Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?

Sorry y'all.  Been off the boards a couple of weeks and when scrolling through I missed the "2008 - 2012" thread.  Sorry for the double post.

Interesting question.

Last year, I lost my job and health coverage and got cancer...  This year, got coverage, got cured, got a better job.

So do I blame the pres/gov for LOSING the job/healt care/cancer or thank them for GETTING health care/cure/new job?  Overall, I'm probably better off than 4 years ago at the moment.

Oh, here's a novel idea.  What about things just happen?  Things are up and down?  Things happen on a much bigger scale that the president/goverment has little or no say in the matter so why blame or thank them for anything?

That's why I think all of this is a bit silly to argue about.  They both tell you what you want to hear.  It's a popularity contest and basically, just a couple talking heads.

while my income is up from 4-years ago...family income is down.  My wife pulled in a pretty decent income consulting part-time for several years.  It was great until about 3-years ago her 2-largest clients relocated.  The industry pretty much dried up in this area.  That hurt!  I pay more for my health insurance, and the co-pays and deductables have gone up as well.  I am paying a lot more for gas and to heat and cool my home.  I'm spending more on food.  My house is worth less than it was.  My investments have done well...but not as well as they should have because I have lost trust in the financial industry.  I have not been fully invested.  Yea, my fault but the adminstration has not done squat that leads me to believe that anything will be done so that we don't repeat what happened previously.

My family was better off 4-years ago.

While the votes here so far seem pretty evenly split... I'd suspect that the vast majority of folks would answer no.

For me its no.

I haven't gotten a raise in 3 years, the price of literally everything is more expensive than 4 years ago, my investments have barely held even over the last 4 years, the cost of my health care has steadily increased, so overall I'd have to answer a resounding no.

I make more money, more positive cash flow, but my net worth is actually lower (thanks housing market!)

I'm not too worried about it.  I'd say overall I'm up.  More in savings, good start on retirement, secure in job.

I've taken a better job, refi-ed my house and have a better nest-egg and emergency fund.

Of course, I'm sure I didn't build that.

I've graduated college with tons of student loan debt, found a job and bought a house with an FHA loan.

So I guess the government has helped me and indebted me.

It's sad.  It used to be that owning a house WAS your nest egg... Now it's a liability.

eta: Nothing to do with the current administration.  More a general observation.

For me the answer is clearly "yes".  Better job.  More income.  More posiibilities and potential...  But that had nothing to do with Obama or government.  I made those things happen myself (with a little kick in the butt from the Universe by giving me cancer and getting me fired from my old job.  Sucked at the time, but in the long run, probably a clear message to what I should have done and been thinking all along.)

What gets my panties in a wad though is the niave thinking of so many people to try and blame their woes on one person, the President... Regardless of whom the person is.  I had always said that whether it was Obama or McCain, either one was going to be in a world of hurt due to the circumstances they were thrown into.  Add to that these new Tea Party putzes in Congress who believe in paralysis over progress and pragmatism AND to cap it all off, a financial industry that is resisting reform and wants to continue down the same road - and you have a trifecta of political stalemate.  The perfect storm.

I think too many people in Washington and Wall Street are out simply to "win".  No one wants to "help".  Everyone seems in it for themselves and their own wallet and hardly anyone thinks about how they can contribute to help the greater good.  I see Mitt Romney a bit like MegaMind.  If he actually won.  If he and the Tea Party actually took power.  If they cut taxes on the wealthiest, banned abortion, and made gay marriage Constitutionally forever impossible...  what then?  They got everything for themselves and what they want, and then what?  The prize has been won, they and their friends and religion got all they could dream for and?...

I just don't feel like these people have anyone else's interests at heart other than their own.  Why are Bill Clinton's numbers so high now?  So much higher than they've ever been before?  Because people associate Bill Clinton as someone who cares about them!  Someone is is trying to help them.  Someone who isn't trying to win a personal prize and is dedicating their time to trying to make their life better.

I don't feel like Mitt Romney gives a single chit about me.

First of all, since when do you wear panties?

Second, you can't honestly think that Obama cares about you (white guy who owns a boat is probably pretty low on his give-a-crap-meter). 

You also should look at your statement in bold and think what if the Dems got everything they want (Health Care, Legal Gay Marriage, Spending, all of our Taxes going up at the end of this year with the Fiscal Cliff) what then?? (wait, that all did happen).

The President is supposed to lead.  Problem is we have a bunch of un-leadable Narcissists in Congress and the Senate right now on both sides of the aisle.  So you need someone to bully them if they're actually going to get something done.  Is it Romney?  Maybe not, but Barry hasn't exactly led yet either.  Instead of being the Parent saying "Get out of the mud hole!" he gets in and plays in the mud with them.  That's not his job.  He's the Executive.

As for Bill Clinton.  I love the nostalgia about a man who was involved in Whitewater, Paula Jones, Troopergate, Lewinsky, He was only the second US President to be impeached, Mogadishu (he pulled the Marines out and left Delta in.  If you read Blackhawk Down, that's when that mission went to hell), 2 US Embassies Bombed, USS Cole Attacked.  In hindsight, his presidency was the beginning of a lot of troubles in the Subprime and Credit Default Swap period (explosion started in 1998).  He benefitted greatly from the Tech Bubble/Dot Com Bubble that popped shortly after he left office. 

But he sure is Charismatic and that, Doug, is why you think he cares about you.

If you OWN it, you own it. If you borrowed to get it, it might be a liability, or it might not. WE still owe about 50% of our home. The housing market never bubbled here, so it is overall worth a bit more than we paid for it 13 years ago.. But I have never seen the wisdom of borrowing against a house for anything other than the most desparate of needs. Using it as some sort of bank for vacations, or other intangibles has always seemed very short sighted to me. At the very least, once we pay off the house, we can always have a place to live. We can sell it and move into something less expensive and/or smaller. Don't see it as a liability.

Welcome to America - where the leaders and entertainers resemble the populace...

My younger daughter constantly complains about the culture of entitlement that she sees in her peer group at college. The idea of being special and unique snowflake that deserves to be treated above others is pervasive. It is not limited to the politicians, nor to the entertainers, nor even to the business leaders. 

i read of an interesting experiment done where people were given a choice of 2 jobs to do, that they had to split with another person. One job was clearly less pleasant than the other. Obviously the fairest way to divide up the jobs was to flip a coin. If they had the person flip the coin in another room, they did not end up with the unpleasant job 50% of the time, but almost never did. Which suggests they either lied, or flipped "best 2 out of three", or "that one was a practice flip", or other cognitive distortions to give themselves the special treatment. No one wants to be seen as a "chump", and everyone wants to be seen as special. Which unfortunately in our highly polarized society today are seen as the only options. 

was the beginning of a lot of troubles in the Subprime and Credit Default Swap period (explosion started in 1998).  He benefitted greatly from the Tech Bubble/Dot Com Bubble that popped shortly after he left office. 

That statement is right on the mark. It was the beginning of the end. In new  york city ( brooklyn ,queens}  people buying 500,000 dollar homes and making 50,000 a year ,no money down , or 5 % .   It just does not work.

Personally, I'm basically the same as four years ago.  Income is up, but so is cost of living.  Therefore, my standard of living is pretty close to the same.  However, if I venture beyond a myopic view of just my own situation, I would have to say that the collective "we" are not better off.

Our country owes more money than we have ever owed before.  Our economy is at a place where we continue to add to that debt, with no clear plan to begin paying that debt.  Our children are the first generation in a long time to face the prospect of being less financially-successful than their parents.  The physical infrastructure of our country (roads, bridges, airports, etc.) continue to age, and compete over dwindling dollars.

To top it off, our State, and local governments face a financial crisis that makes the current one seem paltry by comparison.  

So, do I think I am better off?  No.  Because all of the issues above affect me.

There is a piper to pay.  It is not a matter of if, only when.

I think it's nothing more than pandering to the 20M unemployed in the US.  Many of which are young adults and minorities (aka prior Obama supporters) So if he takes even a double digit percentage of those away from Obama it's a huge success.

The largest percentage of unemployed in the US is Black/Hispanic 25-34. (http://www.deptofnumbers.com/unemployment/demographics/)

I think most of us in the Tri community are doing pretty good and insulated from the argument, but overall I think it's a good strategy.

Yes. I have a beautiful 2 year old daughter which makes every day better. I have completed a marathon and lost around 40 lbs from 4 years ago.  Life gets better each day.

you could say the exact same think about the yellow dog dems.  this kind of stuff irks me so much with politicians....everyone wants to blame everyone and they refuse to own up to the fact that.....

....they will find the root of the problem by looking in the mirror.

all the finger pointing and political grab as$ is so frustrating, and it's only the first week of september.

You didn't build that....

Romney cares as much about you as Obama does... one single vote.

You see Romney and those Tea Party putzes as the problem... as long as you think that, nothing will change.