Are you better off today then 4 years ago.

[rhino47]

Poll question: Are you better off today then 4 years ago.

Please add reasons for your response.
No Im not better off.My husband is on a fixed income.The cooked
cpi affects his ssi.Price of gas/heat and other inflationary measures effect him rather hard.My ebay business is not as robust as it was in 2000 either though I`m still doing well with it.

[hippiegranny]

1. better, but not thanks to this admin

my investments and retirement accounts are certainly not better, and now it looks like there will be no social security or medicare when i am of an agae to collect, but my partner and i took the bull by the horns and started making some real estate investments. so we are a little better off than we were, but as i said, it is not thanks to tax cuts or anything else this mis-administration has done.

[RobertSeattle]

9. Same here

I've made very conservative (in the real sense!) investments in the last few years and haven't gotten screwed in the market. I also dumped alot of money in my home since that was the safest investment I'm aware.

Bush/Cheney/GOP get no credit.

[bryant69]

10. Yep

Got lucky in a few areas, but not thanks to President Bush. He kept telling me I should put all my money in internet stocks and that new company, PolluteCo. And I never did get that $5,000 back I gave to Cheney for "Safe-keeping."

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Nay]

26. Me, too -- better off, but not due to the ijits in charge of the U.S.

got lucky with the job, can put some money away, but again, no thanks to Chimpface.

[derby378]

2. That's a definite "Hell, no"

Bush is still in office. Need I elaborate further?

[camero]

3. Much worse off

I was making 40Gs a year four years ago. Nothing now.

[stevedeshazer]

4. Worse off

Lost my job

Lost my dad

Lost all confidence in the government

[rhino47]

29. I am so sorry about your father.

Your job on top of it too.I`m with you on the lost all confidence in goverment.

[tom_paine]

5. I had to be honest...better...economically speaking

I am one of the rare ones and I know it.

Of course, I would trade it all back to live in Free America as opposed to Imperial Amerika.

[cdninRI]

6. Not better

Both my husband and I have been out of work for almost 1 1/2 years - both of us had worked in the high tech industry. We are paying almost $900.00 a month for health insurance, our real estate taxes are going up and although we have sent out literally hundreds (perhaps thousands) or resumes there has been a resounding silence. My only hope is that the promised job growth will happen soon - if Bush has any chance of re-election he knows it has to - not that finding a job would change my mind for one second about voting for Kerry.

[rhino47]

30. Hi cdninRI Welcome to DU !!!

:hi: :hi: :hi:
I know how you feel to a certian degree.I turned to ebay for extra income.It has worked out ok for me.
IM if you need any ebay help/suggestions.
Sincerely
Lindy

[prodigal_green]

7. got laid off

New job pays 25% less than I was making in 2000.

[phillybri]

8. I'm better off now, but my dad is a far different story...

:-(

[GreenArrow]

11. down

heating/energy costs way up.
health insurance WAY up. (!#%$#%!)
Rent just raised.
Salary static due to state budget cuts, and is likely to remain so for the forseeable future.

It's going to get worse, too.

[RogueTrooper]

12. Worse Off

I've been made redundant twice: It would have been three times were in not for the fact I managed to be one step ahead of the grim reaper on another job! Along the way I have taken a major pay cut and lost most of my employment rights. George W. Bush, and the gaggle of corrupt fools who surround him are directly responsible.

Basically, I'm pissed and I'm going to do all I can to get that arse-hole's thrown out of office and into jail.

[Vickers]

13. 4 years ago I was a director at a start-up telecom company

Making close to 6 figures with 55 people working in my department.

Now I am an under-employed private contractor in a different field (avionics) without health insurance or life insurance. Many of the things I do are quite dangerous (climbing towers and aircraft hangars, working around high voltage and high wattage RF equipment, etc.).

I pay for all my own equipment, tools and PC-related equipment. I spent about $3000 buying the stuff I need to do my current job.

I have worked 11 days this year.

My 401K has is down about $27,000 from this same time 4 years ago (was closer to $45,000 at one point).

[GiovanniC]

14. I'm Better Off

After getting laid off, I managed to secure employment in my city's biggest company, making more than I made before -- and I finally got health insurance!

However, my father, my aunt, my uncle, and several friends were not so lucky (and still aren't). Most everyone I know is worse off. I'm a statistical anomoly (as usual).

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

15. Worse

higher medical premiums, low pay increases, no increases for my wife...

refinancing helped, but most of that is taken up by higher property taxes...

[rhino47]

32. Hello ABB_04 Welcome to DU

:hi:

[bhunt70]

16. actually I am better off, atleast monetarily.

I'm making about 65% more than I was in 2000 and my finances have somewhat steadied.

[kayell]

17. No huge difference, but no raises, higher cost of living, more anxiety

[Mountainman]

18. I'm better but not because of the government

I have a better job and better income but I was unemployed for 5 months before I got it. For me I think a lot has to do with being in the right place at the right time and having the skills that are needed.

It could just as easily go the other way at any time.

[rinsd]

19. Better.....

But that had more to do with raises and promotions than anything the President does.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

20. Hell no. Three layoffs since June '02.

401Ks decimated. Had to cash one in to pay debts. Job prospects looking a little brighter but it's still tough out there.

Mr. RR is in a little bit better shape, but business has fallen off precipitously. We both did very well in the '90s.

[DinahMoeHum]

21. In terms of $$$, yes. In terms of sanity, no.

n/t

:evilfrown:

[forgethell]

22. Yeah, I'm better off

5 years ago, I was unemployed. 4 years ago, I was still broke and struggling to avoid bankruptcy. Now, I've got the highest paying job I ever had, with people I like to work with, and work I like to do. Don't know what the state of the economy had to do with either one as my profession is relatively recession proof.

[zonmoy]

23. would have to say worse off

I have student loans that are starting to come due in 6 months that I dont think I will be able to pay on an ssi income.

[ROC]

24. I'm better off.

Life is less stressful than 4 years ago. My situation is better.

[Az_lefty]

25. Better off now, but...

Spent a year in Iraq with the Army NG, still had my job when I returned and managed to buy a house closer to work. We're better off than four years ago but this admin had nothing to do with it.

[Heyo]

27. I'm better off...

Way better.. make more money.. like my new place, love my girlfriend and my cats.....still working hard but getting more out of it... life is good...

In the immortal words of Bender - "It's not that bad, but you don't hear ME not complaining"

:9

Heyo

[dawn]

28. Worse off...

Hubby and I laid off last summer. Hubby found a job, all I've found are crap short-term temp assignments. Ay my husband's company, health insurance premiums for dependents are sky-high, so I am without health insurance.

[BiggJawn]

31. Worse than in 2000.

Shit didn't cost as much because fuel didn't cost as much, I could keep my apartment warmer, I slept better, didn't cry as much, got laid more often, laughed more, smiled a lot, actually thought I would be able to afford to stop getting up at 6AM 5 days a week befoire i was done sleeping, and many, many more pleasant things.

Now I worry about shit like having enough heat, enough fuel to go to work, shit, I even worry about HAVING work! Worry about having to load up the bike and escape to Mexico, worry about my kid, my country, 2worry about who's gonna succeed Emperor Chimpy after he gets tired of riding around in AF-1 and playing stinkee-pinkee with Condomsleezy Lice....

[geniph]

33. I make more money, but it mostly goes to health insurance premiums

They've more than doubled in four years. And I'm better off than most - at least we HAVE health insurance. Well, at least I do - my husband's self-employed and his ex-wife works at a McJob, so we have to pay hundreds extra a month for my policy to cover him and his boys (almost $800 a month, to be precise).

I am thankful every day that I pulled all my 401K money out in 1999 to buy my house. I had to pay an enormous penalty to the IRS for pulling the money out early, but given the stocks that 401K was invested in, there would be precisely nothing left now. At least now I have my house.