Where is the US economy headed?

Miller: Sharp decrease in spending by the poor? So what! The rich have the dough to compensate for any shortage in spending.

The "rich" has never compensated for the middle class and the poor in keeping our economy running. Where in the world do you get your information? FOX News?

A Bear Stearns Cos. hedge fund that made leveraged bets in the subprime mortgage market is worth nearly nothing, according to two people briefed by the investment bank.

Investors have been waiting for Bear to update them on the High-Grade Structured Credit Enhanced Leveraged Fund and a larger, less leveraged fund called the High-Grade Structured Credit Fund.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the larger High-Grade Structured Credit Fund is worth roughly 9% of its value at the end of April.

You didn't answer which amenities poor people in America enjoy that the well-to-do in Europe do not. I specifically call on you to do so, or retract your statement.

Cycloptichorn

Have you visited Europe, cyclops? If you have, some simple observations of comparison should be obvious, and one important one is living space. Another would be cars.

Now, does a proliferation of color tvs, cable, cell phones, air conditioners, microwaves, and other gadgets, along with larger homes, plus garages, more cars and trucks, and an obesity problem among the poor strike you as a population that is starving to death for lack of money?

Now, one amenity is size of residence. Maybe you don't care, you might like a smaller apartment. If so, that is your choice, but the fact remains that more floorspace usually typifies the preference of people so that families are not in cramped living conditions. Did you read my link I posted? If not, here it is again.
Have you visited Europe, cyclops? If you have, some simple observations of comparison should be obvious, and one important one is living space. Another would be cars.

Quote:

Have you visited Europe, cyclops? If you have, some simple observations of comparison should be obvious, and one important one is living space. Another would be cars.

Now, does a proliferation of color tvs, cable, cell phones, air conditioners, microwaves, and other gadgets, along with larger homes, plus garages, more cars and trucks, and an obesity problem among the poor strike you as a population that is starving to death for lack of money?

Proliferation of stuff does not equal security. You have continually dodged this point, while simultaneously Appealing to Extremes; poor does not equal starving to death.

The Europeans have long had less living space then us, in part due to the fact that their countries rely in large part on the multi-generational family model living in the same house. As did ours, before Social Security, which you all love to hate.

Cycloptichorn

I don't know about other people, but I am tired of crybabies in this country. If they had everything, literally everything, it would not be enough. Whiners and complainers knock it off. You live in one great place. Appreciate it for once. And kindly quit trying to convert it into another European country or some socialist country or communist country like Cuba where they all have shared misery. If you are in misery here, its your problem, not the country's.

Cycloptichorn wrote:

Quote:

Have you visited Europe, cyclops? If you have, some simple observations of comparison should be obvious, and one important one is living space. Another would be cars.

Now, does a proliferation of color tvs, cable, cell phones, air conditioners, microwaves, and other gadgets, along with larger homes, plus garages, more cars and trucks, and an obesity problem among the poor strike you as a population that is starving to death for lack of money?

Proliferation of stuff does not equal security. You have continually dodged this point, while simultaneously Appealing to Extremes; poor does not equal starving to death.

The Europeans have long had less living space then us, in part due to the fact that their countries rely in large part on the multi-generational family model living in the same house. As did ours, before Social Security, which you all love to hate.

Cycloptichorn

Go live in Europe, cyclops, if you like it better there.

So no, maporsche and cyclops, I will never buy your mindset, and I will never vote for a Democrat that makes his or her living by telling everybody that there are either two Americas, or how bad everybody is off, or how this country has failed them. It hasn't failed them. We need a message of hope, grounded in the individual and personal responsibility, not the government.

Not in your view. I happen to think we all live pretty good here, maybe you don't. With all due respects to Europe, and I have relatives there and I have visited there, I honestly and respectfully believe with all of my heart that we have a better standard of living here. I don't wish to denigrate Europe, because if not for Europeans, much of what has been accomplished here would not have happened.

From my visits there, I think Europeans center of the world is Europe. Thats fine, but we have every reason to be quite proud of this country and our accomplishments. I am tired of feeling like we all have to apologize for the poor when millions of poor are trying to get here, many illegally, and they are bettering themselves and living better here.

My central point is to think positive, quit being negative, we have boundless opportunity here. For the poor, there are ways to make better choices, and with better choices, their economic lot can be vastly improved, even with relatively low paying jobs.

So no, maporsche and cyclops, I will never buy your mindset, and I will never vote for a Democrat that makes his or her living by telling everybody that there are either two Americas, or how bad everybody is off, or how this country has failed them. It hasn't failed them. We need a message of hope, grounded in the individual and personal responsibility, not the government.

Not in your view. I happen to think we all live pretty good here, maybe you don't. With all due respects to Europe, and I have relatives there and I have visited there, I honestly and respectfully believe with all of my heart that we have a better standard of living here. I don't wish to denigrate Europe, because if not for Europeans, much of what has been accomplished here would not have happened.

From my visits there, I think Europeans center of the world is Europe.

Well, there are ... at east 47 countries in Europe.
I sincerely doubt that you have more than an idea perhaps a coule of those.

I do admit that most private places I've sen in the USA aren't bad at all.
But comparing those owners and families with comparable in .... well, those six, seven European countries I know quite well, it's neither better nor worse: both sides of the ocean have advantages and bad sides.
It's more a kind of from where you look at it, I think.

Cyclops, please carry on an honest debate. I did alter my statement slightly, but I am not retracting my point, not at all. And to claim the stock market only affects the rich is downright ignorant. Even if you are not invested personally in the market, and alot more people are than you begin to admit, but even if they are not, the ripple effects throughout the economy are considerable.

Remembering back into the 90's, many people built second homes, by reaping the growth of stock values rising. All of this affected construction companies. Only one example of endless examples. Please go study Basic Economics, cyclops. There are no effects in this economy that do not have ripple effects. Trickle down does happen. It is the rich, or the people that have something of worth, like businesses, stock, and property that provide jobs, plain and simple.

The sun comes up in the morning, but I guess I can't prove it to ya.