How is the economy

[a k]

Yea,
And taxes didn't go down either

[StStg1]

Well I guess we are better off than most. We live on SSA and pensions from the years of work we put in. However, prices for the most part are up and it is getting harder to have $$ left for camping. We already cut out movies, eating out, and many other luxuries. We are just trying to take it day by day and try to keep expenses as low as possible. I believe the eco omy will turn for the beter. It may be awhile, but it will get beter.

Steve
Dallas,TX

[75racer]

Georgia Pacific out of Green Bay, WI. is laying people off. A lady professor from U.W.G.B. said these people will have to go back to school to learn a new skill or move to find another job. Duh! Where are you going to move to find another job. This whole country is hurting. No one has a crystal ball to see when it's going to get better.
Is the worse over for us? Hard to say. I still can't find full time employment. That's why I say I don't think it's ever going to get better.

[75racer]

www.shawanoleader.com/articles/2009/12/04/news/news1.txt
3 companies in that town have shut down this year.

[JJHoneck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doc Well, believe it or not, some of my stocks are actually making some money. Not near what we lost, but are showing up on the plus side of the ledger.

The stock market is about the only bright spot in this economy. We jumped in with some new money last March, and have seen impressive returns.

Not enough to make up what we lost in our investments after the election, of course, but, hey, I'll take what I can get right now.

Sadly, I think the only reason it (and gold) is going up is because of the coming inflation...

[georgetown350]

When the recession hit and the bottom fell out of the USA real estate market I was concerned about the value of our home here in Ontario Canada. The real state values increased during the recession here strangely enough. Now they say the real state market is very strong and will only get better. I lost my job but at least our nest egg is still intact.

[JJHoneck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgetown350 When the recession hit and the bottom fell out of the USA real estate market I was concerned about the value of our home here in Ontario Canada. The real state values increased during the recession here strangely enough. Now they say the real state market is very strong and will only get better. I lost my job but at least our nest egg is still intact.

Yeah, the Canadian financial system was much more soundly designed than our American "system". Imagine, you guys actually require such quaint notions as "collateral" and "down payments" in order to buy a house! How discriminatory!

If only we had enforced those sorts of sound financial practices in the U.S., we would never have fallen into such a disgraceful condition -- and our housing markets wouldn't have collapsed. Somehow we let politicians (rather than actuaries) determine who was eligible for loans, with utterly predictable results. (Golly, who would *ever* have believed that people who couldn't afford to put 20% down couldn't actually afford to pay the monthly payments, either? Well, d'oh!)

Worse, it seems we haven't learned a danged thing. The same bunch of clueless goobers who politicized lending in America are once again pushing to make housing "more affordable"...

[LostTexan]

Retired military, disabled vet, SS, home paid for, so we have it good now but what happens when our government debts come due and no one (Chin) will loan more money. Someone mentioned inflation, it IMHO is inevitable when interest rates start to escalate higher. If medicare and SS go broke I guess we will have to learn to grow a garden and hunt and fish. Have a weapon to protect what we have that others might want. At my age I am not to worried about me but my kids and grandkids I DO. One son-in-law lost a 6 figure job in the high tech industry this past spring and is now doing restorations and landscaping. Locally with Fort Polk getting a new brigade unemployment in this area seems to be well below the national average. What I hear Louisiana is not in bad shape except for NO.