Anyone See a Pattern?

Ahh yes. Things sure have gotten better. Chimpie and the boys are taking car of America real well. You can almost hear the sounds of joy, the laughter, the enjoyment of life that comes from every nook and cranny from across the American landscape. Wait a minute, there are some notes of discord:

The 2001 recession was shallow, but its effects were steep. Average family incomes fell in the USA from 2001 to 2004, pulled down by a sluggish recovery from the downturn and the sharp stock market drop, the Federal Reserve said Thursday. The decline - the first since 1989-92 - was accompanied by the smallest increase in net worth in that period.

In its comprehensive Survey of Consumer Finances, released every three years, the Fed said the median net worth of the bottom 40% of families declined, while those at the top saw gains. The percentage of families investing in stocks fell 3.3 percentage points to 48.6% from 2001 to 2004, a level last reached some time between the 1995 and 1998 surveys.

Apparently the sounds of joy, the laughter, the enjoyment of life that we hear is just coming from the rich. Hmmm – the decline is the first since 1989-1992. Wasn't that when Bush senior was President? He was a Republican - just like little Georgie. What happened from 1992 to 2000? Ohh, that was when Clinton was president and family incomes increased. Clinton was a democrat, wasn't he? Guess the old adage is true after all – if you want to live like a republican, vote democrat.
Posted on The Human Stain