Are You Better Off Than You Were 8 Years Ago?

Well i am happier now than 8 years ago. 8 years ago I had nothing and thru those 8 years I was in a terribley unhappy marriage.....now I am remarried to a wonderful man and my two boys are seemingly happier also. We have al the things we need less of the wants but also less bills my ex loved his credit cards too much. And now I got a new one one the way so im happier even if money is tighter now.

Ok, I do in fact feel that my husband is better now than we were back then. We have gotten our home. He has a better job. I have now found what I want to do for a living. I am fixing to go back to school. My children are learning in school. I feel safer flying. I don't need welfare to help us, not like we could get it any way. I don't like the fuel prices but I do not blame the President for this. Everyone in Washington is to blame. My personal rights are for me and not for everyone. I feel too many people are wanting everything on a silver platter in this country and it just doesn't work that way. Local economy is doing fine. I live in a smaller town and we have several businesses opening up in the area. OUr health insurance will kick in in 3 months. We are starting to be able to save again.

Hello Annie, Yes, Hubby and I are infinitely better off than we were eight years ago! We are personally happier, and are much more financially secure. Yes, we have money left over, after paying the bills. We keep a healthy cash reserve, and forego impulse spending to build our retirement accounts. We no longer have little ones -- she's all grown up, with a family of her own. Though, there is no question that today's public school education is sorely lacking. That, of course, is not a trend relative to the past eight years. Instead, the attack on our educational system began in the 1930s, and has only grown stronger, as the union influence has had a stranglehold effect on the system. Though, to be sure, the fact that discipline is a 'no-no' in today's schools also has much to do with the eductional decline. We both have excellent health insurance, and I am looking to convert my coverage to a Medical Savings Account, because I have coverage through my husband's work as well. Our local economy is considered one of the strongest in the nation. The housing correction is less problematic here than elsewhere -- because fewer people took out Balloons, A.R.M.s and mortgages that were far beyond their reach. Most of our friends, who had jobs 8 years ago, now own their own successful businesses. Do I feel more secure? Well, I live in a border state. A few weeks ago, I drove home to find that 'taggers' had spray-painted our bridge with "Aztlan Reconquista". Suffice it to say, I wasn't thrilled! I would personally feel a heck of a lot more secure if we would actually seal up our porous border. Then, I'd worry less about South American gang members, and 'other than Mexican' terrorists pouring into my state. The recent news account of a south-of-the-border illegal immigrant raping and impregnating an 11 year old girl, is simply intollerable! For the past five years, I have been keeping a tally of the rates of violent crime, as committed by illegal aliens, and it is absolutely staggering! Yes, gas prices are problematic across the board. Though, I drive a sporty V.W., which gets almost 50 miles to the gallon, I still don't like paying 4.20 per gallon (diesel). Perhaps these ridiculous fuel prices will spur Congress to take the necessary actions to open up the spiggots to U.S. oil. Bakkar in the Dakota's and Shale in the Southern Rockies are a very good first step. As for personal rights: As I'm sure you have gleaned by now, I am a Constructionist. I fight for the preservation of our Civil Rights at every necessary turn. Just recently I scored a huge victory in the Albuquerque Court System, as I fought and won a case which violated the U.S. Constitution is the most eggregious sense. Worthy of mention is that I was fighting an unconstitutional program issued by a screaming liberal mayor, and city council, who placed greed over the rights of the citizens! Also worthy of mention is that the fight for the preservation of our rights has been underway since our nations founding. And, it will go on infinitum! There will always be the few who wish to betray the many, for personal gain of power or wealth. This is true, regardless of who occupies the White House. Gee, wasn't it F.D.R. & L.B.J. who supported the military draft? I'd call that one of the most eggregious attacks on personal liberty -- ever! The point is: 'We The People' need to remain diligent and vigilent. We need to take the blinders off and recognize that we must always be on guard, in the face of those who seek great power. While I'm not a fan of President Bush; he hasn't done anything that other Presidents have not also done. In fact, he's done far less than some! Hmmm, wasn't it F.D.R. who illegally attempted to stack the Supreme Court to authorize his illegal programs? Oh, please ... someone please ask me for specifics of how F.D.R tried to do this, and for what reasons!!! I have a boatload of information about how F.D.R. that I'd just love to share! Annie, your allusion to the eight year time frame is sly. I'll give you credit for that. Though, as a great many of the responses to your question indicate, times have progressively gotten better, despite 9/11/2001, the terrorists, and the ravages against US oil independence. This economic downturn pales in comparison to that under the Carter administration, when we had double-digit inflation, double-digit prime-rate interest rates, and double-digit unemployment.

As far as financial security goes (in the way of taxes at least), whether Democrat or a Republican you will find these statistics enlightening. www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html Taxes under Clinton 1999 Taxes under Bush 2008 Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 30K - tax $4,500 Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 50K - tax $12,500 Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Single making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 60K- tax $9,000 Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250 It is amazing how many people that fall into the categories above think Bush is screwing them and Bill Clinton was the greatest President ever. If Obama or Hillary are elected, they both say they will repeal the Bush tax cuts and a good portion of the people that fall into the categories above can't wait for it to happen. This is like the movie The Sting with Paul Newman; you scam somebody out of some money and they don't even know what happened. And as for the war, I would rather be at war overseas than have the terrorists bring the battle to us over here. We were attacked. We acted accordingly so as not to be attacked again and be safe in our own country. Plain and simple. The fact that we have not had any terrorist attacks since 9/11 proves that the government is doing their job, and their job is to protect us, not to be some kind of a savior in our lives. I will never look at a president - Bush or anyone else - as a failure because of his lack of government intervention. In fact, that is the kind of leader I feel safest and most free under. You can call me a horrible person, but as republicans, we believe that a government that is limited IS the ultimate act of compassion, just as the founding fathers believed when they founded this country. The only change I would like to see is a return to our roots. I did not feel safe or secure under Clinton at all. He did a couple things that I applauded him for, but for the most part, I was thankful to see him go, and thanked the stars above me that a republican would be in the White House for the next 8 years. I am dreading the eight years we have ahead of us. (Yes, I'm a crazy conservative...)

We are, very much so. As a couple we are earning more now than we have ever earned. We own a fairly nice sized house in a nice neighborhood. My FIL who has had several cancer surgeries is healthy and we have helped them move in to the house next door so we can help him and my MIL. My kids are excelling at school and my oldest is starting a private university in the fall. So yes, life is pretty good right now. It is not without challenges though, what life is? We do not always have the money we would like at the end of the month. In fact, sometimes we are short. But that is the nature of my job since I am self employed. We have a renter in our rental house. They often pay late and the mortgage payment has to come out of our family budget. But we anticipated that. If you want to be a landlord you have to be able to absorb that or you shouldn't have rental properties. That simple fact has led to many of the foreclosures we see. Anybody who was able to scrape up enough money to buy an investment home did so. But they were unprepared for the reality of the endeavor. Several people we know are losing their jobs. It is very painful for them and for us, their friends. But it is not entirely unexpected. We just came out of an economic and real estate boom. Some industries grew to fill needs during that time. As those needs diminish, so do the jobs that were created. I am not surprised that the number of mortgage brokers in the country dropped from 475,000 in 2005 to around 200,000 now. We had the same drop in realtors, title agents, appraisers, financial planners, real estate investors, cashiers, servers, etc. etc. These were all jobs created during a boom time. The economy is adjusting. I feel much safer now than I did in late 2001 but not as safe as I felt prior to 9/11. But I guess that is not surprising. I feel increasingly safe but I am still wary since there are still those who want me and my country destroyed. Until that threat is removed, we will never feel entirely safe. Our local economy is adjusting. Sure there are more people losing their jobs than a year or so ago, but the paper is FILLED with job opportunities. There are still LOTS of companies hiring. As I mentioned, it is adjusting. People are going to have to manage their careers. For the last many years steady employment has been assumed. Now we are getting back to a more normalized economy and we all have to adjust. It has always been a given that you have to keep yourself sharp and marketable. People have been negligent in that regard and have been caught unawares. Fortunately for me, I re-evaluate myself and my direction every few months and make changes as needed. I have not been complete unaffected by these adjustments. I have had some very lean months. But I seem to be back on track and am expecting even greater things for the rest of 2008!

I'm better off than I was 8 years ago and according to your Hillary pic to the right I assume you mean because of government? I don't rely on any government to feed me, clothe me or provide for me or any of my family. I trust in God to give me what I need, not what I want. Things can change in an instant so asking if 8 years ago you were better of sounds political to me. Vote for who you want, but know this: Psalms 1 1-6

In many ways I am better than I was 8 years ago because I wasn't yet married and didn't have my son. I am happier on a professional level, even though I make less money and work part time instead of a full time professional career. BUT in the ways you discuss, I don't think anyone's life is better unless perhaps their last name is Bush. We're in a war that I don't understand and mourn. We pay more for everything while salaries haven't kept the pace. Our civil liberties and personal rights have eroded and will continue to do so unless somebody changes something FAST. It's really so scary. I still have hope, though. I still try really hard to believe.

Am I better off then I was eight years ago? Yes and no but the no part has nothing to do with the administration that is in effect as you try to imply from your discussion. The government did not cause my disabilities. Be kind of nice if they had then I might be able to sue them . Education has been a mess for years, long before the current administration. Once the teachers were encouraged to teach the students to pass tests more then they taught the basics education went down hill. I first noticed this happening back in the late 80's but it probably started sooner. It's just gotten worse with each passing year. Also something to remember the US government has very limited control on education. It is up to the individual states to legislate it. That is why we do not have a national standard. As for jobs I had trouble finding them in the 90's just as much as I did in the new century. The cut backs and layoffs have been on going for a long time. If you really need to see evidence of this take a look at some movies that have been out over the years: "Mr. Mom", "Indecent Proposal", "Disclosure", the original "Fun with D ick and Jane" not to mention the remake are just a few that come to mind. These reflect the problems we have had over the last few decades with jobs and the economy and I know there are many others. The only personal rights I've seen really limited have been ones on wearing seat belts, smoking, child seats, and trans fat. Most of these though were started again before the current administration and some have been in effect for many, many years. Not to mention the fact that they are done on the state level, not the federal so again one has to look at their state representatives. Overall I look at my family and I feel we aren't doing too bad. I see many who are worse off; mostly due to their own choices in life or just bad luck in general. It wouldn't have mattered who was in the white house, it would have happened. Our society for years has been building up to crash. We live beyond our means, are in debt up to our eyeballs, keeping up with the Joneses and most live paycheck to paycheck. That is a formula for disaster. It's a house of cards ready to fall but it is our own fault for doing it.

I'm worse off now than I was back then, but I'm currently on a better road. I just need to get to the part where it gets better

I am definitely better off than I was eight years ago. My life is constantly getting better. I trust God more and I have gotten to know myself a lot better. I am forever growing and being challenged to grow. Life for me is one adventure after another.

I know I'm better off. 8 years ago I was single, in community college, had no degrees, and was making about $6.87/hour working as an animated character at Universal Studios. Now I'm married, just finished earning a masters degree, making roughly 3 times what I was making then, and have a respectable job with plenty of room for advancement. I didn't have health insurance then, and I do now. The local economy blows since voters here voted to cut property taxes. The result is that public services including 911, police, fire fighters, libraries, schools, etc. have had brutal budget cuts. The library system is currently in a hiring freeze and a raise freeze. I'm lucky I just got a hard to come by promotion with a nice raise. The fools who voted for that cut just think any tax cut is good and were too ignorant to realize that the cuts only benefited homeowners with properties valued over $500,000. I live in a much nicer area than I used to so I feel more secure. My personal rights have not changed. I'm not crazy about the economy, I don't like the war in Iraq, and I despise the current gas prices, but I've worked hard to better my life and have been successful.

Let's see - 8 years ago I was a single mother raising 3 kids by myself. Now when I say by myself - I mean BY MY SELF. My x husband took off so I wasn't getting any child support, I didn't feel the need to ask 'the goverment' to take care of me cause I was working 50+ hours a week as a manager at a restaurant and was doing just fine. I didn't have a car because my x husband took mine and wrecked it right before he left us. So we walked everywhere we went. My baby sitter was 4 blocks from my house and my work was about 4 more blocks from that. We walked a lot. To doctors appointments, the grocery store, which was about 5 blocks away, everywhere. Now, I've met a wonderful man who has given me 2 more beautiful children and has taken on the responsibility of being a father to my first 3 children. We just bought our first house about 1 1/2 years ago - and it's wonderful to have somewhere you can call home - something you know is yours. Something that is big enough for all of us. We recently added the new addition to our family and got a new Beagle pup we rescued from the Human Society. We save money regularly and have enough set back to handle just about any emergency. I am proud to say, about a year ago when my husband had lost his job just 4 months after buying our new house - we didn't have to ask or borrow money from anyone. It took him around 8 weeks to find another job and we still had a nice Christmas and lived comfortably without worry. This makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world because I've never in my life has the financial security that I do now. My x husband didn't save anything and often over spend and had the electric shut off on us - or even the heat. I know my husband now would never let that happen. Also, I am able to stay home and take care of my babies like I've always wanted to do. We are not rich either. We only have an average income - so don't go thinking we make like $100,000 a year or anything. So yeah, I'm MUCH better off than I was 8 years ago - and it just keeps getting better.

yes i'm better off than 8 years ago...8 years ago i was an awful being with nothing but sh*ts in life...i was nothing and couldn't even manage to get to hit the right money to pay all my bills...i don;t have kids but i have a big whole family to support...this time around i have the high paying job in my location...i pay my bills on time and even have lots of cash left..i have savings and i have them all covered health insurance and dental...i am getting our own house (we live on an apartment) and i feel more secure and safe than before...i think i'm better off 8 years ago...

Annie, My answer to that is a resounding yes! I believe that from what I read here that is a general consensus but I must tell you I don't attribute much if any of that to our government! My government doesn't make my bills just as it doesn't pay them! Me government wasn't responsible for my wife getting laid-off from her job in 2007, AllTell was! The government didn't help my wife start a new business in 2008, we did it on our own! Need I go on? We as a nation need to wake up and realize that our government is in NO WAY responsible for the way we conduct our lives! If you have become a willing victim of the sub-prime mortgage debaucle then it is up to YOU to get yourself out of it not the government! If you didn't read what you signed, that's nobody's fault but your own! As far as my personal rights being secure; I have never felt them more secure! I don't believe my personal phone calls have ever been tapped and listened in on but if I were being contacted for whatever reason by someone with terrorist ties I would welcome the scrutiny because if a terrorist were contacting me it would probably mean I was being coerced or threatened! Don't we all wish someone had intercepted some calls or e-mails of a certain few alQueada pilots before 9/11? In life, the government can't be responsible for everyone's job, healthcare, food, housing and etc! They don't call that a democracy and freedom! No, what that is called is SOCIALISM or COMMUNISM!

Financially, I'm treading water. I'm not going under by things aren't geting better either. The Clinton years were good ones for small businesses but the last eight years have been not so hot. Had I started my business in the last eight years, I would have gone under by now. Fortunately, I started about 10 years ago and was able to make my early on mistakes in a more hopeful and forgiving era. I would like to see that atmosphere take hold in this country again.

Um...no...to all of that, lol. I know things could go crazy any time this year or the next and my rights could no longer be considered "an issue"...because when people are desperate, people get insane..and what would the government do then? We still don't have health insurance, our finances are worse, me an' my brother are almost done with our education, thankfully...and we were homeschooled, so I know we're some of the lucky ones. We never have any money left over, not for years now. The economy is in the crapper. We're less secure. I understand the people who believe the apocalypse is just around the corner these days, I mean it only takes a few more things to go bad, or for some of the main problems currently to get worse...and there goes the world as we know it, it'll be replaced by some nightmarish thing...reminiscent of the the Depression, and maybe worse. I dread thinking about the future these days, but we don't really have a choice..do we.

We are definately better off than we were 8 years ago. 8 years ago we had nothing, my hubby had a poorly paid job we had 2 children and as soon as our wage came in it was already spent plus more on top. We did not have enough to make ends meet. Now we have our own house, granted we still have lots of bills to pay, but at least we have more wages than bills now instead of the other way round. The local economy is ok not stable but ok at the minute.

These are scary times to be living in The United States. Never has the majority of the wealth existed with the smallest percentage of Americans. Right now, I am paying for private health insurance to the tidy sum of $850.00 plus the co-pays for all the meds I need. If you think about it, profit driven health care is bizarre. I have to limit the amount of times I drive my Jeep and how far I go. It would be better to have a smaller car, of course, but that's not going to happen right now. The last eight years has been a demonstration on how to bring an economy to its knees. Our president wants us to use the cash rebate checks to buy more things we don't need to stimulate the economy. Most people are using those checks to pay off debts or buy food and clothing. People with expensive or multiple cars and big houses need big money to pay for all that they own. With the gas crisis nipping at our heels, some of these people have to evaluate how much gas they use to get to those high paying jobs. It's almost like sci-fi, with people paying $500 a week or more buying gas for their car. The housing market crashed and people are living in homes they can't afford and owe more than the houses are worth. Other homes are standing empty and forlorn wondering where the family that lived there went. I have learned to minimalize in order to survive. I keep my bills down and make sure more money comes in than what goes out. It's harder with every month that passes. I can't find one area in my life that has prospered in this money driven world. All the money is in all the wrong places and not enough money is directed toward a cleaner environment. What did you see in your review mirror on the way home from work? Did you catch a glimpse of the person you were eight years ago struggling to keep up with who you are today? The big question_ the president is impeachable on at least twenty counts and yet he finished out his eight years of ruination. He believes this war should be the legacy of his presidency and it will, for sure. I wonder what will be written in the history books about what really happened to America. Was there one event that catapulted us into despair? Will it show that one presidency was responsible, or will we see more puppet-masters behind the scenes of destruction? Along with several other freedoms we lost without our knowing_ it's now more difficult than ever to obtain a passport. Are they trying to prevent the rats from escaping the sinking, stinking ship called America? Or do they want us to leave but be unable to return? Maybe the money people want the rats out. Once the majority of us are dispersed, money will pour out from the select few who held it and they will restore enough land to sustain the elite who have prospered in the last eight years.

I don't think so. 8 years ago, I had job. I was in the Philippines and I was doing ok. Last year, I migrated here in the US and married my fiance. Now I have no work and don't have money. I have never realized that life here in the US is worse than where I came from. I am trying to apply for a job since I can legally do that now, but still I am worried if I will be able to get the work that I want and if I will be able to help my hubby pay the bills. But still I am hopeful. This is just one of the tough times and will pass.

That's a lot of questions. As for my personal life I can answer YES to almost everything. As far as the economy goes, well I live in Michigan, that should speak for itself. I am much better off, because 8 years ago I was in a horrible relationship. I was trapped. I am now in a wonderful loving relationship that makes me feel secure even when the world around me seems to be falling apart. Money is tight, especially now that my fiance is laid off. Sure he qualifies for unemployment, but its really not enough. My kids are home-schooled, so their education is just as good now as when it started. Part of the reason I home-school is for lack of faith in the public education system, as I see it digress more and more each year. Many of the people I know have jobs today, however none of them are the same as they were 8 years ago. Many have been laid off, fired, or had the doors of the company close on them. The workforce in our state is crap. The local economy is falling to pieces, and will continue as long as we have a Canadian in the state capitol.(no offense to those Canadians here as many of you are my friends, its a conflict of interest to have a governor from the country we border running our state.) I feel less and less safe in our world as the time goes on. This is not going to get better, it is going to continue to get worse no matter who is on control. But my family is strong and we will survive what ever comes our way. Anything else?