cost area but your'e not guaranteed a job in the lower cost area.

The MSN Money forums have a lot of postings from people affected by the current economy. Some of the stories are heartbreaking... especially with the elderly on a fixed income. But a lot of them seem to be from people who have failed to live within their means and now are suffering for it.

For me, I've noticed my grocery bill increasing each week and I try to cut corners where I can. I drive an SUV and gas doesn't affect me so much because I live only a mile from work. My cost of living is pretty high in the SF Bay area but I'll be leaving in 2 weeks to drive across country for a job in Virginia (home state), so I'm hoping the financial situation will be better there.

reply to post by annestacey


Hey, best of luck on your move!


reply to post by theendisnear69


Star for that! Nice to see some common sense with a touch of humanity.



[edit on 7/7/0808 by jackinthebox]

Originally posted by NGC2736


But I make up the extra exercise requirements with hopscotching over snakes in the tall grass

This really made me LOL. Good one.

It's hard to tell where this is going to go for everyone. I get the feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better. Good luck out there.