We are definitely in a recession...

[IronBrig4]

I'm active in several social circles, and at least a couple people in each of them have been laid off in the past several months. My father is supremely qualified, but was still let go because FEMA wanted more than 2/3 of the workforce on his project to be cut. The government is scrounging for money like a twenty dollar whore, so they're cutting spending in necessities such as disaster relief.

People have a lot less money to spend. Next time you watch a ball game on TV, look at how many people are in the stands. Aside from the invariably sold out stadiums such as Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, or Wrigley Field, a lot less people are attending games. Less people are shopping in retail stores because they need to save money. I know that Mr. Bush will be handing out tax rebates ("economic stimulation") but that probably won't work. In times of recession, people are more likely to save any extra money.

I feel very fortunate that I got a job, teaching for a South Korean company. Not a single one of my applications for jobs here in the United States was successful, and I have a Master's degree. I applied to teach at a community college, and had letters of recommendation from some venerable figures in my department (history). THOUSANDS of people applied for just one position, and I was just too inexperienced for the selection committee's taste. At least they called me back. I applied to work as a substitute teacher, but the school district is actually planning on laying off 900 teachers. I even applied to work at Fry's Electronics, but nothing came of it.

So why can't those idiots on Fox News admit it? The first step towards solving a problem is to ADMIT THAT IT ACTUALLY EXISTS. As far as they're concerned, everything is just peachy. "No, we're fine. Unemployment isn't too bad. What? Some European institute said that we're in a recession? Those pinkos are just jealous of us."

[danzig]

So why can't those idiots on Fox News admit it? The first step towards solving a problem is to ADMIT THAT IT ACTUALLY EXISTS. As far as they're concerned, everything is just peachy. "No, we're fine. Unemployment isn't too bad. What? Some European institute said that we're in a recession? Those pinkos are just jealous of us."

What exactly does it matter if Fox news admits to it or not? Technically the economy is not in recession atm and pegging when the country goes into one often comes at the end of it...case in point the last one was eventually pegged to Nov or Dec of Clinton's last term. So why focus your ranting at Fox? Most institutes in the US freely admit the US is heading TOWARDS recession after all.

[bushbush]

hm....this is just the beginning...combine the credit meltdown with huge debt plus huge deficit equals long-run problems.

[bigfootedfred]

Technically the economy is not in recession atm

But you should be.
just keep propping it up with more debt!
its beyond insane.
if your goverment keeps this up your entire economy could collapse.

You need to have the recession and deal with the damn problem.

[RZZZA]

LOL, fox news....

[antaeus]

i like it how an economist comes on tv, says "ooh we could have a recession next quarter" then everyone gets scared, stops buying and we go into recession.

am i the only one who sees the link?

[RZZZA]

I aint scurred, y'know the "recession" that has hit my family the hardest is actually the rising cost of copper.

[roy34543]

You know some areas are hit 3 or 4 times harder then the others right?
Anyway as far as i know the reccession has little to do with employment, it mostly has to do with banks being picky about lending to other banks which then got picky lending to people. So theoretically if a company is running on debt it may have to lay off people, But that debt is likely just a time bomb anyway .You may just be in a really terrible coincedence.
And yes, Consumerisim is directly and the major link to reccession, If it goes down reccesion WILL follow. Which causes people to think spending less is good. The irony of the free market is that if people save money as a whole they also make sure they eventually make less as a whole. (im not very skilled at economics, But thats what it seems to me)

[antaeus]

whish is rising because of the price of transporting it, and extracting it, which is rising because of the cost of oil, which is rising because some guy in Venezuela is saying to opec.. i think we could screw the yanks out of a few more dollars yet.

disclaimer: there is a little sarcasm in my post

[roy34543]

Oh yeah, Ethanol and Oil are of course at the root of the problem as well.... but ethanol far more then oil..

[antaeus]

once again though... i am glad to be in a fiscally responsible country that didnt spend all its money on trillions of dollars worth of war while the times were financially good.. so now has flexibility to withstand an american recession without too much more impact other than slightly slowed economic growth.

yes that is a dig at america for spending so much money on war. think about that while you sit there in recession.

[Panzerbear]

this country has been in recession for almost a year now.

[Farnan]

It can't be a recession I got the first job I applied for, better than last year.

Thus is the value of anecdotal evidence.

[HorseArcher]

You'll know you're in recession when

-You get paid less and pay more for food or anything
-Less merchandise on the shelves
-Less people in the stores
-Less business opportunities
-Less value of your home
-Less value of the money

If you feel like you are experiencing any of those, then yes, there is a recession.

The TV or the net doesn't have to tell you whether there is or isn't a recession.

That's like turning on the TV and they have to tell you that "yes, you are hungry" or "yes, you need to go to the bathroom".

STOP being sheep and stop listening what they tell you.

[Farnan]

You'll know you're in recession when

-You get paid less and pay more for food or anything
-Less merchandise on the shelves
-Less people in the stores
-Less business opportunities
-Less value of your home
-Less value of the money

If you feel like you are experiencing any of those, then yes, there is a recession.

The TV or the net doesn't have to tell you when it is really recession.

That's like turning on the TV and they have to tell you that "yes, you are hungry" or "yes, you need to go to the bathroom".

STOP being sheep and stop listening what they tell you.

There are two definitions of a recession:

1. The Economic definition: Two quarters of negative GDP growth. We have not hit that yet, rather our GDP has very tiny growth (0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2007, though down from 4.6% in the third quarter).

2. The Popular definition: Difficult economic periods. This is less defined, and any two regions are at different stages. In many places this is very true, in some it isn't.

The first definition is the definite definition and the one the government uses as its the only one they can truly measure. According to that we are not yet in a reccession as a nation.

[danzig]

You'll know you're in recession when

-You get paid less and pay more for food or anything
-Less merchandise on the shelves
-Less people in the stores
-Less business opportunities
-Less value of your home
-Less value of the money

If you feel like you are experiencing any of those, then yes, there is a recession.

The TV or the net doesn't have to tell you whether there is or isn't a recession.

That's like turning on the TV and they have to tell you that "yes, you are hungry" or "yes, you need to go to the bathroom".

STOP being sheep and stop listening what they tell you.

Pretty much. Why a news channel says the word or not is irrelevant all one has to do is look at rising food cost, energy and current credit crunch to come to the conclusion that gee things arent going too well right this moment.

once again though... i am glad to be in a fiscally responsible country that didnt spend all its money on trillions of dollars worth of war while the times were financially good.. so now has flexibility to withstand an american recession without too much more impact other than slightly slowed economic growth.

yes that is a dig at america for spending so much money on war. think about that while you sit there in recession.

The core of American's economic slowdown doesnt have much to do with military spending....its a bit bigger then that but dont let that stop you from patting yourself on the back.

[antaeus]

The core of American's economic slowdown doesnt have much to do with military spending....its a bit bigger then that but dont let that stop you from patting yourself on the back.

do i have to put a sarcasm disclaimer on every post.

the current recession in the united states has everything to do with the fallout from the credit crisis affecting the world at the moment. people defaulting on their home loans.. and on a wider scale.. credit companies defaulting on their commitments.



thats not saying it wouldnt have been improved by the extra several trillion dollars spent on war that wouldnt have been otherwise

[bushbush]

do i have to put a sarcasm disclaimer on every post.

the current recession in the united states has everything to do with the fallout from the credit crisis affecting the world at the moment. people defaulting on their home loans.. and on a wider scale.. credit companies defaulting on their commitments.

military spendings and huge debts do impair the government's ability to stimulate the economy though...especially building infrastructures and improving productivities in the long run.

[danzig]

do i have to put a sarcasm disclaimer on every post.

the current recession in the united states has everything to do with the fallout from the credit crisis affecting the world at the moment. people defaulting on their home loans.. and on a wider scale.. credit companies defaulting on their commitments.

Sorry but you do I spent 2 pages of post arguing whether calling the Chinese thugs is racist or not for crying out loud hehe people on twc have been known to post out there stuff so anyway I apologize then

thats not saying it wouldnt have been improved by the extra several trillion dollars spent on war that wouldnt have been otherwise

Well yeah but that is true of countless billions wasted by our goverment over the past 20+ years

[IronBrig4]

It can't be a recession I got the first job I applied for, better than last year.

Thus is the value of anecdotal evidence.

I also got a good job, and start in about three weeks. That job, however, will not be in the United States, or even with an American company.

I'm looking into emigration.