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The chart in the articles below paints the picture. I've never really been overly involved in economics up until last year. When I started reading and exploring

The chart in the articles below paints the picture. I've never really been overly involved in economics up until last year. When I started reading and exploring I was shocked at what I found. I kept struggling, because I knew something wasn't right, I just couldn't put my finger on it. I still can't. All indicators that I can find show the economy slipping into another recession (or simply continuing the previously interrupted "Great Recession") http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-25/unforgettable-winter-bank-americas-explanation-17th-worst-gdp-print-us-history http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-25/unforgettable-winte... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-25/gdp-disaster-final-q1-gdp-crashes-29-worst-2009-far-below-worst-expectations http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-25/gdp-disaster-final-...

mikeyouse 12y ago
I sincerely hope Zerohedge isn't your source for economics information, they are desperately alarmist and wrong nearly constantly. The source of your unease might just be your source of news. The world isn't falling apart, there is no 'great lie', poor homebuyers in Topeka aren't to blame for the GFC, and you shouldn't be stockpiling bullets and gold. The world entered a debt-driven recession and we're still climbing out of the aftermath. Everyone tried to deleverage at once, which left nobody to drive the economy toward previous growth levels. Monetary policy is ineffective since the Western World is bouncing off the Zero Lower Bound, and fiscal policy is ineffective since politicians don't have the will to take on new debt to stimulate their respective economies. The historically low interest rates combined with new capital requirements are preventing financial institutions from lending money. Inflation will eventually return but not before many Western countries see several quarters of strong (4%+) growth. Hopefully the following will help brighten your outlook; * There are more Americans working today than at any point in US history: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=Ef0 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=E... * There are 9 million more Americans working today than at the bottom of the recession -- even with nearly 800k fewer government employees: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=Ef1 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=E... * Americans are now spending the lowest percentage of their disposable income on debt payments in the 40-year history of the data series: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=DS6 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=D... * US government debt interest payments as a percentage of federal outlays are as low as they've ever been: http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2013/10/debt_interest2.png http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2013/10/debt_interest2.png
- taivare 12y ago
  Can we go back to the ' Chicken Little sky is Falling ' meme of Zero Hedge ,it helps me when I feel like externalizing my pain and insecurities .
- todd8 12y ago
  Those numbers do brighten my outlook, but while our economy has added 9 million more workers our population has grown by almost 12 million. Isn't it appropriate to be looking at the employment-population ratios instead of the number of workers? This chart (of the employment-population ratio) doesn't paint such a rosy picture: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000 http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000
  - mikeyouse 12y ago
    Of course population matters, but as more people are attending college (https://www.nacs.org/research/industrystatistics/higheredfactsfigures.aspx https://www.nacs.org/research/industrystatistics/higheredfac...) and as the baby boomers retire (http://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/icpGraph.html http://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/icpGraph.html), the employment ratio would naturally decrease. I like U4 as a good measure of unemployment since it also includes discouraged workers who gave up looking for jobs: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=Ehe http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=Ehe Obviously not a completely healthy economy, but a rate that's dropped 40% from the peak of the recession, and is back to levels comparable to 2003/2004 is a good start.
- Paul_Dessert 12y ago
  No, Zerohedge is not my only source. No, I don't think "the world is falling apart", but I DO think it's heading down a dark and ugly road. I read a wide range of news sites. We can debate who is right and who is wrong, but keep in mind that you're quoting government statistics. Those are never wrong or manipulated, are they? Regarding the work force, look a little deeper. It's widely known that that number is highly inflated by new, low wage jobs. If you want a more "reliable" source, here's something to consider: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current I don't want this to turn into a flame war, so this will be may last reply. However, take a deeper look at the numbers you posted.

mikeyouse 12y ago

I sincerely hope Zerohedge isn't your source for economics information, they are desperately alarmist and wrong nearly constantly. The source of your unease might just be your source of news. The world isn't falling apart, there is no 'great lie', poor homebuyers in Topeka aren't to blame for the GFC, and you shouldn't be stockpiling bullets and gold. The world entered a debt-driven recession and we're still climbing out of the aftermath. Everyone tried to deleverage at once, which left nobody to drive the economy toward previous growth levels. Monetary policy is ineffective since the Western World is bouncing off the Zero Lower Bound, and fiscal policy is ineffective since politicians don't have the will to take on new debt to stimulate their respective economies. The historically low interest rates combined with new capital requirements are preventing financial institutions from lending money. Inflation will eventually return but not before many Western countries see several quarters of strong (4%+) growth. Hopefully the following will help brighten your outlook; * There are more Americans working today than at any point in US history: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=Ef0 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=E... * There are 9 million more Americans working today than at the bottom of the recession -- even with nearly 800k fewer government employees: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=Ef1 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=E... * Americans are now spending the lowest percentage of their disposable income on debt payments in the 40-year history of the data series: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=DS6 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?g=D... * US government debt interest payments as a percentage of federal outlays are as low as they've ever been: http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2013/10/debt_interest2.png http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2013/10/debt_interest2.png

taivare 12y ago
Can we go back to the ' Chicken Little sky is Falling ' meme of Zero Hedge ,it helps me when I feel like externalizing my pain and insecurities .
todd8 12y ago
Those numbers do brighten my outlook, but while our economy has added 9 million more workers our population has grown by almost 12 million. Isn't it appropriate to be looking at the employment-population ratios instead of the number of workers? This chart (of the employment-population ratio) doesn't paint such a rosy picture: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000 http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000
- mikeyouse 12y ago
  Of course population matters, but as more people are attending college (https://www.nacs.org/research/industrystatistics/higheredfactsfigures.aspx https://www.nacs.org/research/industrystatistics/higheredfac...) and as the baby boomers retire (http://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/icpGraph.html http://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/icpGraph.html), the employment ratio would naturally decrease. I like U4 as a good measure of unemployment since it also includes discouraged workers who gave up looking for jobs: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=Ehe http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=Ehe Obviously not a completely healthy economy, but a rate that's dropped 40% from the peak of the recession, and is back to levels comparable to 2003/2004 is a good start.
Paul_Dessert 12y ago
No, Zerohedge is not my only source. No, I don't think "the world is falling apart", but I DO think it's heading down a dark and ugly road. I read a wide range of news sites. We can debate who is right and who is wrong, but keep in mind that you're quoting government statistics. Those are never wrong or manipulated, are they? Regarding the work force, look a little deeper. It's widely known that that number is highly inflated by new, low wage jobs. If you want a more "reliable" source, here's something to consider: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current I don't want this to turn into a flame war, so this will be may last reply. However, take a deeper look at the numbers you posted.