Unemployment rate jumps to 5.5 percent in May

[Hugo Chavez]

One of your moderators brings down the property value of this place.

you're wrong.  Strong opposition is what will keep this place flying along.  You want to bring it down, put a bunch of agreeing opinions in charge.  Even I get off on intentionally picking at points with BB where otherwise I probably wouldn't have said shit.  I like that we have a spectrum of opinion AND character. And even if BB is nuts in his opinion, oh please, like that's rare on getbig or any other board.  It would be borning without variety. Most important, he keeps the righties happy with posting here.  That makes him the perfect choice.  When they get unhappy, you'll have a point.

[OzmO]

you're wrong.  Strong opposition is what will keep this place flying along.  You want to bring it down, put a bunch of agreeing opinions in charge.  Even I get off on intentionally picking at points with BB where otherwise I probably wouldn't have said shit.  I like that we have a spectrum of opinion AND character. And even if BB is nuts in his opinion, oh please, like that's rare on getbig or any other board.  It would be borning without variety. Most important, he keeps the righties happy with posting here.  That makes him the perfect choice.  When they get unhappy, you'll have a point.

In that case.....To hell with the Broncos.   

[bigdumbbell]

two main reasons for gas/oil crisis:


1) devalue of dollar due to extreme deficit spending. (12 Billion per month in iraq)

2) oil speculators.



NT

right on

[Dos Equis]

Repeat post of mine from G&O lol, but relevant:

I'm sure everyone has seen a movie that references secret bank accounts, numbered accounts accessed by iris scans on tiny tax haven enclaves where mega rich folk "hide" money. I live on one, and the US dollar is said to have lost position as the premiere currency. Big drama here, the rich people flooding in constantly to deal with their banking, private jets landing at record rates. They say the Euro and Yen are now the choice currency, with AU, CND & Pound getting more favoured also. Rumour has people switching huge accounts out of the US dollar, and god knows how much money is 'hidden' here. It is the talk of the island.

Very interesting stuff CQ.  Do I need to cross this tax haven off my list of potential future destinations? 

[Dos Equis]

Sometimes i wonder if youre all there.   read this thread and try to figure it out.

As I suspected.  An overstatement.  Nothing further to add.  Carry on.   

[Dos Equis]

If 8 years ago, i was making the money i am now,  adjusted for inflation, and considering the state of the nation and the world, the price of gas, etc...   I'd be 1000 times better.

And the availability and opportunity to do what i do now was available then. 

Sometimes it's easy to confuse the process of maturing and developing the life skills to fully take advantage of the opportunities available to you, with, whether of not a particular time in the long past was better then the present.

Gas was less.  homes had better relative value, unemployment was low, etc...

Sorry BB, you must be talking about something else.

Well geeze, if 20 years ago I had the income, assets, education, life experience, etc. that I have today, adjusted for inflation, and considering the state of the nation and the world, the price of gas, etc.  I'd be 1000 times better.   

I'm not talking about maturing and developing life skills.  I'm talking about quality of life.  It's better for me.  It's better for a lot of people. 

I think for many people, me included, despite our current economic state, life is good.  Home values have gone up.  This sort of came up in another thread a little while back, but our standard of living is always improving. 

Unemployment is still low.  Darn near the entire able-bodied workforce is employed.  I haven't done a comparison, but I would imagine income is up and despite the foreclosure crisis homeownership is probably up. 

[Dos Equis]

LOL, you can't be serious... I can't believe you take 1000 times literally.  Anytime someone says 1000 times, you can take that to mean "a lot worse" not 1000 times litterally.  That would be something like ripping Bill Gates out of his current life and sticking him in the Spanish inquisition.  That kind of statement is made out of anger for the status, not intended for you to grab the calulator! lol.  Now a "lot worse" sorry bro, there's a lot of people who are really down from where they were in the 90's

I know it was a figure of speech.  I wasn't asking him for a percentage.  I see now it was really just an empty-headed comment. 

Yes there are people who are worse off today than the 1990s.  There are also people who are far better off.   

[OzmO]

Well geeze, if 20 years ago I had the income, assets, education, life experience, etc. that I have today, adjusted for inflation, and considering the state of the nation and the world, the price of gas, etc.  I'd be 1000 times better.   

I'm not talking about maturing and developing life skills.  I'm talking about quality of life.  It's better for me.  It's better for a lot of people. 

I think for many people, me included, despite our current economic state, life is good.  Home values have gone up.  This sort of came up in another thread a little while back, but our standard of living is always improving. 

Unemployment is still low.  Darn near the entire able-bodied workforce is employed.  I haven't done a comparison, but I would imagine income is up and despite the foreclosure crisis homeownership is probably up. 

Remember i said adjusting for inflation. 

My point is, the quality of life is certainly worse.  Comparatively take into account gas prices, home values compared to mortgages owed, Inflation, value of the dollar, rising food prices as the first effect of high gas prices, increasing unemployment.....

........And your argument falls apart.


The funny part is citing homeownership rates while there is a near record foreclosers.

[Slapper]

If youd quit going to Iraq ,theyd quit trying to kill you....very simple.

Hey War-Horse, do ya think he's going to get the point?

[Dos Equis]

Remember i said adjusting for inflation. 

My point is, the quality of life is certainly worse.  Comparatively take into account gas prices, home values compared to mortgages owed, Inflation, value of the dollar, rising food prices as the first effect of high gas prices, increasing unemployment.....

........And your argument falls apart.


The funny part is citing homeownership rates while there is a near record foreclosers.

I said adjusted for inflation too. 

Are you saying your quality of life is worse?  That everyone's quality of life is worse?

I know a lot of people who are much better off today than they were 20, 10, 8 years ago. 

I think the analysis includes much more than the items you mentioned:  educational opportunities, increasing income, increased home ownership, greater success for women and minorities, ever-improving products and services, life expectancy constantly increasing, improvements in technology, more efficient and better trained military, advances in medicine and science, etc.  People (especially the media) don't focus on those things when we go through a crisis. 

I am very concerned about oil prices and the mortgage crisis, but I don't think the country is falling apart.   

Regarding unemployment, one way to look at it is the national unemployment rate rose about 1 percent.  Another is to say 95 percent of the workforce is employed.  Hardly the apocalypse. 

Regarding home ownership, you cannot simply look at the mortgage/foreclosure crisis in a vacuum.  Of course the people losing their homes are not doing well, but you have to look the bigger picture and determine--despite the crisis--whether more families have been able to purchase and keep their homes today as opposed to 10 or 20 years ago. 

[OzmO]

I said adjusted for inflation too. 

Are you saying your quality of life is worse?  That everyone's quality of life is worse?

No, what I'm saying is that the quality of my life then, if earning the same money  as i do now adjusted for inflation or value, would be better because of the sate of the economy and world affairs.

Of course I'm better now, because of many reasons to do with progressing my life and earning more money.

I know a lot of people who are much better off today than they were 20, 10, 8 years ago. 

That's mainly because they moved forward and progressed in life.  Have them earning the same relative money then as they do now, and life is even better because their money is worth more then.

I think the analysis includes much more than the items you mentioned:  educational opportunities, increasing income, increased home ownership, greater success for women and minorities, ever-improving products and services, life expectancy constantly increasing, improvements in technology, more efficient and better trained military, advances in medicine and science, etc.  People (especially the media) don't focus on those things when we go through a crisis. 

that's all good, but your money doesn't go far enough now to take advantage of those things the same way you could do it then.  Yes, technology has increased, but not significantly, we don't have flying carpets and car that get 500 MPG.

Incomes increasing?  Not really when you consider that your money doesn't go as far today as it did 8 years ago.

Regarding unemployment, one way to look at it is the national unemployment rate rose about 1 percent.  Another is to say 95 percent of the workforce is employed.  Hardly the apocalypse. 

Does change the fact that it's worse. not better.

Regarding home ownership, you cannot simply look at the mortgage/foreclosure crisis in a vacuum.  Of course the people losing their homes are not doing well, but you have to look the bigger picture and determine--despite the crisis--whether more families have been able to purchase and keep their homes today as opposed to 10 or 20 years ago.

You mean like a few % more?  Like rises in unemployment?


 

[240 is Back]

Home values have gone up. 

Are you high?

[Slapper]

How about fruits? I remember buying a bag of fruit back in the late 80s for 75 cents. Now it's more than $ 4.00! 

[CQ]

If youd quit going to Iraq ,theyd quit trying to kill you....very simple.

Don't be silly War-Horse

It is completely unacceptable to defend your own soil, what rational person would do that?

I am 100% sure that should any foreign entity decide to illegally invade the USA and drop bombs all over their citzens for years on end not one single American will attempt to defend themself and will just smile as their population is killed. They won't be silly like the Iraqi's who have some weirdo thought to defend their own soil from foreign forces on it.

[Slapper]

Hey, the soldiers are doing a heck of a job. Just a couple of minutes ago I saw, on TV, one of our "heroes" saying:"we're here for your fucking freedom! So back the fuck up or I'll shoot you!" to a gathering crowd of Irakis. 

[Dos Equis]

Are you high?

   Are you still paying rent?  If so, then you shouldn't participate in this one. 

[Dos Equis]

My 50k a year in 1994.  I had a 2500 sq ft home for 56k or 450.00 a month.
                                 I had an 92 ford truck for 260.00 a month
                                 I could fill the tank for .89 cent a gallon
                                 Food bill for the week was 50.00 a week.

Fast forward 2005.  My 50k......Im self emplyed and determine my wages as per accountant...

                                 Bought a 2500 sq ft home  375k  2,900.00 a month
                                 I have a lincoln executive series 40k or 700.00 a month
                                 I can fill the tank for 4.09 a gallon  or 80.00
                                 food bill is 150.00 a week for family.




This is a 600% increase for the same sq ft of home.
car is around 300% increase
Gas is a 400% increase
Food is a 300% increase. 

 The list goes on for miles.  I used to take great vacations and contribute to businesses while there.       The money barely pays the bills where it used to be plenty.  Now i could make more but then i pay it all back in taxes and dont like the stress of a bigger company.

Beachbum hows that for an emptyheaded comment.

Well, do you want the nice answer or the straight answer?     If your income is the same today as 14 years ago then I agree that from an income standpoint your life was probably 1000 times better 14 years ago.  Has your net worth remained the same in those 14 years? 

And why the heck did you buy a $40K car when you only make $50K a year?? 

Also, your numbers sound a little off.  If you make $50,000 a year, your gross monthly is 4166.  You identified the following expenses:  mortgage (2900), car (700), gas (320, assuming you fill up once a week), and food (600).  Now, me and math don't get along to well, but my calculations show that equals $4520.  That is a deficit of $354, not including taxes, health insurance, utilities, etc.  So yeah, you are screwed.

Sounds self-inflicted.  You have too much house and too much car. 

[calmus]

8 years ago, I was in Europe on my "bar trip"... you know, the trip future lawyers go on after they've taken the bar and before they realize they've failed it.  Life was good.  Then it all came crashing down around my ears. 

[Hugo Chavez]

I know it was a figure of speech.  I wasn't asking him for a percentage.  I see now it was really just an empty-headed comment. 

Yes there are people who are worse off today than the 1990s.  There are also people who are far better off.   

The middle class has suffered, that's a fact.  I've posted the numbers and the notion that they've disappeared by becoming rich is fantasy.

[loco]

two main reasons for gas/oil crisis:


1) devalue of dollar due to extreme deficit spending. (12 Billion per month in iraq)

2) oil speculators.



NT

Increased gas/oil demand, worldwide.

[240 is Back]

  Are you still paying rent?  If so, then you shouldn't participate in this one. 

Yes.  Unlike 90% of my neighbors, I'm not 'upside down' in a mortgage in a depressed area.  I wouldn't trade places with a homeowner right now.  If crap hits fan and major homelessness occurs, property value, even in your neck of the woods will go down greatly.

Wait, you live in a state almost entirely dependent upon visitors with elective funds to waste.

Good luck with that... most believe it's not sustainable in a depressed ecnomy, but you know better...

[War-Horse]

Well, do you want the nice answer or the straight answer?     If your income is the same today as 14 years ago then I agree that from an income standpoint your life was probably 1000 times better 14 years ago.  Has your net worth remained the same in those 14 years? 

And why the heck did you buy a $40K car when you only make $50K a year?? 

Also, your numbers sound a little off.  If you make $50,000 a year, your gross monthly is 4166.  You identified the following expenses:  mortgage (2900), car (700), gas (320, assuming you fill up once a week), and food (600).  Now, me and math don't get along to well, but my calculations show that equals $4520.  That is a deficit of $354, not including taxes, health insurance, utilities, etc.  So yeah, you are screwed.

Sounds self-inflicted.  You have too much house and too much car. 

The fact is the median pay in the USA has not kept up with the cost of living......youll see some big problems soon as average americans try to keep up with food and gas.   The oil corps are being allowed to destroy our economy.

[OzmO]

It all comes down to this:


Are we better off now than 8 years ago?   The answer is obvious.

[Dos Equis]

Yes.  Unlike 90% of my neighbors, I'm not 'upside down' in a mortgage in a depressed area.  I wouldn't trade places with a homeowner right now.  If crap hits fan and major homelessness occurs, property value, even in your neck of the woods will go down greatly.

Wait, you live in a state almost entirely dependent upon visitors with elective funds to waste.

Good luck with that... most believe it's not sustainable in a depressed ecnomy, but you know better...

   If 90 percent of your neighbors are upside down then you are Craig Titus . . . . 

[Dos Equis]

The fact is the median pay in the USA has not kept up with the cost of living......youll see some big problems soon as average americans try to keep up with food and gas.   The oil corps are being allowed to destroy our economy.

Well yours hasn't that's for sure.  I don't think most people in business or in the workforce have had the same wages for 14 years like you.