>>>In light of the continued attacks upon the American non-recession I'd like to welcome Europe to the fun. Let's see just how well they hold up to an economic slowdown pumped by media speculation and political pandering. Will it actually fall in two consecutive quarters? Will the individual countries and how will it be reported? After enduring the non-recession over here for over a year now it'll be nice to enjoy the show across the pond and to see how it's treated by the global media and our European citizens.
>>>
>>>The US has had to endure this trumped up crap while the dollar dropped, oil spiked, the housing bubble burst and credit crunched. Yet we're prevailing with positive growth, minimal unemployment, expanding exports, increased tourism and of course political pandering both in words and bailouts.
>>>
>>>Lets just see how Europe fairs while the dollar rises, the oil trade unwinds and their housing markets contract. Supposedly constructed as a trading power to rival the US, it'll be interesting to see how they handle their first real economic test.
>>>
>>>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=at.u1aw0Pjy8&refer=worldwide
>>>http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3547486,00.html
>>>http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jMTrFbdxH2pvvDVmej46d0ubHR4g
>>>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/08/08/do0801.xml
>>>http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080808153356.tmuj1avt&show_article=1
>>
>>"Trumped up crap"? Wow. Even Bush concedes the economy is not exactly the picture of health. You can use some different, and IMO more accurate, adjectives -- slumping dollar, record oil prices, decrease in home values, rise in bankruptcies, slowed growth, and rising unemployment. Add a huge decrease in consumer confidence.
>
>The "trumped up crap" refers to talk of a non-existent "recession" and supposed "hard-times". All the items you mentioned, I did as well. I also mentioned parts of the economy which are rising, which is my point. Why so one-sided in the coverage? I understand that parts of the economy have been slowing, however, we're not falling off a cliff as some would make it out to be.
>
>>It stuns me that you can take in this financial landscape and see a healthy economy.
>
>What stuns me is the inability to see the good in the economy when I just wrote a couple items to point it out. Why you would re-state only half of what I just wrote and claim I'm blind?
>
>Frankly, the US economy is quite healthy as far as the long term is concerned. We have weathered 2 minor dip recessions and seen unprecedented growth since the early eighties without anything like the downturns of prior decades. Increased trade has lessoned the burden on Americans alone to consume our products and increased our exposure to lucrative foreign markets and vice versa.
>
>The truth is there's no such thing as poor in America. While some may have less than others, in relation to the rest of the world, America's poor are wealthy. The very idea that American's experience "hard times" economically is laughable. Only our spoiled, ignorant and arrogant populace could "feel" downtrodden while living in the greatest economic vehicle the world has ever known. Feelings are not fact despite Oprah's influence. Facts are facts. We're not on the same playing field as the numbers in the past two recessions, not in the same ballpark as the seventies and not playing the same sport when compared to the great depression.
>
>The dollar is rising. The oil trade is unwinding. Stocks successfully tested and bounced off the critical 11k line. The feds have jumped in with a boatload of bailout money. Exports are booming. Tourism is up.
>
>It's time to chill out, check your feelings at the door and look at things objectively.

You make some good points. If I made it sound like the economy is completely messed up in every way, that was in error. Still, this is definitely not a healthy economy IMO. A lot of fundamentals are pointing in the wrong direction.

I think it's a pretty strong statement to say there are no poor in America. Aren't something like 12% of Americans living below the poverty line? That is the government's own measure of what it takes to provide the basic necessities like food, shelter, clothing, and utilities.