Have you noticed the economy getting stronger?

Oh, I'm just interjecting a thought into the discussion. I've read some stuff on this, and not being well versed on economics and banking, I saw you were and thought maybe I'd pick your brain.

I guess the connection, in my mind, was the housing market. Did the fed cause the collapse of the housing market by keeping interests rates so low?

Sorry, I just read my entire post with comments. I don't see where that correlation made anywhere?

I'm glad you're in a small farming town! Both my parents came from farming. They remembered the depression and they remembered the war. They worked harder than we did or the next generation does to get what they had. They and to fight two world wars to make life better for the coming generations. They built it and look at what we've done to it! It's been taken for granted once again. They didn't pay for the television air waves to enter their homes. They paid next to nothing for one phone line that had to be shared with neighbors. Air conditioning was a fan and some ice. My autistic son complains no one can live on SSDI. Yet he can't do without Comcast or Verizon. Our children are spoiled. My dad's first car had no back seat. He put a kitchen chair back there for a third passenger. When my parents bought their one and only house they had a cooler and a hot plate. The kitchen table was a peach crate and to milk delivery boxes. Milk delivery because the ladies were home all day, watching their children and the families only had one car. Dads needed that car to get to work.

I don't think so either! I noticed there is someone trying to sell his program to "make money by taking advantage of the forthcoming crash"! I had to laugh. But this shake up has made me leery of any true stability going forward. My reaction to all this? Have a plan "A" and a plan "B". Plan "A" is to be employed doing something I love. Plan "B" is to earn other income as well as build my business so I am not completely without income in the event of a shaky market. I have witnessed people loosing some if not all their money in the market. The wealthy are less wealthy. I've seen people loose all or part of their retirement package because it depended on the market remaining somewhat stable. Because we have recently bought property in a tourist/retirement area we've seen 10% of the properties abandoned or sold. On the other hand we see a lot more local population taking a vacation in the area. Less and less people from out of state are there for vacation, fishing, hunting, or off road traveling. It seems all business' are making less money up there, cutting hours of business or just closed up. Even the hardware store that was always open year round closed last year in October, not to open again until May of this year, tourist season. There are also so many foreclosing loans coming through title company's have a shortage of help. On my block alone there are 4 out of 10 houses where someone is out of work. People are hanging on to their cars and doing "back yard" auto maintenance. Desperate for buying customers, business' are charging far less for clothing and jewelry.