http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621 From the Washington Post: Ask Americans how the economy is doing, and their answer is stark: It is not just bad, it is run-for-the-hills terrible. Consumer confidence is at its lowest level in almost 30 years. Only 12 percent of Americans think the economy is in good shape. On the Internet, comparisons to the Great Depression are widespread. But the reality is different. According to most broad measures of how the economy is doing, it's not all that grim. This paradox has created a unique challenge for those guiding the economy, who worry that Americans' pessimistic views will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Two-thirds of the economy is consumer spending. So if people's negative outlook leads them to cut their spending, a steeper downturn could happen. Read the whole story here. From the Washington Post: Ask Americans how the economy is doing, and their answer is stark: It is not just bad, it is run-for-the-hills terrible. Consumer confidence is at its lowest level in almost 30 years. Only 12 percent of Americans think the economy is in good shape. On the Internet, comparisons to the Great Depression are widespread. But the reality is different. According to most broad measures of how the economy is doing, it's not all that grim. This paradox has created a unique challenge for those guiding the economy, who worry that Americans' pessimistic views will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Two-thirds of the economy is consumer spending. So if people's negative outlook leads them to cut their spending, a steeper downturn could happen. Read the whole story here. en-us <p>Because they're asking the people in the bottom 90 percent of the economic spectrum, of *COURSE* they'll get a worse answer than if they asked the top 1% who have actually benefitted from the &quot;Bush Boom.&quot;</p> <p>.</p> <p>The answer to your question is &quot;realism.&quot;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_258997 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_258997 <p>Because they're asking the people in the bottom 90 percent of the economic spectrum, of *COURSE* they'll get a worse answer than if they asked the top 1% who have actually benefitted from the &quot;Bush Boom.&quot;</p> <p>.</p> <p>The answer to your question is &quot;realism.&quot;</p> <p>It can't be that bad in this valley; I've been selling the daylights out of lawn mowers, tractors, and especially gas grills. We offer free assembly on grills, and they're so popular that it takes three days to get yours assembled.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259065 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259065 <p>It can't be that bad in this valley; I've been selling the daylights out of lawn mowers, tractors, and especially gas grills. We offer free assembly on grills, and they're so popular that it takes three days to get yours assembled.</p> <p>&quot;32 new listings for 93308, All homes for sale, All prices &quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; All distressed /foreclosures&nbsp; June 18th</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;&nbsp;30 new listings for 93308, All homes for sale, All prices&quot;&nbsp; 28 distressed/foreclosures June 16th</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&quot;416 new listings for 93308, All homes for sale, All prices&quot; 403 distressed/foreclosures&nbsp; June 14th</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;10 new listings for Bakersfield, All homes for sale, Multi-Family Home, $0-$189,000&nbsp;&nbsp; June 14th</p> <p>Doing great is Btown..</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259080 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259080 <p>&quot;32 new listings for 93308, All homes for sale, All prices &quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; All distressed /foreclosures&nbsp; June 18th</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;&nbsp;30 new listings for 93308, All homes for sale, All prices&quot;&nbsp; 28 distressed/foreclosures June 16th</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&quot;416 new listings for 93308, All homes for sale, All prices&quot; 403 distressed/foreclosures&nbsp; June 14th</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;10 new listings for Bakersfield, All homes for sale, Multi-Family Home, $0-$189,000&nbsp;&nbsp; June 14th</p> <p>Doing great is Btown..</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>So, that's what happened: the economy is down the toilet because I cut my consumer spending. Leave it to middle class wage earners and taxpayers to screw things up. But there's a way out---raise gas prices at the pump and jack up food prices and then I'll bet they'll spend more.</p> <p><i>Washington Post </i>hires the mentally handicapped, no argument there.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259813 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259813 <p>So, that's what happened: the economy is down the toilet because I cut my consumer spending. Leave it to middle class wage earners and taxpayers to screw things up. But there's a way out---raise gas prices at the pump and jack up food prices and then I'll bet they'll spend more.</p> <p><i>Washington Post </i>hires the mentally handicapped, no argument there.</p> <p>C'mon people. Buy stuff! It's the key to our economy. I know we bought houses and other consumer goods on credit but this time it'll be different. Use your stimulus check to circulate money into the economy to&nbsp;propagate the glorious myth of Capitalism.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259829 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/28621/#c_259829 <p>C'mon people. Buy stuff! It's the key to our economy. I know we bought houses and other consumer goods on credit but this time it'll be different. Use your stimulus check to circulate money into the economy to&nbsp;propagate the glorious myth of Capitalism.</p>