Everywhere you turn these days, someone is proclaiming that the economy is improving. Barack Obama is endlessly touting the "improvement" in the economy, the mainstream media is constantly talking about "the economic recovery" and an increasing number of Americans seem to be buying into this line of thinking. A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that 37 percent of Americans believe that the economy will improve over the next year, while only 17 percent of Americans believe that it will get worse. But is the economy actually improving? Not really. At the moment things are relatively stable. Some economic statistics are improving slightly and some continue to get even worse. However, it is very important to keep in mind that one of the biggest reasons why things have stabilized is because the federal government is pumping more than a trillion dollars a year into the economy that it does not have. The Obama administration is engaging in a debt binge unlike anything America has ever seen before, and yet many economic indicators are still in decline. So what is going to happen when the federal government stops injecting gigantic waves of borrowed money into the economy? That is a frightening thing to think about. The best efforts of our "leaders" in Washington D.C. are not accomplishing a whole lot. The Federal Reserve has pushed interest rates as low as they can go and the federal government is spending unprecedented amounts of money. But even with the federal government and the Federal Reserve pushing the accelerator all the way to the floor, the economy is still not improving much at all. Millions upon millions of Americans out there are anticipating some sort of a "great economic recovery", and they are going to be bitterly disappointed.
But right now there are some "bright spots" in the economy, and you are bound to run into family and friends that will repeat to you the nonsense that they are hearing on the television about how the economy is recovering.
When they try to convince you that the economy is getting better, ask them these questions....
If the economy is getting better, then why did new home sales in the United States hit a brand new all-time record low during 2011?
If the economy is getting better, then why are there 6 million less jobs in America today than there were before the recession started?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the average duration of unemployment in this country close to an all-time record high?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of homeless female veterans more than doubled?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans on food stamps increased by 3 million since this time last year and by more than 14 million since Barack Obama entered the White House?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of children living in poverty in America risen for four years in a row?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the percentage of Americans living in "extreme poverty" at an all-time high?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the Federal Housing Administration on the verge of a financial collapse?
If the economy is getting better, then why do only 23 percent of American companies plan to hire more employees in 2012?
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of self-employed Americans fallen by more than 2 million since 2006?
If the economy is getting better, then why did an all-time record low percentage of U.S. teens have a job last summer?
If the economy is getting better, then why does median household income keep declining? Overall, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% since December 2007 once you account for inflation.
If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased by 10 million since 2006?
If the economy is getting better, then why is the average age of a vehicle in America now sitting at an all-time high?
If the economy is getting better, then why are 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida currently sitting vacant?
If the economy is getting better, then why are 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 living with their parents?
If the economy is getting better, then why does the number of "long-term unemployed workers" stay so high? When Barack Obama first took office, 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.
But there is some good news.
When Barack Obama first took office, an ounce of gold was going for about $850. Today, the price of an ounce of gold is over $1700.
The era of great prosperity that America has enjoyed for so long is coming to an end.
In fact, our long-term economic decline is about to accelerate.
So enjoy this "bubble of hope" while you can, because it won't last long.
As I have written about previously, many are warning that Europe is on the verge of a nightmarish financial crisis that could potentially plunge us into a global recession even worse than 2008.
So let us hope for the best, but let us also prepare for the worst.
Just because the economy is about to go through hard times does not mean that you have to go through hard times personally.
Right now, you can decide to make an investment or start a business that will thrive in a tough economic environment.
Victory often goes to the most prepared. So don't just sit there while the storm clouds gather. Instead, this should be a time when you are gathering resources and developing a gameplan for the coming economic chaos.
Those that choose to have blind faith in "the system" are going to be tremendously disappointed in the years ahead. Just because you have a job right now does not mean that it is always going to be there. Just because your stock portfolio is doing well right now does not mean that will always be the case.
Hopefully we all learned some important lessons from 2008. The global financial situation can turn on a dime. When markets fall apart, they tend to do so very rapidly.
Ultimately, the debate about whether the economy is improving or not is going to be ended very emphatically. When the next wave of the financial crisis hits, there will be no doubt about what direction things are going.
Don't let the next wave catch you by surprise.
Now is the time to prepare.
well your stats are true…but your message is flawed. everything poverty related is at an all time high because that’s what happens when an economy crashes. but that doesn’t change the fact that the economy is getting out of the ditch. lets say you fell in a hole…broke an ankle or two and you decide to start climbing out…everyday you are getting closer to making it out of that hole. fact is, you are still in a hole (which is all your blog is pointing out)but in reality you are on your way out of that hole..which is what the economic news is about.
Is it true, though?
Economic news is, maybe, ‘we’re coming out of the hole’. Economic reality is altogether another matter. How about 1.25 million jobs lost in last two months? That sound like coming out of the hole? Price of beef is up 44% in past two years. That sound like coming out of hole? The truth is that the left does not *want* things to get better, and is doing everything in its power to make sure they don’t. A recession historically takes 15 to 18 months to recover from. We are past 36 months and actual numbers (sans Obama/Media spin) are telling us that we are actually digging the hole deeper. `News’ is a four-letter word, and is for reTAWRDed people.
So, you think this is true of all recession recoveries?
In previous recessions, the United States generally bounces back with 5-6% growth for many quarters. The exceptions: the Obama recovery and the FDR recovery. What did they have in common? Massive government involvement.
That, and both presidents were big-spending Democrats. Any coincidence?
Well we have 1.2 million folks just taken off the roles as unemployed because there are no jobs for them, we count jobs available instead of unemployed, we can’t just not count unemployed people, Obama is counting on that to bring down the rate, which is really about 11% even after this fiasco. Early retirements are up, VERA is up, age 62 applicants are way up, like over 900,000 for 2011, ever since politicians started on an age 70 eligibility, Duh, anyone expect a different result? I would hate to see all those union government thugs get layed off, that is what we pay through the nose for is to support an overstaffed,(cbo says at least 22 million overstaffed), overpaid, and under worked, under productive,group of protected idiots who can’t support themselves without taxpayers picking up the tab. NO! America can’t make it until we make some hard choices, pay debt, and become solvent through productivity by transferring these $$$ suckers out of cush gov’t positions unneeded by the private sector who doesn’t need them. But they must pay for these leeches. Politicians need these gov’t dregs to get re-elected, we are outnumbered and screwed……
@Roydizle
Your logic is flawed. The poverty related stats should be getting better if you’re coming out of the hole.
Let’s say there has been a drought, but then it rains a bit each day… plant life will grow to reflect the the water it is receiving.
Let’s say your car is empty of fuel… and you receive a bit of fuel each day… you’ll be able to start the car and begin moving again.
Etc… etc… etc….
Yeah, except your dictator has salted the earth and priced fuel so high you must cancel trips and cut back on necessities and luxuries. His willing accomplices in the media lied to you about the rainfall and other so-called signs of recovery. Businesses make fewer profits or show losses, lay off employees, raise prices, etc. Your house isn’t worth what it was ten years ago. Inflation, inflation, inflation!! Open your eyes, jerk. Just because you like abortion to be legal and wish drugs were too is no reason to force Marxism on the rest of us. Did you ever wonder why communism, Marxism and Obamaism needs to be FORCED on people? Think about it.
KARL chill out…she’s kind of right…but its a long explanation. u r upset at what u think she is saying…ur right the homeless is a huge group we cannot generalize. However, how can u say she is wrong …have u been homeless for a few years and have first hand knowledge?
Some people just stick their heads in the sand and never see the truth…….
Roydizle-this economy is a 747 on a spiral crash course-It’s not climbing anywhere. The crash is just being delayed by more gov. spending. Survey the middle class(while it’s still there) and you’ll see-stop believing the media lies.
Go shopping for food that tells the whole story.
Our current leaders do all they can to hide the truth or, at least, distort it.
Ignorance is a personal responsibility and the average american has grown intellectually lazy. Our leaders know this and take advantage of it. We are unwitting victims of propaganda by our own government to the extent of Russian Stalinist or German Nazi era citizens. We turn a blind eye to the truth as they did. When it comes we will deserve what we get.
God help us!
Mike S. you have put it more succinctly than almost any I have read. This is propaganda at a Nazi level, and the sad thing is, our society is a whole lot more naive and ignorant than theirs was. Wrestling, Nascar, NFL, NBA… The world of Idiocracy is fast approaching and we will grip our remotes and cheese burgers passively until it is at our doorsteps. Poor dumb basterds. The politicians will be the most prepared and best protected and they are the soulless sacks that are bringing this plight to the average American moron. I say we string them up before we forget how to tie a knot in favor of knowing who won American Idol this season.
Well, I guess we’re getting to see the Democrat Party strategy in an election year. Cook the books in order to paint a rosy picture to give all the credit to Obama. No more “doom and gloom,” it’s all of a sudden “happy days are here again” or at least around the corner if we stay the course with Obama. My question is, if the messiah manages to get back in office for another term and the so-called “mainstream” news media-after it has done its job in getting him re-elected- starts reporting bad numbers again, does everything revert back to “it’s Bushs fault”?
What a GREAT SITE!! I am going to put you on my recommended sites… Great articles, I read several of them today. I love when arguments are sourced for their facts. Drives the Liberals and Lame Street Media Crazy. One of my favorite site is the White House Dossier. He breaks a lot of news and is usually factual (I’m saying usually only because I haven’t been misled yet… but anyone can make a misteak…hahahaha)
http://www.DontBELIEVEtheMEDIA.com
The utopian promisers and scammers must be stopped.
If the the Libs were prohibited from attacking people they disagree with by trying to invalidate them personaly and also prohibited from trying to downgrade truth by asking for personal experience on a given subject, this would surely show their aversion to common sense. Outside of invalidation of the source Libs have little ammo, this is why their arguments end up in street mobs and fake chaos when their policies actually lead to a malaise of symmetry.
This article is extremely flawed. The writer is evidently misinformed on economic cycles.pity people actually believe this crap.
I thought stupid people like you were not allowed on this site. How did you slip through?
Lack of specifics on how it is flawed. Tell us how it is flawed so folks can respond to the specifics of your opinion.
[...] Economic Collapse Blog – If The Economy Is Improving….submitted by Rhymes with [...]
A 18 year old that was wise beyond his years gave me a gem that seems to apply here. “FIGURES DON’T LIE UNLESS THE LIER IS DOING THE FIGURING”. This is what I think of when I hear or read government numbers being released….
America is suffering because of the decision made to go from a production-based economy to a consumer-based economy. Government rewrote the tax laws to favor investing (speculating, in actuality) and punished corporations through the second highest corporate tax rate in the world. So, the jobs left America, rampant consumerism took hold, along with massive personal debt, and it all limped along until 2008. Lehman Brothers was the financial coronary that exposed the fragility of the US economy.
Obama is not only a pathological liar, but also a corrupt socialist and an incompetent.
He has to lie constantly to garner yet more money and votes. Smiling like the Chessie Cat, he does little more than campaign, instead of doing his job. He has surrounded himself with like-minded socialists and together, they reward their allies with billions of taxpayer dollars via loans and other help.
He is destroying America, and lemmings continue to support this dictator. He should be impeached. He waged an illegal war against Libya.
Well, I’ve been living in NJ for 33 years now. And, as I drive around town, I’ve never seen so many businesses close down! Everywhere you go, stores are empty and closed down. If you need a business location, you can find cheap/available ones everywhere.
Ever wonder why the more Washington DC does, the WORSE things get?
So, we have Obama to blame for all this! Wow! And I thought the breaks went out of the downhill freight train while Bush was in office, doing nothing to fix it. Obama stood in front of the train and at at least slowed it down to crawl. It will take a long time to fix it and it wont be cheap.
Scary stuff, cynicism, the mind set of the new millennium. Sounds familiar like the Weimar Republic. How trustworthy are his statistics, take one look in the mirror,and you will know the answer!!!
I went through this in the early 80′s when gold
and silver were rising nothing materialized from
it thats when we had the s&l bailout. What I cant comprehend today is the amounts of currency
floated through our nation and other foreign nations, excluding land there is not enough wealth or wealth creation to satisfy theses debts the only way I see the debt disappearing
is through inflation we in the USA are dealing in fiat currency the only method of giving it
any value is to make it appear that it has value to the people you are distributing it to. I dont know if we could tie our currency to a gold standard it would have to be a mixed basket of commodities one problem the weimar republic had were outside influencs trading their notes for gold I just dont know what is going to happen I guess thats the scary part to make the changes you need to make to survive in an economic collapse such as this takes every one in your immediate family to take this seriuosly that seems to be the hardest part the more I try to explain my fears the more inactive my family becomes my wife seems very worried but i think all her worrying seems to shut her down and not want to think about it I just dont see any way out of this economic mess with out alot of pain
I try to find articles that describe to me a way out besides a few short term outlooks i cant find any I do this for other view points so maybe theres something im not thinking about
but i see nothing no way out.