Are you better off than you were four years ago?

[Curmudgeoness]

I ran across an NBC "News" article with the headline "No Democrats said America is Better Off". Here is the link, if you want to read it, but I am not recommending it (unless you want to read all the comments, which are rather entertaining).

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/05/13686765-romney-no-democrat-said-america-is-better-off?lite

This got me to thinking, am I better off? Are we better off as a country? And this took me back to what was happening in this country and the world four years ago....and where we are today. And I think, are you serious???? Really????

Four years ago, the company I work for was so close to failing that we probably had less than a year to turn it around. Last year was the best year we have had in my ten years there, and beyond. This year, we are setting sales records. I have gone from the realization that I may not have a job soon to feeling secure.

And then I think about my IRA's and other savings. Does anyone remember where the stock market was four years ago? I had lost half the value of my only means of support for myself in retirement. The Dow has doubled in value since then.

We are out of Iraq, and although that did not affect me personally, it did emotionally. Bin Laden is dead, and that is also something that could not be said four years ago.

Jobs were being lost at astonishing paces four years ago. Today, there is job creation. The economy is improving now, but where was it four years ago? Remember talk of a possible "depression".

We all know that there is more work that needs to be done, but we also know that Romney/Ryan will not do that work. There is only one choice to continue the forward motion. And I just cannot imagine that the "news" man who wrote this article cannot find Democrats who say that we are better off.

How about you?

[bluestateguy]

1. Yes.

T'sall.

[madamesilverspurs]

2. The answer to that question

depends on who's asking.

If a Republican asks, the answer they're looking for is in your wallet.

If a Democrat asks, the answer is in your heart and soul.

That said, the more honest question would be "Are you better off than when Bush was in office?" To which the only possible response from me is "Oh my God, yes! By leaps and bounds!" And for a multitude of reasons, not one of which resides in my wallet.


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[Curmudgeoness]

11. Heart and soul are definitely better today!

And if I didn't have IRA's to worry over, financially I would be worse off today since I don't get raises (even with the company doing very well). But since I have seen the IRA get back to about where it was when it tanked, I am breathing easier.

I see our wallets getting better in the next four years under Obama though. The economy is doing better, slowly, and there will be more jobs created soon. All of us who are still working are being pushed too far, and it will have to break soon. At that point, we will have to have more jobs created in the companies that are doing well now.

[Wednesdays]

3. Not just my family, but everybody I know

We are all at least as well-off as we were at this time in 2008. No question!

[Warpy]

4. Good gawd, yes

In fact, my net worth is nearly double what it was when Stupid finally boarded that chopper out of town to a chorus of boos, wish I'd been there to add to it.

Unfortunately, most of my friends and acquaintances aren't living off the stock market and things are still really tough for them since they're finding their wages depressed and losing purchasing power every single month. Jobs are still hard to come by and wages are going nowhere.

However, even they will say things are better as young adults are kept on their parents' health insurance and little kids are no longer cut off from life saving health care by an arbitrary cap on benefits. They're also looking forward to 2014 when the rest of the ACA gets phased in and they don't have to live in fear of leaving an intolerable job because they'll lose access to health care.

So yes, things have improved since Stupid finally left and they will continue to improve if Rmoney doesn't get cheated in. And nearly everyone I know says they're much better off, if only because what's getting worse is doing so more slowly.

[Curmudgeoness]

12. You are right that things are still hard for too many.

I have not had a raise in five years, and my boss knows that we are all afraid to ask, even though our work has doubled in the last few years with increased business. But that cannot last. Slowly, things will move in a positive direction, and I hope that the people you know will benefit.

[Warpy]

20. One way or another, that's going to change

and my best hope is that it will be allowed a peaceful change.

Republicans cost all of us too much money in lowered wages, higher prices, and a generally screwed up economy. It's high time more people realized the tax cuts were a sham for most of us and Republicans have always resulted in a net loss.

[Ikonoklast]

5. Under Bush, I was out of work.

Under Obama, my business will have its best year financially.

I like the direction in which we are heading as a country, the ship is getting turned around, ever so slowly.

The noise coming from the right is their death rattle.

[Curmudgeoness]

13. I hope you are right.

Oops, I mean correct. The wingnuts want everyone to forget just how bad it was four years ago.

[kestrel91316]

6. Like I said last night, it's not just about ME. My finances have not improved in 4 years, and maybe

are worse, but our NATION is much better off. And we will all be much worse off it Rmoney wins.

I'm an adult. I recognize that it isn't ALL ABOUT MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. The nation is so much better off,

and any of us who were stuck in the stock market with IRA's have had improvements in our finances. Pay-wise, it still stinks for me, but this is something that I see as temporary as the economy continues to improve....and it will. I hope it does for you too, even if it isn't all about you.

[noamnety]

7. My husband who works in the defense industry

has had consistent pay increases.

I am a public school teacher. I've had consistent pay cuts.

Our personal situation conveniently sums up the national one.

[Curmudgeoness]

16. Maybe we can throw all the Republican governors out

who are destroying the government/public sector. Then you can also start to make progress too.

Does this mean that you don't feel that you are better off today?

[pnwmom]

8. YES. The country was racing toward a worldwide financial abyss four years ago

and most of us had blinders on.

We weren't better off.

[wryter2000]

9. I'm better off

HARP got me a mortgage payment I can actually afford.

I didn't have a bad mortgage. It was 30 years fixed at about 6%, but I was still struggling. I couldn't get a new, lower rate because I was underwater. Now, I have about 4.25%, and the payment is $400 less per month.

Hell yes, I'm better off.

[Curmudgeoness]

17. Now, that had to make a big difference to you.

Takes a huge load off!

[rock]

10. Yes

If you can't see this, try this equivalent question: Do you want George W. Bush as president again? (You can also see that the Republicants were stupid to bring it up!)

[Curmudgeoness]

18. Aaaggggghhhhhhhhh! Shit no! nt

[graywarrior]

15. Surprisingly, yes.

[hack89]

19. Yes. nt

[Raine]

21. Yes, I remember the fall of 08 and how scared I was there was going to be a World wide depression.

Unlike the repugs fear doesn't do it for me and not having to have that fear makes me better off.

[Curmudgeoness]

24. That really was a terrifying time, wasn't it?

How can people forget so quickly?

[vankuria]

22. Absolutely

The small business my husband works for has expanded and he's gotten a raise. We refinanced our house that we purchased at the end of '08 and our monthly mortgage has been lowered significantly and I was finally able to purchase a new car. I want to add when we purchased our new home in Oct. '08 the banks were crashing and the perspective buyer we had for our old house couldn't get his financing. Home sales were down and we couldn't find a buyer so we ended up with 2 mortgages for a while, but finally did sell but it was a tense few months. Also in '08 we had a camper to sell but because of the lousy economy we had a tough time with that too, but in '09 we sold it at a great price. So yes, life is better for us but I know there are still folks out there suffering and I hope that with the economy slowly improving and the re-election of Pres. Obama, their lives will improve too.

[Marrah_G]

23. No

[Curmudgeoness]

25. No?

Could you elaborate? Was it really better in 2008 for you? Is this on only a personal level, or do you see it as a national level?

[Marrah_G]

36. Sure

I make less, I pay more for everything.

Do I blame the President? No

I blame Bush and the congress for gutting regulations that allowed the rich to destroy this economy to line their own already full pockets.

[MrSlayer]

26. The country is, I'm having the worst year of my life.

And the past three have been as bad. I'm glad things are improving in general. Hate what my situation is.

[Curmudgeoness]

32. I am sorry you are having such hard times

and I truly respect that you understand that what you are going through is not the whole story. I hope things get better for you....the "worst year of your life" saddens me.

To better days.

[MrSlayer]

34. They have to get better.

Because it can't get any worse. Haha.

Just waiting for the work to break. It's been a real tough time for all of us in construction.

[bigwillq]

27. About the same overall.

There's been good things passed under Obama, which I am grateful more, but pretty much the same financially. Still have a job, although our company just filed for bankruptcy (again).

Pretty much the same.

[derby378]

28. George W. Bush is better off than he was four years ago

He's now free to roam the country at will, with Secret Service protection that we foot the bill for, despite the fact that he's a war criminal and a torture enabler.

[greenymac]

29. As for me and my household

We are definitely better off now than we were 4 years ago and things seem to going in the right direction for us. I think some of these weak ass republicans who talk about "pulling themselves up from their bootstraps" should do exactly that and stop killing consumer confidence by saying how terrible things are when they have absolutely improved.

[Curmudgeoness]

31. Very good point about killing consumer confidence.

I also believe that things would be going in a much better direction faster if we didn't have all the naysayers.

Welcome to DU, greenymac.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

30. GM is still alive and Bin Laden is still dead

I'm good with that.

[bhikkhu]

33. Yes

...in spite of worries, the business I work for has increased sales about 8% a year, all through the recession. So my job is fine, and I had a decent raise a couple of years ago. Right now I'm taking advantage of the low interest rates to refinance my house and student loans, which should finally reduce monthly expenses down to a comfortable amount less than my monthly income. For two years straight it was about even, and any little problem would have probably meant losing the house, but we were careful and came out fine.

Very much looking forward to health insurance!

[Curmudgeoness]

35. And I had meant to include health care in my list of things

that are better today than four years ago. That is really significant for all of us.