WHY AMERICA 'S ECONOMY FELL OFF THE CLIFF

[bronco54501]

John Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock
(MADE IN JAPAN ) for 6 am.

While his coffeepot

(MADE IN CHINA )

was perking, he shaved with his

electric razor

(MADE IN HONG KONG )

He put on a

dress shirt

(MADE IN SRI LANKA ),



designer jeans

(MADE IN SINGAPORE )

and

tennis shoes

(MADE IN KOREA)

After cooking his breakfast in his new

electric skillet

(MADE IN INDIA )

he sat down with his

calculator

(MADE IN MEXICO )

to see how much he could spend today. After setting his

watch

(MADE IN TAIWAN )

to the radio

(MADE IN INDIA )

he got in his car

(MADE IN GERMANY )

filled it with GAS

(from Saudi Arabia )

and continued his search

for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging

and fruitless day

checking his

Computer

(made in MALAYSIA ),

John decided to relax for a while.

He put on his sandals

(MADE IN BRAZIL ),

poured himself a glass of

wine

(MADE IN FRANCE )

and turned on his

TV

(MADE IN INDONESIA ),

and then wondered why he can't

find a good paying job

in AMERICA

[jayne]

right on.........

[red1030]

Wow...is this a good description of what is happening here in America. However, are we not the ones buying it all? Without a buyer there would be no sellers. Why do we buy it? It is cheap and Americans do not work as cheap as other people in other countries. It appears to be a double edged sword that is going to lead us to disaster if we don't get out heads out of the sand and soon. Just my opinion...and that is worth less than 2 cents most of the time....lol Red

[sparkey]

Well that is a great description of what is going on here in our country unfortunatly. I just got the news the other day that now in 2 weeks my husband will now be laid off. I have been laid off for two months now by the same co. This will be very tough on us for awhile.

We are right now applying to refinance our home before he is laid off to at least make our mortgage payments cheaper while he is laid off and the interest rates are lower now also since we took out the loan 9 yrs. ago. Please say a prayer that he will find a job soon or at least get another project with this company ASAP.

[jayne]

it is scary for those of you going thru this...I wish I understood why it is only hitting certain areas of the country......here where I live we see no signs of this recession...not many for sale signs on houses around here.And new car sales are booming paper tags everywhere....maybe because we dont have big factories here except for the chicken and hog plants and people are always gonna try and eat....and its a part of the country where housing didnt go thru the roof as it did in many places.....a house morgage here avarages less than 500 a month

[Bummer Knees]

I am one that pays attention to what I buy, and I do try to buy products made in the United States.

I worked at Wal Mart in the 80's and Sam Walton was very pround of the fact that his stores sold product made in the USA.

Go in a Wal Mart today and it is a challenge to find a product made in the USA.

[bronco54501]

You are very correct on that 1 Bummer. And when our walmart went in we lost K-mart then the walmart went to a super store and yep we lost 2 grocery stores. We now have a menards and a home depot which has put under 3 hardware stores and 2 small lumber stores.

Now as far as sporting stores/shoe stores we are holding our own, lets face it walmart does not have the quality shoes , bikes and camping equipment. But we all buy it because it is cheaper and puts our local stores under.

As far as housing it is very pricey up here. It is 5 to 10,000 an acre unless you buy bigger parcels of 20 or more. 3 Years ago we decided to build our own, well pretty much hired out. We had looked for 2 years and could not find a decent older home for under $85,000. Now we only have 2 1/2 acres and it is a ranch style 2 bdr home with complete basement which is half completed with 1 bedroom and full bath. With all the hook ups Public service, driveway, well, and septic we were at 118,000 and everything was brandnew including apliances. We gave 20,000 down from sale of old property and we still pay almopst $1000,00 a month which includes taxes & ins.

It is very hard now days to raise a family and afford to eat and maybe go see a movie 1 or 2 times amonth.

[Still in Limbo]

We, as a Country are in a Vicious Cycle, and Many Parts of this Country and Our Citizens are Hurting, and Losing Everything they Own. Some, were Caught Up in an ARM Mortgage, weren't Prepared for the Rise in Essential Needs such as Gas Prices, Food, and so on and Layoffs have been Astronomical, and then there is the Problem that Many, Many have done, and it became the Norm, instead of the Exception: LIVING ON CREDIT, AND ABOVE THEIR MEANS!! I was Fortunate, (I didn't think so at the Time) to Live in an Area where the Steel Mills were the Main-Blood of the Community, and I Graduated High School in 1980, The Year when the Mills Fell, and Fell Hard! My Father was a Foreman in the Mill, My Brothers both Worked there, and I couldn't Find Work, and took 3 Jobs to keep Ellen and I, and My Son Housed and Fed! (He was Born in 1979, and I Worked those 3 Jobs, and Completed High School) So I Learned to Make a Buck Stretch not because I wanted to, but Because I Had To, and those Hard Lessons Learned then are Helping Me to Survive Today! People Born Before Me, and Around My Time May Remember when the Mills Fell, but those Born After, and those are the Folks in Their Late 20's and 30's that this is Hitting the Hardest, Because they Learned to Live on Credit Cards, and not the Paycheck they were Bringing Home! Both Parents are Working, to Pay for the House, the Credit Card Bills, the Harley in the Garage, and the Boat at the Marina, and Come Home to a Home that they Can't Afford, but Someone Talked them into it by Showing them that with an ARM Mortgage, they can have the Bigger House for the Same Amount of Money as the Smaller House, but Failed to Tell them the Bad Part of an ARM Mortgage, and now the Bad Part is Causing the Loss of Many of these Homes. This is My Opinion Only, but the Economy was Driven not by what an Item Costs, but by whether they could Afford the Payment or not! I Feel that's Why We are in the Situation We are Today, Economics should have been Taught Better in the Schools, and the Kids should have Listened to Their Parents, and Learned By Their Life Lessons! Sorry for the Rant, but Again, Just My Opinion, and Thanks for Reading it!!

[Tuffy]

Nice post Still, I agree that the trouble is the younger generation has to have it all Right Now. What happened to living on one salery and mom staying home with the kids??? Also I was taught if you really don't need it, then don't buy it...

The older generation went through many hard times and learned to save for what they called a rainy day. They didn't live above there meens.
It is a shame that they are now learning the hard way......

[Hugha]

Tuffy Wrote:I agree that the trouble is the younger generation has to have it all Right Now.

I've been trying to figure out when this phenomenon occured. The best I can determine it started in the 80s and has only gotten worse. I think that coincides with more lax credit card availability.

For some reason, many people think that the limit on their card is their money.