burghMan
You know, I realized I actually enjoy talking to you, because I can’t say I disagree with much you are saying.
[quote=burghMan]
That depends on who you mean when you say “our” future.
Most of us on this site are upper-middle class and work in secure industries like tech. We have bigger cushions, enjoy the benefits of economic upswings, and are less affected by downturns. Not everyone in America has that luxury. In fact most do not. (Most Americans don’t even know what RSU and ESPP mean.)
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I agree with you. But reality is, especially in CA, middle class and below is already fvcked, even before a recession. Someone working minimum wage can barely afford housing here if they are starting out, let alone the rest of the CA sunshine tax on everything else. That’s not going change either way. Those extra gas taxes we pay, hurts middle class and lower than all these upper-income class people that can afford to buy a new Tesla. Getting rid of natural gas as a fuel for household and forcing an all-electric house is not going to help middle class and lower barely scraping by to redo their house to be more green, as proposed… And passing a “no school before 8:30am” certainly is not going to help middle class and lower workers that have to go “work” by a set time (ok, this last one is a stretch and not necessarily economically an issue). And trying to mandate a statewide rent control is just going to make it more difficult for people to find housing as I’m sure there are so many blowbacks from that decision.
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I don’t anticipate a “great” recession in 2020 but I think the economy will slow down in the next few years. If for no other reason because a downturn is due in the cycle.
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Agreed, i think there will be some pullback in the future. Don’t know if it will be exactly in 2020, or more precisely in 2020 right before where it would sway votes.
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I think it will be interesting to see how the “good” economy affects voters’ choices. Although the traditional numbers like unemployment and the stock market look good I think there are structural changes in the economy that affect how these numbers translate into better well-being for mainstream Americans. Jobs are now lower quality, costs of housing and healthcare is growing faster than wages, debt is accumulating, more homes have both spouses working because they have to. The financial reports are telling America that we are better off but I suspect many outside of our comfy world of tech don’t really feel it (probably more true in Red and swing states also)
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The average voter is dumb. They see their tax refund as “I’m doing better because now I have more to spend”..California is warped because we have such a large dependency on tech, so we will naturally feel we are doing better than other people in other states, except the ones not in tech or professionals, and those people will probably end up getting squeezed out of this state.
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Of course Trump is indifferent to how individual Americans are actually doing. He sees the economy as a scoreboard in a game that he has to win. But I don’t think this scoreboard always translates to real economic security for the average American. And, aside from the tax cuts which were funded by debt, what has Trump actually changed in the economy?
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Of course. Agreed. Trump really isn’t doing that much for the economy. Neither did his predecessor. Who made a difference? Bernanke and Yellen, lol.
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The election will come down to whether the economy can stay “good” and how many people believe Trump deserves credit for it being good. The Dow is up 300 today, but it was down just as much a few days ago when Trump announced that he isn’t going to have one of his signature campaign promises, the China trade deal, fulfilled until after the next election.
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Agreed
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Are Americans gullible enough to give Trump another four years to accomplish what he promised us he would easily do in his first 100 days? Are they ignorant enough to believe that he actually has a plan for the economy that is in their best interest? Do they believe he is capable of executing this plan while working with an administration that is in tatters, partisan gridlock that he constantly incites, and foreign leaders that openly ridicule him?
It’s crazy to watch, but our country may be duped again by the most obvious of charlatans.[/quote]
Yes most are that gullible, and most will be duped..Just in as much people believed in Obama’s hope and change…twice….
Americans will never believe the president, regardless of which person from which side, will never really fix their economic/financial problems.
