How I know the Economy isn't Getting Better

We all know we are in a bad economy and it is going to take a while before it gets better for real. Things like the stock market will get better but more people having jobs and real economic growth will take a lot longer.

For a long time it was easy to blame previous administrations for all the problems...after all that's what politics is all about and it is a fair statement to make. As time passes and it gets clearer that one can no longer blame others and you have to start taking responsibilities for what is going on. That is when it starts to get lonely.

Now I say that as a pretext of what I am about to say. When there is nobody left to blame, there needs to be a new strategy and if what I think I'm hearing is real, it means we are in for a long run of lousy economic times.

What the News is Saying About The Economy

Let's start with what the news is saying about the economy. Now everyone hopes that things are going to get better and much of the news reflects that hope. I do believe that like many others, things are getting better and will probably visibly improve starting the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2010. My problem is I don't believe it will last long and "better" is a relative term. Why do I say this?

Look around and listen to the media. It hit me reading a Parade Magazine story last Sunday on "How the Economic Crisis Changed Us". Now on the surface it is not something to be alarmed about because the crisis has touched and changed almost everyone. So why the worry?

If you read the story, there is a part in the middle that talks about the "upside" of coping with bad economic times. It goes on to list the virtues of not having the same amount of money as we had in the recent past. This stuck in my head and gnawed at me because I had heard something on the radio similar to that about people learning to grow their own vegetables and how wonderful that was because those veggies were organic and didn't need to be transported..bla bla bla bla.

What are they really saying?

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Reading between the lines, I think it means two things,

1. This baby is going to last for a long time
2. Blaming Bush has run it's course.

Think about it. If the news media really believed things were getting better and the good times were really ahead, wouldn't the stories be about how we have been saved from a prolonged downturn? Wouldn't they be more up beat and forward looking? I haven't heard that. Maybe it is me. Instead they are trying to tell us how good it is to not have money? This seems wholly un-American and likely that the believe this will last a long time.

So, when the news starts telling you it's great to be poor, look out. In fact when anyone starts telling you it's great to be poor look out. Be listening to see if I'm right but I'll bet you start hearing more and more all the virtues of being poor. If it starts coming from elected officials...look out, hide you wallets and run for the hills!