The Economy
I'm going to wade into the "deep end" just a little, ( I'm not much of a swimmer).
I am so tired of hearing how great the frucken economy is.
Seriously?
Who do you know who is better off now than they were 6 years ago?
Anyone on the edge of middle class fell over the edge and into the gap.
Six years ago we had insurance coverage, we had a nice little savings account, and we paid all our bills. We had a decent savings, a 401K account.
We've never had credit cards ( since Steve and I married) , and we don't plan on ever taking on that kind of debt.
We never lived above our means.
Think about that a minute.
We NEVER spent more than we could afford , EVER.
We have never lived a charge card life. We have always been frugal in our purchases, saving money and paying cash for the big items. ( like saving up $ 500 to buy the new mattress we desparately needed for our bed)
We did everything right.
All the things you are suppossed to do to stay clear from debt.
And you always think that if you lose your job that there is something else out there, something better, or at least, just as good.
But the job market still sucks.
Three years after my husband lost his job, and we drained our savings, and sold whatever we had worth selling just to live on, ( just to pay the utilities and groceries) it still sucks.
Oh, there are jobs.
Low paying, no benefits, jobs.
Three or four of them might get you by, but none of them will pay for your kid to go to the dentist. None of them will offer you the smallest of benefits.
I read last week in a News magzine, that stocks are up. I'm sure they are, for the weathly.
The little bit of stock we own, that we bought for 19 a share , 7 years ago? It's hovering around 25 cents a share now.
Whoopie!
We can't even sell it, the fees cost more than it's worth.
So keep telling me that the economy is good, as I watch business after business close in my town, as I search the job ads everyday, as I see more employers hiring for less money and more hours.
There is no safety net in this economy, especially for the former Middle class.
I just heard the President say , " A Victory in Iraq , will make this Country more secure".
BULLSHIT!
There is no Victory, only more debt.
Debt our children's children will still be paying for.
And by the way, being broke doesn't exclude you from owing taxes. We barely made enough to keep the lights on, no matter how hard we worked, and we still owe the IRS over $400 from 2004. We owe this year too.
Thankfully I do my part to help the multibillion dollar debt this Government is spending on it's war.
The economy is good?
Excuse me while I be sick.
posted by Buggy @ 6:10 PM
10 Comments:
{{{hugs}}} for the Bug.
We have many businesses that have closed/are closing around us too. Mostly the little guys.
The loss of the middle class and the decline into fuedalism sucks.
I read every year that the gap between the rich and poor is growing larger and it totally pisses me off when people insist that the US has a free market economy. I see is giant siphon to transfer some piddling amount of money from the large number of poor to to the insanely rich.
Do people not realise that there are tax structures and "incentives" and laws that act exactly to make it so the middle class can barely scrape by? This stuff doesn't just happen. The government sets the laws that run the economy and determine the distribution of wealth.
*kicks things*
*hugs* for Bug. I'm sorry, honey. I know the pain of losing a good job, and the struggle to find an adequate one to replace it. My 401K from Worldcom bled like a stuck pig and I don't think I'll ever recover what was lost. It makes me cry just thinking about it.
Please know that I send you and your family good thoughts on a daily basis. You'll get through this, I know it.
Oh yeah. One more thing..Bush is an asshat. A lying, coward asshat.
i concur with the 'asshat' assessment.
i hear ya, sista.
right now i'm jumping through all these beaurocratic hurdles to be a teacher, most of which actually cost me significant amounts of money.
we need teachers so badly, yet we do nothing to make it easier to *become* a teacher (like wipe away the more than $500 of your OWN MONEY it costs to become certified).
*hugs*
I know how hard it is.
All of my friends that make a very good wage seem to be climbing. Those of us making very average middle class wages though seem to be stagnant or losing jobs. Luckily, our state cut back a lot in the last few years & our budget is looking a little healther. That means Nolay is finally getting a decent raise. I'll probably remain fairly stagnant though. We've had to start paying more for our benefits, but I'm ok with that. I didn't think we should be getting free healthcare while the rest of the country sucks up obnoxious amounts of healthcare costs.
And it angers me that housing costs (artificially inflated) and fuel costs are going through the roof while most of us are barely squeaking by. The housing market infuriates me. It's an upper middle class get rich quick scheme, while it is destroying the lower middle class.
I understood the decline post 9/11. We were already headed that way when Bush took office. However, we should be better off NOW...or at least back to the standard of living enjoyed previously.
That gap just keeps growing. I fully expect our economy will be screwed for another few years...until we get someone else in the White House to clean up this mess. Maybe this is our generations "Depression Era," but it's only affecting part of the population.
I wish I knew what to say other than it sucks. *hugs*
Sorry things aren't better for you, sweetie. We are about the same. Fortunately, DH has been able to keep the same job since 1982. We could not afford the buy the house we bought 2 years ago today because of housing costs going up so much and electricity is supposed to jump by a fairly large percentage because of deregulation.
Come this summer, I expect a great many peeps who live from paycheck to paycheck will be in biiiigggg trouble.
When I said we were the same, I meant the same as we ever were, not the same as you and your family.
I hope things get better in your neck of the woods. (((Hugs)))
Hear you. We're both in high tech. I kept us afloat for 4 yrs. before dh finally gave up on the industry and was able to land a job in fast food.
He's unemployed again due to closure of that job. And, my pay went away in Dec.
Unfortunatly, we weren't as wise as you were. When times were good they looked to be really good. And, when his job ended... well, expenses and bills didn't. I've already restructured my 401K into another plan and borrowed $50K. That took care of part of our debt.
I'm still waiting for the other 401K I set up to be established. Then I can take another 50K and pay off everything except the mortgage. I'll have some to live on and pay back the loan until we find something.
Only good thing has been that I restructured our mortgage (first one this property has ever had in 100 yrs. - first taken 6 yrs. ago when dh 1st lost his job) with an unemployment insurance policy. They're paying that. And will, until somewhere around Jan. if I am still unemployed.
After I pay off the rest of the debt we can at least afford to take a job at a lesser salary - if anyone will offer one. Seems we're overqualified (or over age) for most jobs.
Now, can you understand why I have stayed clear of the immigration threads?
Major {{{HUGS}}}, my friend. I share your pain, and your disgust with the governmental posturing.
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