Doom and Gloom Psuedo Economics
I view “doom and gloom” pseudo economics in much the same way I view the “end of the worlders”. I don’t have a degree in economics but I do have observations of a half a century or so.
From their reasoning I have seen the end of the American Way many times in my lifetime. Most of these “doom and gloom” pseudo economists use the price of gasoline as the proof. Well when I first bought a gallon of gas it was 8 cents a gallon even though the national average appears to have been about 23 cents a gallon. Prices fluctuated a lot depending on where you were and sometimes the “gas wars” would bring the price down below the cost.
Americans and the rest of the world have faced many economic crises and have managed to weather them quite well. Do things change? Yeah, some things change and the way we do things change also. We have recently faced the biggest economic crisis since the “great depression” and have been pulled back from the brink. In the face of this, can we do things the way we used to? No. But we learn and continue on anyway.
My dad was working class. He worked in a John Deere factory in a small Iowa town. He belonged to the United Auto Workers union. Because of this he had complete medical coverage for himself and all of us. Home visits by our family doctor were even covered.
He was able to buy a lot and build a house on it. He built it himself and as our family grew he added on. He bought a new car about every two or three years. He would keep it until the warranty expired and then would trade it in on a new one.
We were the working poor and lived quite well. Back then there was a real middle class. They were much better off than us. Unions were strong back then.
Since then, many states have passed what they call “right to work” laws that were in reality union busting laws. Since then the working class has gotten poorer barely able to put food on the table. The middle class has disappeared.
Now today, we have a working poor that cannot pay their bills and non-existent middle class and an increase of rich people who don’t pay taxes.
Can we go back to the way things were? Probably not. Can we weather our new storm? Probably. We are a strong people.
“We are a strong people”.
Hey John I have no use what so ever for the Doommers,and Gloomers who we now hear from on a daily basis,nor do I have any use whatsoever for those political pundits who constantly cry out that it is the fault of the poor in this country and in this world that are to blame for the present set of circumstances we now find ourselves in.
Essentially all those kinds of people do nothing for the state of our world or our country but rip it down further that it already is,hey why not try at least to build something up….?
No.
Well then…”see ya”.
Now matter how bad things get, in the end, things somehow always work out for the best. It’s been that way in my personal life and I can only hope it will be that way for the state our country is in. It’s discouraging sometimes but all we can do is just pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, continue on with the race and hope for the best. What else can we do, really?
I remember the doctor making house calls when I was a little girl. Now those were the good old days…and I believe I just showed just how old I am? 🙄 LOL
Shit dude. The first time I bought a gallon of gas it was the same price as a loaf of bread…. 25 cents. And I am a month older.
We may weather this storm, but it is not merely economic. The extremists are chopping away at our foundations and the boots march ever heavier in the streets. This is (by the way from Roscoe) and is a town I lived in many years ago. It is a small town and the brown shirts are not local…. They are homeland security… This is not just economics dude. Optimism is good but we could go either way.
I believe they are just as accurate as this man……
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These days, you can’t go below market price.
Back then were the good old days.
Kids. Young people. Bah! Want now, spend now.
Save up for it.
The country is gone batty because everyone wants now.
When I was young, you didn’t get credit unless you were regular at the grocers.
Where are the responsible people?
1978, 48% of the American Work Force were union. THat is remarkable in that even in Union plants like Ford or Caterpillar Exempt employees were non-union. Now 17$ of the Work Force are union, most of which are Teachers and Public Workers.
My dad was carreer military and my experiences were much like yours. Our Family bought a Home, we had multiple cars and televisions and did not want for anything.
I have had medical Coverage from 195? to 2006… 50 years of Medical comverage and when I changed jobs I was denied coverage due to Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension which are treated and under control. I have spent the last 5 years without healthcare. the real shame is my Children don’t have Healthcare.
At 16 I bought my First car with money I earned as a Busboy. It was a 2 yo Ford Gran Torino. I don’t know a single kid that drives a car that new. Hell, I don’t know anybody that drives a car that new.
Not sure I like the direction we’re heading… I think union busting and privatization is ruining life for many Working Americans.
One of the things I miss the most about my father is his calm fiscal perspective. Having lived through both the 1929 and the 1987 depressions, he knew not to panic. (I also miss the rooms he kept building onto houses, but that’s another issue)
The economy is like fashion in that it goes in cycles. And with each revolution, you discard those numbers that you know will never ever come back into style lol. Its those who adapt the best who win. And America has always adapted in spite of its many noisy prophets of doom
The price of oil is global. Just about everything is global these days and it is impossible to see the economics of any country independently of the rest of the world. America has been involved in fighting wars continuously for the past 30 years. For the economic interests of America, as these wars are fought in other countries and it never seems to benefit those countries much.