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Are you better off right now than 4 years ago?

Are you better off right now than 4 years ago?


  • Total voters
    24

99percenter

DP Veteran
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Location
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Are you better off now than when obama took office during the peak of the bushian great recession when our economy was in freefall?
 
I think the country as a whole is much better off and while as a retired person my assets have suffered I feel thankful that things are slowly improving.
 
Yes I am, inspite of the President.
 
Are you better off now than when obama took office during the peak of the bushian great recession when our economy was in freefall?

A lot better. But until some device is invented that can show me all the possible outcomes throughout various parallel earths, I'll never know what political decisions had anything to do with it.
 
For historical accuracy, Bush's approval tapped out at 28-30%, not 13%.
 
Not because of successful government policy. The crumbling housing market and the ridiculous low interest rates that resulted from a failed recovery benefited me greatly when I purchased my home. I will receive even more benefit of the failed housing recovery when a true recovery occurs, as I bought my house at $50k below peak market value.

My health insurance premiums have continued to increase, my grocery dollar doesn't go as far, my gas bill in reference to the amount of travel I do has significantly increased. My 401k was emptied between '08 and '10 when the company that facilitated it went under. The division I oversee with my company has lost over $500k in annual revenue and has run at a loss for almost 2.5 years now with no signs of improvement, because most of our customers were hit incredibly hard in the banking and real estate collapse. That means I've double my responsibilities in the 18 months I've been here but have received no compensation in line with the increased duties. My techs have even had to take pay cuts.
 
Are you better off now than when obama took office during the peak of the bushian great recession when our economy was in freefall?

No, I'm not. I have a daughter Who had a serious surgery and I'm up to debt to my eyeballs. I have bc /bs and my out of pocket is still enormous . My grocery and gasoline bill is astronomical and although my mortgage payment is reasonable the cost of living sucks and I was much better off financially than I am now.

Your point?
 
Considering that 4 years ago, this country was on the brink of economic and moral bankruptcy.....I would say ABSOLUTELY we are better off....we still have a long ways to go though.
 
when Obama took office in 2009, i was about to be let go from my job due to a research grant being cut. since then, i have spent two years at a very good job with no security and a definite end point because independent contract work is the way R&D rolls in our job security-free, post-union economy. i saved up money, anticipating the end of employment. now i'm back at the first job. again, there's a definite endpoint.

salarywise, i'm not better off. with net worth as the indicator, i am. considering the economic depression we have at least temporarily averted, i'm definitely better off. finally, taking into account my preexisting condition, i'm much better off.

net : slightly to moderately better off.
 
Yes, I'm in much better financial shape now than I was 4 years ago. The president had almost nothing to do with that though.
 
Yes I'm better off my ejection fraction has gone from 10% to 40% ejection fraction Ejection fraction is a measurement of how well your heart is functioning anything below 30% is automatically considered congestive heart failure. A lot of credit goes to SSDI for being there. And a lot of credit goes to me for taking advantage of this government program as well as strictly following Drs order
 
I had to lay off all my employees since obama was elected. I kept them on as long as I could hoping housing starts would pick up and the lumber market would rebound but it has gone from bad to worse over the last 4 years. I got very lucky in that a rich guy just a few miles away wanted me to log his 600 acres strictly for fire suppression and to leave it looking like a park. He is in no hurry and I just pick away at it 6 hours a day or so. He also wants me to mill lumber from many of the better logs to build barns, outbuildings and his home when he retires and moves here. It's a sweet deal for me so I am doing fine but many of my old employees are definitely not.
 
I don't know. I'm a recent college grad who can't find a job.

What's new.
 
The flaw in the question is the presumption that the status of my life is foremost dependent upon the government. If I am better off it is assumed to the credit of the goverment, but if I am worse off its someone elses or my fault.

My truthful answer is yes, my life is definitely better on all fronts including economically for reasons specifically not about the government and instead upon certain people.

But no, my life would be far more economically successful but for the government because of extreme government inteference so great my wife abandoned an extremely profitable business just to get away from government increasingly consuming her life. The one commodity a person can not buy or replace is time. When the government was consuming the majority of her lifetime in terms of time, she gave - literally - gave away a rapidly growing business netting a 5 figure income per day every day and still growing. The limiting factor on growth being even greater also was government intrusions and time demands.

She looks like a teenager and is a very head strong person. She had no problem outright telling the G-people "no," "you can't make me do anything," and "get out!"

There were humor moments of old bureaucrats and inspectors trying to figure out what they thought was some 16 year old girl answering with such as "I don't know and I don't care either. I don't have to do anything you tell me and you can't make me do anything. No you can't go in there and no I'm not digging out any records. Besides, I'm busy now so go away." Some times she'd manage to get one or a group of them out a door on some pretext and then just lock the door behind him/her/them - herself and everyone else still inside. Then igore their knocking. LOL

The government(s) have vast armies of inspectors and paper-crats who line up being there mostly to just justify their jobs. Most try to play Columbo "gotja!" - very annoying because it usually is so transparent and most are so unskilled at doing so. Her success was largely due to a very wealthy backer also providing massive technical support.

So yes I am better off and I would be still far better off but for the government of the last 4 years.
 
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I don't know. I'm a recent college grad who can't find a job.

What's new.

What kind of job do you want and what kind of job you don't want would you accept?
 
Are you better off now than when obama took office during the peak of the bushian great recession when our economy was in freefall?

You would have to define "better off". I retired this year at 53, my husband retired from general motors when he was 49, and now we live on our sailboat and are cruising the Caribbean. Our earnings are quite modest, but absolutely I am better off! Of course, this life is much more challenging than living ashore but it suits us.
 
What kind of job do you want and what kind of job you don't want would you accept?

Well, my degree is in Social and Political Studies w/Pre-Law Concentration with a double major in History. So, something in the legal field would be wonderful.
 
Should of had other qualifiers. I know someone who is not better off because there was a reorganization at his job. Record setting profits, in fact the best the company had ever done. Most recently, nearly doubling revenue thanks to a windfall opportunity. Everybody would need to work a little harder and longer but worth it. Despite this the higher ups figured the staff was overpaid so everybody got pay cuts. Actually, the unwritten policy is whenever there is a reorganization or new acquisition, the first task to to reduce expenses to the maximum level possible and compensation is typically the number one target. Not due to adverse economic conditions attributable to the Whitehouse's mismanagement of the economy and more to due with a take no prisoners management philosophy some associate with the Bain Capital model.
 
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Gee, this is difficult to explain why; but, we are much better off. I was part of a RIF mostly due to a religion that took over our division. I never returned to work. But, it freed me up to do some stuff. I had time to sell some inherited C2 property before the approaching the top of the bubble myself. Realtors were telling me to expect $6.50 to $7.50 a sq. ft, I sold it myself for much more. A couple of years later I saw that the end of the housing bubble was coming. A few others, e.g. my realtor neighbor, saw it coming too. My wife took a job out of state, MI; and I remodeled the house and sold it within a few percent past peak in AZ. We bought from a distressed seller in the Grand Rapids MI area and the house has held its value and it has some very wonderful location. My wife retired a few years ago after knocking down a significant salary here in MI. We bought back in AZ for a winter home a couple of years ago for pennies, cash, on the dollar and it is now comps sell for about 25% more. A few months ago we bought another nice 7 year old home in AZ for cash; and, now it would sell for at least 20% more. Our investments have done OK, though we are working with a new financial advisor that invests mostly with options and new lawyers.
 
Financially? No. No, I am not.

Personally, as a result of hard work? Absolutely.
 
I don't rate being better off as just a monetary thing. That said, I'm pretty much financially set for life, and I will be setting up my own business once everything is in order. I have a plan, which means I have a future.

Four years ago, my friends were junkies, my family hated me, I had no real job, low income flow, and I was selling pot to expediently make ends meet. Back then, I would have said I'd be dead by now. So yes, my life is a hell of a lot better. Neither former President George W Bush, nor President Barack Obama had dick to do with my personal successes. I stopped thinking small, and began to look at the bigger picture. On top of that, luck and circumstance coupled with my own desires and understanding of my place and skills. The economy can crash tomorrow, and I'll still be alright.
 
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