So Do You Think The Economy Will Change For The Better, Remain The Same Or Get Worse?

by minimus 52 Replies latest social current

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  panhandlegirl

  I think the economy will get worse, especially if we keep spending and don't get the deficit under control. I know the markets are concerned about going over the fiscal cliff. I hope all three branches of the government work together and come to whatever compromises needed for the sake of the nation. I know my 401K lost a lot of money since last Tuesday, but the market is supposed to improve, at least that's what I hear. I do think the housings is improving some. I sure hope we don't continue losing jobs. McDonalds sales just dropped for the first time since 2003. Doesn't sound good.

  PHG
• 

  minimus

  Yes, that is something about McDonald's!
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  tiki

  I believe we are on a slow but good trend....there will be ups and downs, but the graph is moving upward inching slowly .... we all would love to see great and sudden growth, but it just doesn't work that way. I do think that there is such a proliferation of junk that people waste money on - and real progress for the planet would mean curtailing a lot of useless manufacturing and expenditures and concentrating on what is of true value. Just talk a walk through any toy store and see all the stuff - and it all ends up in waste, landfill..how much does your toddler really need...and what about the appreciation level? ....and hopefully as much as possible gets recycled, but just the same, the damage to the environment ultimately is sad. EVeryone thinks they need the latest and the greatest and that has made us a society demanding instant gratification and along with that high levels of throwaways....ultimately waste. If everyone would become more aware of their personal carbon footprint, not only the economy but the quality of life could improve so wonderfully.

  Just some random thoughts.......
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  tiki

  PPanhandle Girl - I hope you arent checking your 401k balances daily or even weekly.....the ups and downs can drive you mad!! quarterly works....annually even better - you get a more realistic picture of the growth. And depending on your age, how you have your funds allocated will make a big diffence in the total balance when you need to start drawing on it......I know I am old, and have to stay on the safe side...younger you are the more risk you can assume.... Don't worry about McD's too much.....they are a global obsession....I worry more about the price of oil and the big money-making cartels...milking us for every penny just to heat our homes and keep our vehicles on the road.
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  mrquik

  I need you guys to keep paying into the system until I retire in 5 yrs.
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  tiki

  in the same boat mrquik........except i have rather resigned myself to the fact that i will likely be gainfully employed until they toss me into the fiery cauldron and reduce me to that ashen state.
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  straightshooter

  I think it will be better. Democrats usually look after the disadvantaged more than Republicans. Unfortunately this will be at the cost to future generations.
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  problemaddict

  I think its hilarious that so many people think that the "Muslim, Kenyan, gay guy" back in office is tha harbinger of doom. I think the Republicans mastery in getting people to vote against their own actual interests is one of the greatest manipulations of our time.

  Anyways, my buisness is related to housing, and 2013 will be a hard year for foreclosures. There will be TONS of them so get out your checkbooks and buy something if your local economy reflects the national trend. After that, things will slowly recede.

  China is ina mess, and so is Europe, but its not likely hyperinflation will result either way in a meaningful way. Those with the power, won't let their money become worthless.

  Just my 2 cents.
• 

  respectful_observer

  McDonalds sales just dropped for the first time since 2003. Doesn't sound good.

  Actually, McDonald's stock price RISING has been considered an ominous omen for the economy in the past, believe it or not! (People can’t afford a normal healthy lunch, so they cave and get a cheeseburger off the Value Menu.) So having it drop might actually be a positive signal for the economy!
• 

  sizemik

  He seems to feel that our ways of capitalism are what has destroyed the world.

  He's right . . . they have. The capatalist economic model is workable . . . but there has been a blindness to it's flaws which are obscured by widespread belief in fallacies . . . most notably, that low tax rates for rich corporates create jobs through capital investment. It's total bullshit as the records of the last 30 years show. Economic growth, and therefore job growth, is powered by consumption (that's the consumer). Erosion of relative incomes for middle classes has reduced consumption. Economies with higher wage rates, higher tax rates, more Govt., and more regulation, are doing way better. The "trickle-down" theory that Corporate capital creates jobs is a myth. The money dissappears out of the loop and continued consumption relies on debt creation. Remember . . . GDP is just another way of describing consumption. The system is actually designed to kill the very resource it relies on to survive . . . consumption.

  Even some of the mega-rich are waking up to it . . . just not enough of them.

  Nick Hanauer is a very rich venture capatalist . . .

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBx2Y5HhplI

  I am afraid of civil uprisings .

  You should be . . .

  Before any significant rethink takes hold, the entire global economy is set for a major collapse. While the effects of wage erosion remain . . . consumption will continue to fall, unemployment will rise with increasing momentum to frightening levels. Civil unrest will be a daily occurrance and crime rates will soar as a result of economic oppression. The world is staring down a major re-adjustment . . . and it will come either voluntarily or otherwise. The talk at the moment indicates the latter.

  Sounds a bit pessimistic I know . . . but let's get real. A head in the sand means an arse is exposed.

  Either way . . . I think it's a good thing. It just might get a bit rough along the way.