zoocrew

Then I don't know what to tell you because the survey is from real people.

But what the average person is feeling is not what the reality is saying. Things are getting better. That's not to say we are back to where we were in 2007 but things are getting better. It takes a long time to get out of the hole we were in with the Great Recession. Again, I can say that things are much better for me and my family than 5 years ago. It is for most of the people I work with and my neighbors. My old neighbors? Not so much. 3 of them lost their homes. My new neighbors? They are doing very well. I know many who have it much worse than what they had 5 years ago. I know som

I don't think you followed what I said. I said we are always headed for another recession. Recessions are normal and common place. The economy is slowing improving. At some point it will go into a recession. That is the way things work. AGAIN, I'm just saying that I predict the weather is going to get colder and dip below freezing. That it will happen is a certainty because that is the way the seasons work. A recession is the way the economy works too.

When the Real Estate Bubble burst, it took all that was too much. What we have now is definitely down in the real estate and construction industries, but this is what it should have been like all along. Things are improving. It will get better. It is slowly getting out of the hole we were in during that Recession. Many people I know are better off than they were 5 years ago. I know many that are in terrible shape job wise. I know some that lost everything. I know some that are doing very well. It just works itself out. I know we're hiring. I've got two more slots to fill in May. I

I can see you didn't check the links, did you? I agree that we are headed for another recession. We always have a recession every so often. Predicting another recession is like predicting you will be hungry.

You're talking about the one, single segment of the economy that has been hit the hardest. It was over-the-top in 2007 with too many people working in the field. Now the economy is naturally pairing back to what it should have been all along. The same in 73-74 with the manufacturing. Same with the Tulip Bulb Bubble. Same with the Tech Bubble. The Real Estate Bubble and everything associated with that field is still getting back to its equilibrium. It will never get back to what it was in 2007 because that was waaaaaay too many people in the field.

Guess we'll see how 2013 plays out.

Just saying what the experts are saying. Guess we disagree with how economics works. I'm only giving what I've read and I readily admit I am no expert myself, but I'm getting educated on this stuff and that is what they are all saying.

He's full of it. None of the stuff I'm reading says that is anywhere near close. There are always people that lose jobs and have to resort to those things. That doesn't mean the economy is not improving.

That's not what the economists are saying. Now if you can give some data that shows the economists are wrong, I would be interested in seeing it. Blaming it on OPEC is the politically correct thing to do that plays on people's emotions but that is not what the information I'm reading says. If you can refute the experts, I'm willing to hear it. My link 1 My link 2

Normal people are not like that. Lazy people are not like that. That was serious psychological problems.

Right. That means the economy is growing and demand is up. That pushes gas prices up. I prefer higher gas prices over the economy in a death spiral and the Great Recession we had in 2008.

Those people have emotional and psychological problems. They don't see things like we do. Their brain circuitry is different. They need serious help.

I so need to do this! Hopefully I will be able to come out after my yoga class.

Recession ended June 2009. My link And end of the recession doesn't mean things immediately get back to normal, especially since that one was so big, so bad and so deep. It will take a while to fix all the problems. We've been out of the recession for 2 1/2 years now. The last recession we had anywhere near the 2008 was in 1973-1974 and it took 8 years before things started getting better. Same with the Great Depression. It took a long time to fix those problems.

The tooth fairy at our house started leaving gift cards to local restaurants. That way everyone got to enjoy it.

It was down because the economy was in the middle of a recession and the demand was super low. If you want gas down to $2 a gallon again, then you have to take another 2008 recession. If you want lower gas prices, a recession is the answer. My link

Down 11 cents a gallon on the national average. Just giving the numbers.

Here ya go. My link

Please don't make this political. This is about consumer confidence. If you look at everything through the prism of politics, it will make you bitter, mean and unable to actually discuss things. Let's keep the politics out of this.

Excellent post.

Gas prices will drive a lot of that. (Pardon the pun.) Gas prices have gone down, contrary to what most people were saying.

Sure. I realize that. But that is 92% of Americans who are working, retired or otherwise not actively looking. There are always people under employed. That is always the case. But the fact is that employment is growing, the economy is growing and things are certainly better than where we were 3 years ago.

The latest consumer confidence number is the highest it has been in a year. People are feeling better about the economy. There are still problems. The recession was so big, so bad and so deep that it will take a long time to fix. But things are definitely better than were they were 3 years ago. My link

The economy has been improving since the summer 2009 when the recession ended. 92% of Americans are working. Your pessimism is not what the majority of Americans are saying right now. In fact, consumer sentiment is the highest it has been in a year. My link