I would further add the irony analysis. It's been pointed out a lot here that Congress has a much lower approval rating than the current occupier of the White House. Then why is there seldom a large upheaval of Congress?

 

It's because the local level sees the problem as "those people" but not "our people." That's why those approval/disaproval polls between President and Congress are apples and oranges. Ask a person if Congress is to blame and most will say, "Yes." Ask them in KY if Mitch McConnell is to blame or in VA if John Warner is to blame and most will say, "No, it's not his fault."

 

 

IMO the blame is on partisanship. I feel that our elected officials are more in tune with what their parties represent, and less in tune with what their constituency is asking. While I don't feel that politicians as a whole enter into politics for the purpose of ascending to power, I do think the longer they stay in politics, and further they advance, the more the shift from true service desires to the people they represent to staying in power to maintain their party's desires becomes the priority.

Hard to answer this question as in some regards they are better off than they were years ago, while on other issues it is in worse shape.

Everyone wants to throw the woes of the country on the executive branch, when truthfully, the economy started going in the tank when the Dems took over Congress. The increase in home foreclosures can be directly correlated to the changes made in the bankruptcy laws and making it harder to file. In the past, if you filed for bankruptcy, you could make arrangements to keep your home. You had to continue paying for it, but you could stay in it. Congress screwed that up. Now, the most basic of American dreams, home ownership, is in great jeopardy due to the actions of Congress. Thanks Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Let's start putting the blame where it belongs. It didn't take one man to mess things up, it took 535 people.

 

Didn't Bush make a big push to change the Bankruptcy laws to help his Banking Buddies.

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.

 

The economy is stronger? The dollar at all time lows.. Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae being taken over by the govt?

The economy is stronger? The dollar at all time lows.. Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae being taken over by the govt?

 

Certain parts are.

 

Is not the Stock Market higher than it was 4 or 8 years ago?

I don't really know but believe it is much higher (remembering the big going over 10,000 stories) than it was in 1999.

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

 

If you want to get technical, the problem actually started about 8 years ago.

The economy is stronger? The dollar at all time lows.. Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae being taken over by the govt?

The economy was in recession in early 2001 and it is growing today. High fuel costs are responsible for many of the current problems in the economy and they can be lowered through a quick and firm commitment to drilling and nuclear power. Those actions will have an immediate impact on oil futures prices. That is the issue that will most likely allow McCain to win the Novemver election.

After giving this question more thought, I would vote that the nation is much better off. I forgot the improvements that Bush has made to the US Supreme Court, which will continue to pay dividends for decades - especially if McCain wins in November.

Besides what Aces just posted, how many people would answer this question without thinking of economics.

Besides what Aces just posted, how many people would answer this question without thinking of economics.

A lot of people could forget the economics and think the war and say worse.

A lot of people could forget the economics and think the war and say worse.

Yes, if you asked if the country was better off.

 

With mcpappas original question and are YOU better off, economic situation will probably be first.

The country is clearly much worse off than it was 8 years ago. And I don't at all agree that this is simply due to energy prices.

 

Consider:

 

- Unemployment (currently 6.1%) is about 1 1/2 times what it was in 2000 (approximately 4%)

 

- Real median household income fell by $324 between 2000 and 2007 and is certain to be even worse when 2008 is included. Given the substantial productivity improvement during those years, this is unprecedented in the modern U.S. economy.

 

- The economy has in all likelihood already slid into recession. There is only a question of timing because of the gimmicky 'stimulus' that prompted a flurry of Wal-Mart purchases in the 2nd quarter and quickly dissipated. I don't know of many economists who believe we are not headed toward (if not already in) a recession.

 

- Existing home sales are at a 10-year low and home values have fallen at the highest rates ever recorded. Some metropolitan areas have two year backlogs of unsold homes. I heard on the radio this morning that even Louisville, which has weathered the housing bust relatively well, currently has a nine-month inventory of unsold homes.

 

- The Federal government has had to take over numerous banks to keep them from failing and just this past weekend took over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to prevent their collapse and to prevent catastrophic of U.S. credit markets.

 

- Iconic American businesses (GM, Ford, Chrysler) and the related supply base are near collapse and have shed hundreds of thousands of jobs since 2000. The financial sector is also cutting tens of thousands of jobs to adjust to business conditions.

 

- The national debt has grown by 70% (about $4 trillion) since 2000. This is an extra $13,333 for every man, woman, and child in the United States.

 

- The so-called misery index (unemployment rate + inflation rate) is at the highest point since 1991

 

- The United States military is engaged in two protracted foreign wars, with no clear timeline or plan to achieve clean victories.

 

- The U.S. military has been severely overstressed, with highly-experienced career officers leaving the service in droves to pursue other professions. The suicide rate in the U.S. is the highest it has been since recordkeeping began in 1980.

 

- The 2007 U.S. trade deficit was $711 billion, nearly twice the 2000 level of $370 billion.

 

- The U.S. Federal Budget deficit is $407 billion and projected to grow, compared to a $230 billion surplus in 2000.

 

 

With these facts in view, it's hard to make an argument that as a nation we're the same as we were in 2000 (let alone better off) with a straight face.