We’re not in a recession. Economic growth last quarter was almost 5% (which is massive) and growth has been positive for the last 4 quarters. The average quarterly growth over the last several decades has been closer to 2%.
The economy is doing just fine. Frankly, most people hear their neighbors complain about the economy, so they think the economy is bad, so they complain about the economy, and the result is everyone thinking the economy is terrible when it objectively isn’t.
Inflation is relatively high by recent historical standards, but it’s really not that high anymore and hasn’t been for most of 2023. People got sticker shock during the height of it last year and haven’t forgotten. But the labor market is still tight, people who gave up trying to find work a long time ago are entering the market and getting jobs again, wages continue to rise, business investment is up, and small businesses are being created at a historically rapid pace.
When pollsters ask people, “how is your personal financial situation?”, most people are answering “good.” When those same people are asked, “how do you think everyone else’s financial situation is?”, they scream “TERRIBLE!” That doesn’t mean there aren’t people suffering, but things aren’t nearly as gloomy as everyone insists they are.
Much like a lot of issues, the state of the economy is a regional phenomenon.
In a Ruby Red middle of nowhere West Virginia, it’s quite poor right now. I was laid off three months ago and cant find a single job outside of retail (not doing that again) or medical care (no qualifications).
I think it would be a mistake to completely discount people’s economic worries.
That’s because you’re in a Ruby Red middle of nowhere West Virginia, where they’ve been fucking over the poor and blaming Democrats for at least two generations. Federal policy can only go so far, when it’s left to the states to determine where the money goes and what public support to offer. If you want to blame anyone for that, look to your state leadership, not Biden.
You’re not going to see me pretend that Republicans aren’t at fault, but I really would like some solutions, and the only people competent enough, to do that are Democrats.
And then they wonder why they’re losing rural America. It’s because they’ve given up on them entirely. I think Democrats would make huge dents in rural America if we had sound economic policy. Instead, we’re just so darn corporatist.
It reminds me of all the fascism going on right now. Why are Democrats not stopping it? Someone has to be in charge, and they’re just dropping the ball. So no wonder they get the image of a spineless party.
I agree, Democrats are not doing enough to end our corporate mindset and push the needle back toward the common good. But that’s not the same as doing nothing. Biden’s policies have been far more progressive than Obama’s, and Obama’s were more progressive than Clinton’s. AOC’s “the Squad” have increased their numbers (they’re still a tiny minority, but they’re growing) and the more we elect people like them the more traction we’ll see for progressive policy.
I’m sorry we can’t just turn the ship around on a dime. Our government wasn’t broken all at once, and it won’t be fixed any quicker. It’s going to take time, patience, and persistence before we see the changes we demand, and undermining the only faction willing to be reformed isn’t going to help those efforts. Criticize, yes, but make those criticisms based on factual, verifiable criticisms. “Biden is old” doesn’t help us, not as long as Biden is still willing to listen to us (and he has!) and adjust his policy for the better.
We’re never going to have the perfect candidate, one we align with 100%. I didn’t think Biden was going to be anything more than a corporate shill when he took office. But he’s pleasantly surprised me, and I think he’s more than earned the benefit of the doubt.
I am watching as fascism is taking over America, and Democrats are in fact doing nothing to stop it. No, we are not doing anything close to what we need to be doing.
When the other side is snakes, I expect to have some snake wranglers in charge
You are intentionally misreading what I’m saying. I specifically said what has he done to stop the creep of fascism that the GOP is engaging in right now, because it’s quite possible we lose the next election, and fascism takes over America, and Democrats did not do what they needed to do to smother it in the crib.
So every time they opposed Republican attempts to install fascism but failed because they didn’t have the power, because we didn’t vote for them to enable them to control policy, that’s their fault? Seriously? People keep saying Democrats have a messaging problem and I agree, but no one ever seems to acknowledge that the reason Republicans have the advantage in messaging is because they’ve got dedicated media organizations tipping the scales in their favor and bombarding the public with pro-Republican disinformation. No private, independent organization has done the same for Democrats, and it would be illegal for them to spend campaign money to create one.
So please, tell me what they could have done differently with the information they had at the time.
What exactly do you recommend to strengthen the economy in rural West Virginia? There’s no return on investment in an area with negative population growth, just as there aren’t enough rate payers to justify millions of dollars in broadband infrastructure to service half a dozen 20-acre homesites. Businesses are moving to areas with a positive ROI where labor is widely available (and educated), houses are available for that labor, and economic synergy is magnified due to proximity with supporting industries. The reason the economy boomed in WV in the first place was extractive industries who knew they could make bank by paying no-education rural residents next to no money to shovel coal out of open pits. If that’s not a viable industry anymore, then what’s left? Tourism? Hospitality? Retail? The government can’t force businesses to set up shop where they’ll lose money.
Funny you say this, I’m not even a capitalist, and that’s part of the capitalist problem. If it’s not profitable, nobody gets help.
And therein lies the problem. You, much like all the other Democrats, are so capitalistic in nature that you’re willing to let anybody who’s not wealthy enough just suffer.
Bullshit, I asked you what you propose something. Put your money where your mouth is. What would help? Welfare? Subsidized housing? Government training programs? Tax money on broadband?
Instead of putting words in other people’s mouths, why don’t you offer up something reasonable? Literally anything except derision would probably suffice.
I would provide a minimum standard of living to every American regardless of any economic Bullshit you pull out.
Putting in simply, we have labor, we have resources, therefore we can make sure people have housing and other nessesities. Because unlike you, which you explicitly said, I do not care about profitability, I do not care what business is want, because businesses, I don’t think outside of the government’s mandate have any right to exist.
If people need housing, you build houses. If people need internet, you build infrastructure. I have no idea why it’s so hard for capitalist brain-rot victims like you to understand this.
I would provide a minimum standard of living to every American regardless of any economic Bullshit you pull out.
UBI then?
Playing in simple, we have labor, we have resources, therefore we can make sure people have housing and other nessesities. Because unlike you, which you explicitly said, I do not care about profitability, I do not care what business is want, because businesses, I don’t think outside of the government’s mandate have any right to exist.
“I can’t find a job. I refuse to work in retail. I don’t care what businesses want. I don’t think businesses should exist.”
I’m skeptical there’s much of anything anyone could propose that would make you happy.
If people need housing, you build houses. If people need internet, you build infrastructure.
Yeah, WHO? Who builds those houses? With what money? You gonna force someone to build them? Where do you get materials? Do you give the houses away?
I’m not surprised no one will hire you, if it’s this hard for you to answer really simple questions.
That’s fair, but if you’re pointing to middle of nowhere West Virginia it’s nearly policy irrelevant. I understand that it’s absolutely brutal for y’all right now and has been for a long time but your economy is built on an outdated fuel source, the mining of which is so much easier now that it doesn’t need the population it used to. You’re geographically terrible to build manufacturing.
This is how little people actually understand about West Virginia. Coal is not nearly as dominating of a force as it used to be. It’s all natural gas now, and even that’s going to dry up eventually.
It’s why now more than ever we need Democrats to focus on it and have strong progressive economics to back it up. You can’t just let a state wither because it’s politically irrelevant, that just leads to it forever being politically irrelevant.
It’s also worth noting that Democrats have a mandate to do the right thing, whether it’s politically relevant or not.
We’re not in a recession. Economic growth last quarter was almost 5% (which is massive) and growth has been positive for the last 4 quarters. The average quarterly growth over the last several decades has been closer to 2%.
The economy is doing just fine. Frankly, most people hear their neighbors complain about the economy, so they think the economy is bad, so they complain about the economy, and the result is everyone thinking the economy is terrible when it objectively isn’t.
Inflation is relatively high by recent historical standards, but it’s really not that high anymore and hasn’t been for most of 2023. People got sticker shock during the height of it last year and haven’t forgotten. But the labor market is still tight, people who gave up trying to find work a long time ago are entering the market and getting jobs again, wages continue to rise, business investment is up, and small businesses are being created at a historically rapid pace.
When pollsters ask people, “how is your personal financial situation?”, most people are answering “good.” When those same people are asked, “how do you think everyone else’s financial situation is?”, they scream “TERRIBLE!” That doesn’t mean there aren’t people suffering, but things aren’t nearly as gloomy as everyone insists they are.
Much like a lot of issues, the state of the economy is a regional phenomenon.
In a Ruby Red middle of nowhere West Virginia, it’s quite poor right now. I was laid off three months ago and cant find a single job outside of retail (not doing that again) or medical care (no qualifications).
I think it would be a mistake to completely discount people’s economic worries.
That’s because you’re in a Ruby Red middle of nowhere West Virginia, where they’ve been fucking over the poor and blaming Democrats for at least two generations. Federal policy can only go so far, when it’s left to the states to determine where the money goes and what public support to offer. If you want to blame anyone for that, look to your state leadership, not Biden.
You’re not going to see me pretend that Republicans aren’t at fault, but I really would like some solutions, and the only people competent enough, to do that are Democrats.
And then they wonder why they’re losing rural America. It’s because they’ve given up on them entirely. I think Democrats would make huge dents in rural America if we had sound economic policy. Instead, we’re just so darn corporatist.
It reminds me of all the fascism going on right now. Why are Democrats not stopping it? Someone has to be in charge, and they’re just dropping the ball. So no wonder they get the image of a spineless party.
I agree, Democrats are not doing enough to end our corporate mindset and push the needle back toward the common good. But that’s not the same as doing nothing. Biden’s policies have been far more progressive than Obama’s, and Obama’s were more progressive than Clinton’s. AOC’s “the Squad” have increased their numbers (they’re still a tiny minority, but they’re growing) and the more we elect people like them the more traction we’ll see for progressive policy.
I’m sorry we can’t just turn the ship around on a dime. Our government wasn’t broken all at once, and it won’t be fixed any quicker. It’s going to take time, patience, and persistence before we see the changes we demand, and undermining the only faction willing to be reformed isn’t going to help those efforts. Criticize, yes, but make those criticisms based on factual, verifiable criticisms. “Biden is old” doesn’t help us, not as long as Biden is still willing to listen to us (and he has!) and adjust his policy for the better.
We’re never going to have the perfect candidate, one we align with 100%. I didn’t think Biden was going to be anything more than a corporate shill when he took office. But he’s pleasantly surprised me, and I think he’s more than earned the benefit of the doubt.
I am watching as fascism is taking over America, and Democrats are in fact doing nothing to stop it. No, we are not doing anything close to what we need to be doing.
When the other side is snakes, I expect to have some snake wranglers in charge
You what? Do you only have access to Fox News, or something?
You are intentionally misreading what I’m saying. I specifically said what has he done to stop the creep of fascism that the GOP is engaging in right now, because it’s quite possible we lose the next election, and fascism takes over America, and Democrats did not do what they needed to do to smother it in the crib.
So every time they opposed Republican attempts to install fascism but failed because they didn’t have the power, because we didn’t vote for them to enable them to control policy, that’s their fault? Seriously? People keep saying Democrats have a messaging problem and I agree, but no one ever seems to acknowledge that the reason Republicans have the advantage in messaging is because they’ve got dedicated media organizations tipping the scales in their favor and bombarding the public with pro-Republican disinformation. No private, independent organization has done the same for Democrats, and it would be illegal for them to spend campaign money to create one.
So please, tell me what they could have done differently with the information they had at the time.
What exactly do you recommend to strengthen the economy in rural West Virginia? There’s no return on investment in an area with negative population growth, just as there aren’t enough rate payers to justify millions of dollars in broadband infrastructure to service half a dozen 20-acre homesites. Businesses are moving to areas with a positive ROI where labor is widely available (and educated), houses are available for that labor, and economic synergy is magnified due to proximity with supporting industries. The reason the economy boomed in WV in the first place was extractive industries who knew they could make bank by paying no-education rural residents next to no money to shovel coal out of open pits. If that’s not a viable industry anymore, then what’s left? Tourism? Hospitality? Retail? The government can’t force businesses to set up shop where they’ll lose money.
Funny you say this, I’m not even a capitalist, and that’s part of the capitalist problem. If it’s not profitable, nobody gets help.
And therein lies the problem. You, much like all the other Democrats, are so capitalistic in nature that you’re willing to let anybody who’s not wealthy enough just suffer.
Bullshit, I asked you what you propose something. Put your money where your mouth is. What would help? Welfare? Subsidized housing? Government training programs? Tax money on broadband?
Instead of putting words in other people’s mouths, why don’t you offer up something reasonable? Literally anything except derision would probably suffice.
I would provide a minimum standard of living to every American regardless of any economic Bullshit you pull out.
Putting in simply, we have labor, we have resources, therefore we can make sure people have housing and other nessesities. Because unlike you, which you explicitly said, I do not care about profitability, I do not care what business is want, because businesses, I don’t think outside of the government’s mandate have any right to exist.
If people need housing, you build houses. If people need internet, you build infrastructure. I have no idea why it’s so hard for capitalist brain-rot victims like you to understand this.
UBI then?
“I can’t find a job. I refuse to work in retail. I don’t care what businesses want. I don’t think businesses should exist.”
I’m skeptical there’s much of anything anyone could propose that would make you happy.
Yeah, WHO? Who builds those houses? With what money? You gonna force someone to build them? Where do you get materials? Do you give the houses away?
I’m not surprised no one will hire you, if it’s this hard for you to answer really simple questions.
deleted by creator
That’s fair, but if you’re pointing to middle of nowhere West Virginia it’s nearly policy irrelevant. I understand that it’s absolutely brutal for y’all right now and has been for a long time but your economy is built on an outdated fuel source, the mining of which is so much easier now that it doesn’t need the population it used to. You’re geographically terrible to build manufacturing.
This is how little people actually understand about West Virginia. Coal is not nearly as dominating of a force as it used to be. It’s all natural gas now, and even that’s going to dry up eventually.
It’s why now more than ever we need Democrats to focus on it and have strong progressive economics to back it up. You can’t just let a state wither because it’s politically irrelevant, that just leads to it forever being politically irrelevant.
It’s also worth noting that Democrats have a mandate to do the right thing, whether it’s politically relevant or not.