Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Take Inauguration Day for Obama as the yardstick.

Have you done a lot better financially, a little better, stagnant, worse or a lot worse?

 

[The_Lillard_King]

About the same.

Stagnant doesn't seem to accurately describe my situation over the past 4 yrs, so I'll go with a little better

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

mine is probably a little worse. Bonuses smaller, pay is the same...haven't gotten a raise in the past 4 years. I mean its pretty stagnant for the most part. Even if I were to look for a new job, there's still a lot of competition out there and the pay is low. Side business is still about the same, but haven't had to put clients on payment plans like I did 2 years ago so I guess its better.

Overall, I've simplified my life though so quality of life is a little better.

 

[julius]

stagnant here too. But it has little to do with who is president, as much as it does my own personal motivation to get out of the job field I'm in.

 

[barfo]

Way better. Although to be honest, that's from factors that depend barely if at all upon who is president.

barfo

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

A lot worse. I went from $30,000 of equity in my house to 40% upside down. Now, at some point in time I'll give it back and file bankruptcy. My 401K has underperformed. My retirement has gone from OK to very dark. And, Obamacare may very well unemploy me in 5 years or so. It hasn't been a very positive 4 years.

 

[MickZagger]

I'm in a Union, of course things are better than 4 years ago!

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I'm in a Union, of course things are better than 4 years ago!

Especially if you're UAW or SEIU!

 

[MickZagger]

Especially if you're UAW or SEIU!

International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Way better; the company I work for kind of had a lurch for most of 2008, but since January of 2009, it has more than doubled in size from 20 to 50 people, and profit sharing has doubled as well... I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop though, because I entered the workforce full time in summer of 2000 and went through the tech bubble recession mostly unemployed, so I know this happy bubble could burst at any moment.

 

[Eastoff]

I say a little better, because I am hired full time now. But I am spending a lot more money due to buying a car and on gf. Also Obama isn't sending us to war anymore and my war profiteering is slowing down.

 

[MARIS61]

Massively better. Pretty much went from worst to best (so far).

 

[jlprk]

Someone forgot to tell me in grade school that it's the President's job to earn my living.

 

[mobes23]

I'm much better off, but I'm lucky to be in an industry that wasn't impacted much by the financial crisis. Also, the company I'm with has been successful and my stock options are looking good right now. My 401(k) has recovered as well...although it wasn't easy convincing myself to continue to allocate to index funds while the market was tanking, I'm glad I did.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

A lot worse. I went from $30,000 of equity in my house to 40% upside down. Now, at some point in time I'll give it back and file bankruptcy. My 401K has underperformed. My retirement has gone from OK to very dark. And, Obamacare may very well unemploy me in 5 years or so. It hasn't been a very positive 4 years.

Why are you the only one here to have these negatives? Are they really Obama's fault?

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Why are you the only one here to have these negatives? Are they really Obama's fault?

That's a good question.

The answer is that I don't really know. How much of the housing crisis and lack of help for people like me is subject to debate. To be sure, some is. The stock market is pretty much the same- a good case could be made either way. As to my job, we shall see. If I lose it due to Obamacare, then I think it fair to lay the blame with the prez.

But things like this are all subjective as to how much may be the result of left or right politics and programs- if at all. And since we have so many sheep here who lack the mental & intellectual capability to look at any issue and not see it in glowing terms of their political agendas, it's hardly worth starting down that trail. I mean, I could write the canned answers from both the lefty & righty sheep here and both would agree.

 

[jlprk]

The Republican position is that Obama shouldn't have interfered. He should have let millions like BlazerProphet lose their houses, money, and credit ratings.

 

[Denny Crane]

The Republican position is that Obama shouldn't have interfered. He should have let millions like BlazerProphet lose their houses, money, and credit ratings.

Millions did lose their houses, money, and credit ratings.

Oddly, people in that boat aren't likely to have access to the internet to visit this site, perhaps.

 

[Sedatedfork]

A medium amount of better

 

[Eastoff]

That's a good question.

The answer is that I don't really know. How much of the housing crisis and lack of help for people like me is subject to debate. To be sure, some is. The stock market is pretty much the same- a good case could be made either way. As to my job, we shall see. If I lose it due to Obamacare, then I think it fair to lay the blame with the prez.

But things like this are all subjective as to how much may be the result of left or right politics and programs- if at all. And since we have so many sheep here who lack the mental & intellectual capability to look at any issue and not see it in glowing terms of their political agendas, it's hardly worth starting down that trail. I mean, I could write the canned answers from both the lefty & righty sheep here and both would agree.

Since you're going to get vaguely insulting, maybe you could enlighten us how your job could be loss directly caused by obamacare?

 

[jlprk]

Millions did lose their houses, money, and credit ratings.

Oddly, people in that boat aren't likely to have access to the internet to visit this site, perhaps.

Government intervention prevented millions more like BP from going under. Republicans and Libertarians say that those homeowners should have been allowed to sink, along with major sectors like autos.

 

[julius]

Since you're going to get vaguely insulting, maybe you could enlighten us how your job could be loss directly caused by obamacare?

Those 11 cents per pizza gotta come from someones pocket!

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Since you're going to get vaguely insulting, maybe you could enlighten us how your job could be loss directly caused by obamacare?

The primary end goal of Obamacare (if it works the way it is hoped to) is a national single payer health care system and the elimination of health insurance companies. We can speculate on the reasons why (some are good and some are not). If so, my job (and several million others) goes away. A direst result of Obamacare. Now, that said, I don't want to get into the merits (and lack thereof) of either the current system or the one being ushered in. When things like this change, people lose their jobs and most never get back what they had as they often lose everything. That's the way it goes. Just like ABM whose CEO sold them down the river so he could get tens of millions of dollars and a couple thousand people lost their jobs and many lost homes... It's the way it goes. Who knows what will happen to me if this occurs. But so long as there is cardboard, feltpens and freeway exits I figure I can get by.

 

[barfo]

The primary end goal of Obamacare (if it works the way it is hoped to) is a national single payer health care system and the elimination of health insurance companies. We can speculate on the reasons why (some are good and some are not). If so, my job (and several million others) goes away. A direst result of Obamacare.

You'll be retired by the time that happens, if it happens at all.

The answer is that I don't really know. How much of the housing crisis and lack of help for people like me is subject to debate. To be sure, some is. The stock market is pretty much the same- a good case could be made either way.

I'm not sure you can blame anything about stock market performance on Obama. The stock market is way up since he was elected.

barfo

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

You'll be retired by the time that happens, if it happens at all.

I sure hope so. I mean, if it ever happens I'll be in my 60's at least. But another concern is that if business drops off to a certain point we will probably be sold and then who knows what will happen. Oh well, I'm not worrying about it.

I'm not sure you can blame anything about stock market performance on Obama. The stock market is way up since he was elected.

barfo

Yeah, maybe. Some sectors are down due to his administration, some are up as a result... There are effects on foreign markets and stocks as well. Again, it's all subjective and it's pointless to speculate. I just wish I had more investment options here at work.

 

[MickZagger]

Looks like the people have spoken!

 

[jlprk]

The primary end goal of Obamacare (if it works the way it is hoped to) is a national single payer health care system and the elimination of health insurance companies.

Link? That is exactly the opposite of Obamacare (formerly Romneycare in Massachusetts), which uses corporations to the hilt.

 

[barfo]

Yeah, maybe. Some sectors are down due to his administration, some are up as a result... There are effects on foreign markets and stocks as well. Again, it's all subjective and it's pointless to speculate. I just wish I had more investment options here at work.

Sure, some sectors do better than others. But overall, the market is going great under the current pres.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

I'm not sure you can blame anything about stock market performance on Obama. The stock market is way up since he was elected.

barfo

Yep, Obama's been really good for the top 1%.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

im doing better every year, but that is only because i am a cutthroat take no prisoners free market union busting beast