Before I get into the topic, just a quick "Thanks" for doing what I couldn't - connecting me to your forum.
The economy huh? If I were a working stiff, I would have to say "It Sucks!". However, having retired back in '99 from EDS (Electronic Data Systems, Ross Perot's old company that he sold to GM) and is now owned by HP, I'm pretty well set.
I have a small pension. My wife and I both draw SS. I have the VA for all my medical needs (and, oh by the way, despite what some folks say - the VA has been an excellent source of medical service when needed).
My Internet based business is only just beginning, but the payoffs down the road should allow me to retire again if I want to do so. But quite frankly, I'm havin' more fun than a 63 year old fella ought to be having. No, I'm not out on a big yacht sailing off the coast of Nice, France. But I did have a darned nice little fishing boat for a while. Gave it to my son last year. And no, I don't own a big fancy home. We live in a two-bedroom apartment and drive a nine year old mini-van up here in N. Texas about half way between Dallas and the Oklahoma state line.
As for how the economy is treating others, it is a damned shame what it's done to some folks. Other folks are the "reason" the economy is the way it is. Trouble is that there are a lot of them that ought to be in jail that aren't, in my humble opinion.
Any discussion on the economy usually comes down to which side of the political fence you're sitting on. People ask me if I'm a Obama-lover or am I wonderfully intelligent person who hates "what he's done to us". The question itself is insulting, so I seldom choose to answer it directly. Ah yes, that must mean I like him. And your point is?
I can usually distance myself from all the hate mongers on both sides of the economic and political spectrum by simply saying that I am a left-handed, right-winged, non-denominational independent who votes for the person, not the party. Ole Rush Limbaugh would call me one of those "damned fence sitters" with complete disgust in his voice. I've always felt that it's a lot easier to see both sides of an issue from atop the fence, rather than having my vision obscured by it.
The foregoing statements are merely Random Thoughts from a Wandering Mind. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.