Is life better the last 4 months?

[Major Tom]

What is your opinion? Are we as a Nation, living life better now under Biden? Why or why not?

[togor]

Covid #s are coming down, masks are coming off.

To the minority that are Covid hoaxers & who never wore masks, that surely cannot be *bad* news can it?

One of the problems at the border now is that people want to come here because we have our act together, roughly speaking, on Covid vaccines. Read an article, people are coming from S. American now, and India, through Mexico.

Here's my "WTF, Mexico?" moment: People fly there, apparently have no problem getting Visas, land there, hoof it (or bum a ride) to the border, where they surrender to authorities, who (and yes we do want this) have to follow the laws. That means a hearing date gets scheduled on an overloaded docket, meanwhile these people are released into the interior (nominally to a sponser) until they show up for their hearing date.

How come the problem never gets fixed? Because both parties have decided that it is to their advantage to leave things as they are. For the GOP, that means their base voters are always on edge. As one refugee from India put it (after selling his business for the money), Covid is better here and they need workers. Even Trump just wanted to campaign on the issue. A giant-ass wall in the desert is useless when people are surrendering at Ports-of-Entry.

Some prices are up, but we knew that was going to happen in the wake of 2020 supply shocks. Biden could (and might) do something about that by dropping Trump tariffs. So far he has not, because he wants to appeal to the same crowd that Trump did by putting the tariffs on in the first place.

Fixing crappy rural internet is a Biden admin agenda item that the GOP should get behind. I kind of hope they don't.

Weather-wise it has been an unusually dry spring. I hope that changes.

[Major Tom]

What with constantly rising costs of just about everything, the crisis at the border which democrats deny, more and more people getting paid to NOT work, Biden striking down the building of a honor garden which is paid in full, a new war in the middle east, Iran getting ready to build bigger A bombs and missles to deliver them, Pelosi waving her hands around while trying to keep her false teeth in place, Harris doing nothing just like she did in CA, Biden still cannot give a speech without help, Yeah it's so much better now!

[togor]

What with constantly rising costs of just about everything, the crisis at the border which democrats deny, more and more people getting paid to NOT work, Biden striking down the building of a honor garden which is paid in full, a new war in the middle east, Iran getting ready to build bigger A bombs and missles to deliver them, Pelosi waving her hands around while trying to keep her false teeth in place, Harris doing nothing just like she did in CA, Biden still cannot give a speech without help, Yeah it's so much better now!

No you cannot complain about Iran, not after you cheered Trump's move to blow up all previous agreements, and squeeze them, only to discover that the Persians (who have had a civilization far longer than we) are made of tougher stuff than he ever dreamed. That is 100% on Trump.

Ty Cobb? The "honor garden" more like an under-visited roadside attraction than anything.

Kamala Harris: You would complain more if she *did* do something, correct? So why complain if she's up to nothing?

Pelosi, Biden: Try turning off the TV.

Free money to layabouts: some of that is unintended consequences of making sure people have enough money during the pandemic to afford food & a roof over their heads. But we can all agree it's time to start unwinding that. The CDC did their part with the mask guidance. Use the vaccines while they're fresh in people's arms. If others skip the shot and get really sick or worse, too bad. But yeah let's start packing people in there like in the before-times and get folks back to work. There might be a Covid bump but that is the price of progress. Just make sure that everyone who wants a shot can get one.

[Johnny P]

The only people that are better off are the non-productive. The government keeps giving them raises not to work.

Biden had zero effect on covid virus coming down. He inherited a vaccination plan already in effect.

The only difference between Kamala and the Biden's dogs is that so far Kamala hasn't bitten anyone. Otherwise she is a dud waiting on her shot at President.

[m1ashooter]

The border is a wreck. I see more and more people coming into my store who can't speak a lick of English and then get mad when I can't speak Spanish to them. The aren't coming here to get vaccinated. This influx is going to create a huge problem as there are only so many jobs that unskilled uneducated people can do. I predict downward pressure on wages in the sectors that hire these people as more people compete for these jobs which will lead to an increase of crime etc., etc.

[JB White]

Inflation has outpaced many investments. Some of those investments were liquidated to buy time to survive the shutdowns in one form or another.
Now that prices have skyrocketed, lower wage workers on layoffs are now earning more by not working, things are tougher now to reopen than need be. Wages needed to be increased enough to draw people off the dole. Anxious but still sluggish consumer market cannot fully adjust to the higher prices being asked for goods and services.
Many "soft reopenings" as the normally slower days of the week cannot be covered by the lower rings of the previously better days.

Office buildings need to be maintained and operational costs are still 100% but are still catering to 20% of the normal workforce.
Commuter trains still run on time although the cars are practically empty.
Businesses often peaking in the eve ning hours which supplemented income by renting daytime parking spaces to commuters have parking lots which are still empty. Which also means lower register rings from the loss of normal traffic. Another loss to businesses which can only serve at 60% capacity when the later crowd does arrive.

Better?? Absolutely not. One year ago it was bracing for hard times ahead. Four months ago the wheat was being sorted from the chaff as those who couldn't make it failed. Today the survivors are barely alive and the light at the end of the tunnel is still a mirage.

We won't see better for a very long time. Budgets across the entire spectrum cannot be balanced in the near foreseeable future.
Wise speculators may see more investments pay off as the stronger ones come back to life. Meanwhile John Middleclass can only tighten his belt and wish he could afford an inflated $10 candy bar. (<--- forgive me? I felt a need to exaggerate some)

[rayg]

Well said JB....

[S.A. Boggs]

Inflation has outpaced many investments. Some of those investments were liquidated to buy time to survive the shutdowns in one form or another.
Now that prices have skyrocketed, lower wage workers on layoffs are now earning more by not working, things are tougher now to reopen than need be. Wages needed to be increased enough to draw people off the dole. Anxious but still sluggish consumer market cannot fully adjust to the higher prices being asked for goods and services.
Many "soft reopenings" as the normally slower days of the week cannot be covered by the lower rings of the previously better days.

Office buildings need to be maintained and operational costs are still 100% but are still catering to 20% of the normal workforce.
Commuter trains still run on time although the cars are practically empty.
Businesses often peaking in the eve ning hours which supplemented income by renting daytime parking spaces to commuters have parking lots which are still empty. Which also means lower register rings from the loss of normal traffic. Another loss to businesses which can only serve at 60% capacity when the later crowd does arrive.

Better?? Absolutely not. One year ago it was bracing for hard times ahead. Four months ago the wheat was being sorted from the chaff as those who couldn't make it failed. Today the survivors are barely alive and the light at the end of the tunnel is still a mirage.

We won't see better for a very long time. Budgets across the entire spectrum cannot be balanced in the near foreseeable future.
Wise speculators may see more investments pay off as the stronger ones come back to life. Meanwhile John Middleclass can only tighten his belt and wish he could afford an inflated $10 candy bar. (<--- forgive me? I felt a need to exaggerate some)

+++++3!
Sam

[dryheat]

Four months? Things wont be better in four quarters. Biden is just stuck with a mess. Miss Omar just (re) introduces her rent and mortgage forgiveness bill. Backed by 24 other dems and of course the entire "squad". This would forgive rent and mortgage through April of 2022. She pointed out that lots of people in Minn. are living in tents in parks. I don't see how forgiving rent and mortages helps people in tents. I can understand that a lot and I mean a lot of people are struggling with rent and every other kind of payment but how long can you sustain such programs.

[Vern Humphrey]

Four months? Things wont be better in four quarters. Biden is just stuck with a mess. Miss Omar just (re) introduces her rent and mortgage forgiveness bill. Backed by 24 other dems and of course the entire "squad". This would forgive rent and mortgage through April of 2022. She pointed out that lots of people in Minn. are living in tents in parks. I don't see how forgiving rent and mortages helps people in tents. I can understand that a lot and I mean a lot of people are struggling with rent and every other kind of payment but how long can you sustain such programs.

You would think JOBS would be the answer, wouldn't you?

The Parable of the Shipwreck


A ship sank in the middle of the ocean. The survivors floated under the blazing sun in the life rafts, without food and water. Then a plane flew over and dropped food, water, chapstick and sun block.

A few days later, another plane flew over and dropped more food, water, chapstick and sun block. And another a few days later. And so it went, week after week, month after month -- a drop of food, water, chapstick and sun block every few days.

And finally one of the survivors said, "I don't want to seem ungrateful, and I really appreciate all this food, water, chapstick and sun block, but don't you think it would be cheaper if they'd just take us ashore, and we could find our own food, water, chapstick and sun block?"

[JB White]

Moratorium on rents hurts the property owner. If his note is clear, he still must pay the taxes and upkeep. If that individual is using collected rents as a source of income, he/she is screwed.
Should the property be mortgaged, the moratorium hurts the holders of said note. They have costs and fees and wages and insurance to pay. No forgiveness in that but for extended tax deadlines. No tax forgiveness. Investors seeing lower dividends begin looking elsewhere in earnest.
John Middleclass is inconvenienced yet again. Harder to buy a mortgage without a higher down and higher rate.
The effects are felt differently in different areas. Properties are getting hard to move in certain areas, yet in other places bidding wars are seeing tens of thousands over asking in as little as 36 hours.

Its a freakin circus out there. They sent in the clowns among the acts!

[Vern Humphrey]

Moratorium on rents hurts the property owner. If his note is clear, he still must pay the taxes and upkeep. If that individual is using collected rents as a source of income, he/she is screwed.
Should the property be mortgaged, the moratorium hurts the holders of said note. They have costs and fees and wages and insurance to pay. No forgiveness in that but for extended tax deadlines. No tax forgiveness. Investors seeing lower dividends begin looking elsewhere in earnest.
John Middleclass is inconvenienced yet again. Harder to buy a mortgage without a higher down and higher rate.
The effects are felt differently in different areas. Properties are getting hard to move in certain areas, yet in other places bidding wars are seeing tens of thousands over asking in as little as 36 hours.

Its a freakin circus out there. They sent in the clowns among the acts!

My daughter reminds me she had an economics professor who used to tell his students, "Every time the Government interferes with the economy, somebody gets hurt." And usually a LOT of people get hurt badly.

[Roadkingtrax]

My daughter reminds me she had an economics professor who used to tell his students, "Every time the Government interferes with the economy, somebody gets hurt." And usually a LOT of people get hurt badly.

There you go again. Flipping back to government is bad.

You cant make up your mind.

[Major Tom]

When I referred to Iran, I mean today's Iran which is wholly backed by the Biden misfits!