Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago?
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Are you better off today than you were four years ago? If not, then you are just like most other Americans. According to a CBS News/New York Times pollthat was released a few days ago, 80 percent of Americans say that their financial situation is not “better today” than it was four years ago. But if you turn on the television and listen to what the “pundits” are saying, you would be tempted to think that we were in the midst of a robust economic recovery. You would be tempted to think that the U.S. economy is in great shape and that we are heading for a really bright future. But the fact that the stock market is soaring does not mean much to most Americans. In fact, most Americans couldn’t care less that the Dow is well above 13,000 and that the NASDAQ is above 3,000. What most Americans care about is having a job and being able to provide for their families. If you haven’t paid the mortgage in three months or if you don’t have enough money to take your daughter to go see the doctor it really is not going to matter to you how well the boys and girls over on Wall Street are doing. Right now most American families are doing worse than they were doing four years ago, and no amount of media hype is going to change that fact.
Yes, the stock market is doing really well for the moment, but the truth is that more than 50 percent of all stocks and bonds are owned by just 1 percent of the U.S. population.
Good for them. It looks like the trillions of dollars that the Federal Reservepoured into the big Wall Street banks is really paying off nicely for the financial community.
Meanwhile, much of the rest of the country is deeply suffering.
It was recently reported that 1.5 million American families live on less than two dollars a day (before counting government benefits).
That is horrifying.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of Americans living in “extreme poverty” is now sitting at an all-time high.
All across this country poverty is exploding. Food banks are experiencing more demand than ever before and those offering free healthcare are absolutely swamped.
And every single measure of government dependence has gone way up since Barack Obama entered the White House.
For example, since Barack Obama became president the number of Americans on food stamps has gone up by 45 percent.
Just think about that.
At this point the federal government is helping to feed an all-time record 46.5 million Americans every month.
Oh yeah, times are good.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 49 percent of all Americans live in a home that receives direct monetary benefits from the federal government.
That is much higher than it has been historically.
For example, back in 1983 less than a third of all Americans lived in a home that received direct monetary benefits from the federal government.
The big problem is that there are simply not enough jobs for everyone.
Listening to the media, you would be tempted to think that the U.S. economy is now pumping out huge numbers of good jobs.
But that is simply not the case.
Right now there are 5.6 million fewer jobs than there were when the last recession began back in late 2007.
So where are the millions of jobs you promised us Obama?
The federal government is trying to convince us that the unemployment rate is going down, but that is not really true.
The key is to look at the percentage of working age Americans that actually have jobs. During the last recession that percentage fell dramatically as you can see from the chart below. After every other recession since World War II the employment to population ratio has always bounced back. But it has nothappened this time. Instead, the employment to population ratio has remained between 58 and 59 percent since the end of 2009….
We have not had a jobs recovery. Hopefully we will have one before the next recession hits, but we are running out of time for that.
Tonight there are millions upon millions of hard working Americans that are staring at their television screens and wondering why they can’t find good jobs. The pretty people on television are telling them that the employment situation is getting much better but they can’t find work no matter how hard they try. It is a cruel joke on them.
When Barack Obama entered the White House, the number of “long-term unemployed workers” in the United States was approximately 2.6 million. Today, that number is sitting at 5.6 million.
Thanks for the improvement Obama.
Meanwhile, the average duration of unemployment continues to hover near a record high. Just look at the chart posted below. Does this look like a “jobs recovery” to you?….
But of course Obama and those that support him want to make things sound like they are getting better. They want people to run out and vote for him again in November.
If things are going well for you right now, be thankful, and also remember the millions upon millions of Americans out there that are deeply hurting in this economy.
If you gathered together all of the workers that are “officially” unemployed in the United States at this point into one nation, they would constitute the 68th largest country in the entire world. It would be a nation larger than Greece or Portugal.
That is a lot of people.
Obama promised us that the Wall Street bailouts would make everything better. He promised us that if we poured gigantic mountains of money into Wall Street that it would end up helping “Main Street”.
Well, the last time I looked Goldman Sachs was doing just fine.
So where is the help for Main Street?
In the United States today, the wealthiest one percent of all Americans have a greater net worth than the bottom 90 percent combined.
How much wealthier do they have to get before they start creating more jobs for the rest of us?
Obama (like most of our politicians) is a complete fraud when it comes to the economy. He is all saddle and no horse. He talks a good game but he doesn’t have any game.
As Wall Street has recovered, the rest of the country has actually been in decline. Median household income in the United States is down 7.8 percentsince December 2007 after adjusting for inflation. Millions of American families are reaching the breaking point and millions of other families have already reached it.
Incomes have been declining but the cost of living has not.
For example, health insurance costs have risen by 23 percent since Barack Obama became president.
Has your paycheck increased by 23 percent?
The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has increased by more than 90 percent since Barack Obama became president.
Has your paycheck increased by 90 percent?
Millions of American families have lost their homes while Obama has been president and millions more will soon lose their homes. At this point there aremore than 6 million mortgages in the United States that are overdue.
It is a horrible, horrible feeling to know that you can’t pay your mortgage and that you will soon lose your home and your family will be put out on the street.
None of us would ever want to end up in that situation.
And the housing market sure has not shown any signs of recovery under Barack Obama.
In January, U.S. home prices were the lowest that they have been in more than a decade.
Weren’t home prices and home sales supposed to be turning around by now?
Under Barack Obama, new home sales in the United States set a brand new all-time record low in 2009, they set a brand new all-time record low again in 2010, and they set a brand new all-time record low once again during 2011.
That trend is not going in the right direction.
Of course Barack Obama is not solely responsible for the performance of the U.S. economy. Congress should share part of the blame as well, and the Federal Reserve is more responsible for our economic performance than anyone else is.
But one area where Barack Obama has had a huge impact is in the area ofgovernment spending.
While Barack Obama has been president, the U.S. national debt has risen from 10.6 trillion to 15.5 trillion.
Thanks Obama.
During the first three years of the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did between 1776 and 1995.
So is Obama planning a change of course?
Of course not.
At this point, our national debt is increasing by about 150 million dollarsevery single hour.
So should we be thanking Obama for stealing 150 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every hour?
Should we be thanking Obama for ruining our future?
I think not.
But you know what?
According to the CBS News/New York Times poll mentioned above, about half of America would actually vote for Obama if the next presidential election was held today.
That alone is a clear sign that this country is in a massive amount of trouble.
The truth is that the leaders we elect are an accurate reflection of who we are as a country.
And when you look at the collection of misfits in Washington D.C. right now, that does not say a lot about the character of this nation.
So where does America go from here?
That is up to you America.
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12:16 pm
What a bunch of crap. Obama didn't get us into this mess! Who will bail us out? We, the American People will,as soon as we stop feeling sorry for ourselves.
It's great to point out faults and deficiencies; but where are your positive suggestions? And who cares what people (who spend 8-hours a day watching Fox News) think? So what if they have a negative opinion?
I've never been out of work. I've always hustled and created a job if not offered one. Anybody that's spent much time in the developing world will observe ten-times the entrepreneurial energy on every street corner as they find in the US. Here, we think that we are "owed" a job. I've never thought that and that's why there's been no unemployment in my life of 66 years.
Lay of the Obama-bashing. It's so trite!
10:05 am
Your comments are typical of the usual, blind Obama partisan. I do agree with your comment about people thinking they are "owed" a job in America. The government "aid" to every possible constituent has engendered that belief in the sheeple. But, you are also typically overlooking the hard facts. Of course, we all know "it's Bush's fault". Such childish thinkng: "It's Billy's fault", "It's Mary's fault", "It's not my fault", "I didn't do it", "Don't blame me". "There are none so blind as those who WILL NOT see".
8:27 am
Frank & Dodd got us in this mess.
3:27 pm
yes sir you hit the suggestion right on the head. If more people thought like you the world would be a better place. And oh yea deffinately stop the bashing of a great president. OBAMA 4 MORE YEARS!
12:56 pm
Am I better off now than I was 4 years ago ? you ask ??
NOT ONLY NO BUT HELL NO !!!
IMPEACH THE IDIOT FRAUD LIEING WANNABE NOW !
10:58 pm
y were you so bad off 3 years ago? didnt we just end 8 years of republicans making america great agan?
11:07 pm
y were you so bad off 4 years ago? didnt republicans just finish 8 years of making america great?
12:58 pm
Your facts are accurate, however, Americans never hear the straight facts. Unemployment stats are currently badly skewed to favor Obama. The ole saying ” liars can figure but figures don’t lie”. The true unemployment in this country is approx. 20%. They don’t count the folks who have stopped looking for work or those living solely off gov’t handouts. Doing the unemployment weekly count is just like the illegal immigrant count – no one really knows the real number. Except, the lefty media is going to broadcast a rosey steadily improvement picture moving into Nov. election. Unfortunately, the four guys slugging it out for the Rep. Nomination don’t have enough smarts to present the real facts as your article does. It’s no wonder the oddsmakers have Obama at a 60% chance of winning. Remember Ross Perot’s pie charts – all one has to do is take the meat out of your report and present it to the voting public where even a layperson can digest the amazing failure of the Obama administration. As a retired Apple veteran; maybe a “PowerPoint” presentation or even hand- made charts to get the real truth out there.
1:03 pm
Why would you ask such a stupid question.
2:08 pm
Luckily, I am doing about the same as I was 4 years ago. The President has not been able to achieve everything that he set out to do 4 years ago, but have any of us? More importantly, it would be disastrous to go back to the assanine policies that caused the problems in the first place. Trickle down economics has NEVER worked. Every time the very rich manage to convince us to try it, it always ends up in a recession. Adam Smith (the "founder" of capitalism) even warned that Capitalism does not work if left to run unchecked. It would eventually bankrupt the middle class who are the engine of Capitalism. Get that – the middle class, not the top 1% are the engine of capitalism. And what do we see today, executive salaries increasing 100 fold, while the middle class are being extinguished.
The free market economy has been drained dry of all its lifeblood. This has been pumped to the very top, and if it would have trickled down, it should have by now.
Its time to eat the rich.
4:14 pm
Don't let your bias get the best of you. Look at the numbers and the timing. It is apparent even with the simple chart above that the bottom was falling out a full year before Obama took office. It is certainly harder to fix what it took eight years to screw up. It not going to happen in three or four or even eight when you have a congress who's only objective is to make sure they are back in power as soon as possible. It is amazing that any recovery has taken hold at all with no cooperation in congress or the willingness to impose a burden on the financial institutions that caused and now are profiting from the crisis they and their lobbyist created. They keep asking the average American to suck it up as if we did something to deserve this since we aren't job creators, only job doers!
5:08 pm
I am 76 years young working very hard for a ample rit but enstead we had to use our rit ,annuites ,and savings of fifty 50 years this prove how this last three 3 years has been a realy disgrace for "AMERICA"
5:30 pm
Listen up! The GOP got us into this mess! Don't forget it for one moment! It took eight years of Republican "slipping/sliding to take us to the brink. How come we never see or hear from old "Bushie"? He's afraid to face a public that is suffering the aftermath of his "pistol-packin',Texan tough guy- draw-from-the-hip-question-later, big-headed, pig-headed tough guy with no brains. He slithered off to his cave, leaving our new President with a country that no one could recognize anymore. His sweetheart 1%ers had all eight years he was in the office he stole – with big help from the right wing supreme court – to allow the rich and the Stock Market to line up all their marbles exactly as they pleased . Our dear, new President Obama, using his superb intellect and thoughtful reflections and actions – despite the GOP's pledge to say, "NO" to anything he has tried to do – has pulled this wonderful nation back from the brink of disaster. The Republican Party flourishes on HATE & LIES! God help us if it wins (or steals) back the White House in 2012: We will plunge into the Dark Ages within months of such a colossal, horrifying event.
10:27 pm
I disagree with bashing either Obama or any party specifically at this point. It isn't about blame. Electing a Republican President or reelecting Obama will make NO difference. The system has become corrupted, no matter who is elected this country will have an economic collapse, likely even a revolution, and if that occurs it would be likely other world powers would step in fearing who has control of OUR weapons of mass destruction. It could easily become an apocalypse. I suspect that is partly responsible for your turning to prepping for whatever comes. Any suggestions on where there might still be safe, prosperous times elsewhere in the world? If we collapse will China? What about Brazil? Argentina? Venezuala? Austrailia? Will they lend us a hand after the collapse?
12:42 pm
and wath was the mission of republican party since day one i mean rep congress and who was in power 4the last yrs before obama all this bs didnt start 4 yrs ago they annouce publicly make obama fail wellin a way they done it
5:50 pm
Anyone who has a highschool education and understands the left knows it's all a coverup. The only reason a person would vote for Obama is because they live off the Government ( why do you think they have increased foodstamps by 45%.He is buying the election. We need a new Government that is not full of crooks. Both sides of the isle are corrupt. We need a fair tax and new job creation, cut out the imports and restart labor intense jobs.
If Obama stays in office we will be living under totalitarian rule.
6:22 pm
I am retired on a fixed income for the last 10 years. Gas has doubled since then along with the price of bread, milk, utilities and transportation. My real estate taxes have soared along with my medical insurance. I can't afford to sell my house as I can' afford to lose one third of it;s value, meaning I cannot move out of New Jersey. $6.00 for a box of pop corn at a movie house and $10 to $12 dollars for bridge crossings to another state will keep me home bound for years. Home fuel prices have gone through the roof in the last 10 years. I can't wait to see what happens in the next 5 years if President Obama gets reelected by the same bozos.
12:20 am
NOBODY will be able clean up BUSH's 8 year long fuckup in 4 or even 8 years!!!! he ruined not only american economy but even global- well that's an accomplishment….one stupid redneck managed to bring the whole world to an economic crisis….but after all we as a nation chose him so now let's take the responsibility…which means work hard and don't look for a scape goat…especially since we've had the man over there who IS a pure hope…if we let HIM!!! instead of ruining and stopping every change he's trying to make!
9:01 am
Since the taxpayers are the ones on the hook for the bailouts they could have bailed out the taxpayers. Gave the single taxpayers making less than 200,000 a 20,000 refund and the married taxpayers making less than 400,000 a 40,000 refund but Obama chose to give his campaign supporters the bailouts and now we all suffer except the 40 or 50% that pay no taxes.
The elderly taxpayers that took care of their obligations would have had money to spend. The people facing foreclosure could have made their payments and if they chose to buy a new car, big screen TV or newest technology then they deserved to lose. Do people even know what a budget is the government doesn't. It's all about being responsible for your actions.
9:33 am
obama did get us into this mess with obama care and a trillion dollar debt that is almost impossible to pay off.and he wants to spend more every day.he does not care about america he is still bleeding it for all he can get in his campain who is going to keep all of the money that will be left over .and then it is vacation time all over he has spent a estimated on vacations on vacations since he went into office of about 2 billion dollars all of this from a person that has never had a real job and does not know how to tie his shoe laces
9:00 pm
i have never seen our country in as much turmoil as it has been in since obama took office. i am 82 and we can't survive another 4 years of obama. get rid of him before it's to late.
6:17 am
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