The "are you better off" poll results are right down the middle, with something like 62 responses to date. Time to switch gears.

 

In your opinion, is the country better off than it was prior to the current administration? On the previous poll, it was correctly pointed out that there are any number of reasons why someone may or may not be better off than they were, and that the government's influence could be tangential at best.

 

And we may differ on why we answer this new poll as well. That's fine; I just want to know what we think.

I voted "About the same." On the up side, taxes are lower, the economy is stronger, we are better positioned to deal with threats in the Middle East, and with terrorists threats at home.

 

Negatives include eight years of failure by our government to secure our energy supply - the most serious threat to the healthy of our economy, failure to address illegal immigration in a serious way - another long-term threat to our economic security, and the tabloidization of our mainstream media, which was not that great eight years ago.

We need to establish some benchmarks in this thread.

I'm not sure how anyone can say the economy is stronger, when energy/fuel drives so much of our economy, and the new information that the jobless rate is at a 5 year high.

 

I will say our country is worse off than it was 4 years ago at least.

I'm not sure how anyone can say the economy is stronger, when energy/fuel drives so much of our economy, and the new information that the jobless rate is at a 5 year high.

 

I will say our country is worse off than it was 4 years ago at least.

Or maybe two? :sssh:

I'm not sure how anyone can say the economy is stronger, when energy/fuel drives so much of our economy, and the new information that the jobless rate is at a 5 year high.

 

I will say our country is worse off than it was 4 years ago at least.

Most of the current economic woes are related to fuel prices, a problem that can be addressed. Bush inherited an economy headed into recession. By last account, the current economy is growing at a rate over three percent.

 

We are two quarters of negative growth numbers short of a recession no matter how often the word is used by Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The nation is not in a recession, although recessions are cyclical and one could be around the corner.

 

Given the high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel, it is amazing that the economy is not already in recession but the fact that it is not indicates that it is fundamentally pretty sound.

Or maybe two? :sssh:

 

 

The question was 4 or 8 years ago. I think we're definitely worse off than 4 years ago....so I'll stick with 4.

The question was 4 or 8 years ago. I think we're definitely worse off than 4 years ago....so I'll stick with 4.

Seems that the problems really began two years ago, but I can understand why you would want to forgo that.

Seems that the problems really began two years ago, but I can understand why you would want to forgo that.

 

 

Again, the question was 4 or 8. I chose and choose 4.

Again, the question was 4 or 8. I chose and choose 4.

Again, I fully understand. I also understand why the question was posed that way.

John McCain says we are worse off today....wasn't that what his CHANGE message was about?

I voted "About the same." On the up side, taxes are lower, the economy is stronger, we are better positioned to deal with threats in the Middle East, and with terrorists threats at home.

 

Negatives include eight years of failure by our government to secure our energy supply - the most serious threat to the healthy of our economy, failure to address illegal immigration in a serious way - another long-term threat to our economic security, and the tabloidization of our mainstream media, which was not that great eight years ago.

 

I see some of the positives you are mentioning but the job loss numbers are a definite negative at this time. (particularly locally which is where all perception begins.) It's because of my locality that I have to say it is much worse but again, that's because of locality.

 

I don't see how the economy is stronger than 8 years ago, maybe 4 but not 8. While 8 years ago we might have been heading into economic slowdown already, it's worse now than then. (I don't blame Bush for that just like I don't really blame or credit most prez's for the extremes of the economy.)

 

As to the tabloidization (is this a word? If not, it ought to be.), can it really get any worse than 10 years ago and the Lewinski stuff? I don't think we can say that's as current as the last 4 to 8 years. (BTW, I too blame Clinton for all that stuff being in the headlines but it was out there in tabloid fashion in '98)

John McCain says we are worse off today....wasn't that what his CHANGE message was about?

Yeah, he knows what the Democratic House and Senate has done and failed to do. He's right about his message of change.

Yeah, he knows what the Democratic House and Senate has done and failed to do. He's right about his message of change.

 

The Dems haven't done anything in their 2 years.

 

Then again the Reps were in charge for 6 years before and bought into the same things that tend to corrupt any Congress.

The Dems haven't done anything in their 2 years.

 

Then again the Reps were in charge for 6 years before and bought into the same things that tend to corrupt any Congress.

 

Actually they started into the same old same old about 1997-1998, after only about 4 years in power.