What to do with a sluggish economy.

[Win]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
.....
The stock markets near all time highs are just an illusion..

What reality are you ..... living in?


The stock market is an economy? It's paper, representing a fractional share of ownership of a corporations assets. If those assets are moved overseas in the case of a manufacturer, exactly how are you plannning on realizing your fractional share without some other sucker to buy it from you? You probably aren't even in physical possession of your pieces of paper.

Financial instruments are even more illusory.

What reality are you living in?

 

[Dave Hess]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
But the medical field is a leach on everyone not affiliated to it.


I'm sure a few medical folks would disagree with this incredibly uninformed comment...


30 + years in healthcare and I had a very good laugh at that.

 

[THORROMIG]

Realisticly, there is no happy medium anymore. Either your living paycheck to paycheck or you can afford to buy new cars, go on vacations & save money. Sorry if the TRUTH hurts!!!

 

[Alfred_B]

Originally Posted By: thorromig
Realisticly, there is no happy medium anymore. Either your living paycheck to paycheck or you can afford to buy new cars, go on vacations & save money. Sorry if the TRUTH hurts!!!


Even the World Bank acknowledged a couple of months ago that the neo-liberal policies have widened the economic inequality. And they are tasked with promoting neo-liberalism around the world.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Silk
Give lots and lots of money to low income workers - they will spend it everywhere, food, clothing, engine oil, washing machines, drugs and guns. For an econnomy to florish money has to move, it doesn't move locked up in real estate and banks.
AND where does the money come from that you're going to HANDOUT? The middle class, as usual.. I suspect you don't pay a lot of taxes. BTW, a very simple economic FACT is that BANKS LEND the money you claim is locked up. It's a system which has been around a LONG time. Right now home mortgage rates are as low as they have ever been. BANKS provide mortgages.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
The [stock market] is doing great.


There, fixed it for you.

 

[surfstar]

Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: surfstar
.....
The stock markets near all time highs are just an illusion..

What reality are you ..... living in?


The stock market is an economy? It's paper, representing a fractional share of ownership of a corporations assets. If those assets are moved overseas in the case of a manufacturer, exactly how are you planning on realizing your fractional share without some other sucker to buy it from you? You probably aren't even in physical possession of your pieces of paper.

Financial instruments are even more illusory.

What reality are you living in?


What good does owning a paper stock give? Is all your money in gold bars? You know those dollar bills aren't backed by enough gold in Fort Knox, so that's all illusory too.

I get paid via DD. Swipe credit cards to purchase things. Pay CCs via automatic bank transfers.
Its all vaporware, I guess? Is a paper check that pays a rent or mortgage any different?

Are cans of beans and ammo the only way to measure wealth?

I don't get your point. Markets are quite representative of the economy.

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
Pickup and move from your depressed area? In my neck of woods economy is quite vibrant.



This. People have to realize that the U.S economy as a whole is relatively strong. Given our lackluster leadership its impressive. There are parts of the country that are struggling like Appalachia in west virginia and south eastern kentucky etc.. The reality is these places have always struggled and had the highest rate of Gov't assisted living and early death rates due to culture and lifestyle.

Around where I grew up and currently live there are jobs to be had, If you want to work. There are tons of jobs.. one common theme I see is some people do not want to "work" they want to watch and play on Facebook. When that doesn't fly they quit and blame the economy or they get fired. That happened to two guys at our company in the last 3 months. They were making $18-20/hr to be a gopher and would rather play on the phone and txt.

I went to college for business at IU one of the top business schools but I'm working as a project leader for a commercial contracting firm because I make more money working in the trade my father taught me than in the business field.

I tell all the kids I know graduating high school that are undecided to not go to college and be undecided for two years and spend $30k trying to figure out a career. The trades need skilled workers. I.E Electricians, carpenters, HVAC techs, Plumbers, mechanics,...etc. Guys in these fields are making $22-30 and hour within a year plus benefits and only spending 12-18 months in school and 2 years as an apprentice for plumbers to get licensed. If students know what they want to do then i applaud college, but not every kid needs to go like the system teaches. We do not need anymore education majors or communications majors or English majors right now. They are great majors, and great people are getting those majors, but there aren't enough jobs!

I know several plumbers, and HVAC guys making well into the triple digits, living comfortable, and begging for good techs to work for them. My uncle runs a small automotive repair/body shop with 3 employees and he personally brings home a $150k a year. He pays his techs pretty well also.

America needs Tradesman. Learn a Trade!

The economy here is amazing compared to most of the world. Go to central america and see if you can find a job with 60% unemployment rates!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Our top techs here make 70k yearly. Not too bad, and it's all commission so they earned it. Learn a trade, you might be surprised.

The economy is indeed a mess. That stock market is a huge bubble, just waiting for a tipping point. It'll happen.

Let's see, record number of folks not working. Record number of folks on assistance. Wages dropping overall, weakest economic growth for many years now, debt well over our GDP. I could go on, but no unbiased economics guy will deny this is a poor recovery...

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
What sluggish economy? I'm waiting in line to check out at every store I go to, and all the restaurants have a wait. Everyone I know has a good job and is driving a new car...this is sluggish?


You must be too young to remember a strong economy.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

I always chuckle when some members see their local area economy is doing fairly well and believe that the situation is the same everywhere else in the country....silly.

 

[surfstar]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
I always chuckle when some members see their local area economy is doing fairly well poor and believe that the situation is the same everywhere else in the country....silly.


and this is how I feel.


We can't buy a 2br condo for less than $500k here, but that doesn't mean jack squat to 99% of the country.


and for the OP's question: "Re: What to do with a sluggish economy." what are you running for President? What can you, personally, do about it?

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: Doog
Don't ask on this forum.....none of these dolts know what they are talking about. We are almost $21T in debt....the economy has never been worse.


Agreed. Most are clueless and think things are great. We've got massive unreported unemployment...just massive. Annual "growth" is extremely sluggish. Having some of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world as well as tremendously burdensome regulations on all businesses, doesn't help. Throw in uninspired, poor leadership...that pounds into peoples heads that government is the answer...and you can see why the economy is on a precipice.


Yeah, the economy has never been worse.
The stock markets near all time highs are just an illusion. So are the low unemployment numbers.

And Obama isn't really our president, right?

What reality are you two living in?


Just the fact that you don't grasp true unemployment numbers, as to what is recorded...shows that I'm not the one that is living in a false reality.

Have you EVER even bothered to look past soundbites or delved further into economics than what CNN tells you? Do you understand what extremely sluggish growth means in relation to an economy?

 

[Dave Hess]

SteveSRT8,

All our field service technicians break $100K yearly, but they also have 2 pensions, 401K, company stock, tuition reimbursement, vacation, paid training, company car, etc....



surfstar, andgrewg, GiveMeAVowel, donny, Dave, dishdude

www.DailyJobCuts.com

A bozo says unemployment is under 5% and dropping

 

[jcwit]

I understand the economy is not good in portions of the Country.

But right here in No. Indiana the RV industry is doing great!

 

[Dave Hess]

Originally Posted By: Branson304
The economy is rotten in the majority of my state, West Virginia & even more so in the southern half of the state. Low demand & Obama administration EPA over-regulation has killed the coal industry. There's practically zero jobs here except for minimum wage [censored]. A good paying career is rare in this area. We have suffered tremendously during the Obama years & I don't think either of the presidential choices will help anything either.

Things aren't quite as bad in my area. We had the Marcellus shale natural gas boom for a few years & the economy was good but oil prices crashed & there's little to nothing of that industry left. Fortunately I have been able to continue to make a good living here being an entrepreneur, but so many are struggling & the sluggishness of the economy here is obvious.

WV's economy has stood on natural resources & tourism. The natural resources industry is almost gone & tourism isn't enough. More so, our Democratic leadership has driven us into debt & it all collapsed this year. WV finally woke up & elected some conservatives in 2014 mid-terms but now the state budget finally entirely collapsed & our citizens blame it on the Republicans who have only had control for barely a year.

Our outlook is dim, but tell me how wonderful the economy is everywhere else....


Millions and millions of people voted for hope and change...

They got exactly what they 'hoped' for... meanwhile someone is out on Hawaii golf course having a great time with zero worries.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
What sluggish economy? I'm waiting in line to check out at every store I go to, and all the restaurants have a wait. Everyone I know has a good job and is driving a new car...this is sluggish?



Sounds like I need to move to your state. CT sucks. All my friends are thankful to have a job and must drive older gas sipper cars to afford their rent. The ones with nicer cars live at home still or drive 1.5-2 hours out of state to work.

 

[oilpsi2high]

Originally Posted By: SkyActivG
I'd like to know what some of you think about the ailing economy; sure it's gotten somewhat better, but people are very frugal now. I'm not sure what would happen if the market crashed again, because we have exhausted everything in our arsenal to slow/stop a downturn. Should the economy collapse, what would happen. Should the economy be left to collapse. It doesn't respond to stimuli.


I don't see very many people being frugal. On the highway it's all fancy new cars these days. I took a four hour road trip this weekend and it seemed like my 2006 Chevy was one of the oldest, lowest-costing vehicles on the road. I guess people have an image to uphold of themselves. Appearance first, money second it seems. Also, many people I graduated college with are spending more than half of their gross income on vehicles, and are taking out 30 year mortgages on overpriced homes. This can't be good for the economy in the long run. Also a lot of them still have student loans, but have car payments and take expensive vacations while eating out at least once a week. Can't help but laugh.

 

[Dave Hess]

oilpsi2high,

Lots of new college grads refuse to accept the fact they are middle class and over leveraged themselves financially. Jokes on them cause they are NOT impressing anyone with their house of fanancial cards. Trust me... Lots of cash poor Americans living the American Dream and they are 2 paychecks from financial disaster if the lost their job, house needs new roof, etc... then they realize they allowed their ego to get in the way of good financial decision making.

Check out:
Your Military Money
on YouTube, the guy is an Air Force Major and gives good advice to younger folks... also older folks can take some pointers from him.

 

[oilpsi2high]

I listen to Dave Ramsey every day, not for the financial advice, but for the comedy that his callers bring to the show.