Twelve Year Low

National Public Radio announced this morning that U.S. home sales were at a 12-year low - a sure sign of an economic slowdown, possibly even a recession in the making. Nobody is surprised about that. The signs have been there for all to see: unending wars, record high oil prices, record low U.S. dollar, high-risk loan crisis, loss of good jobs, etc.

But one needs to think about what was going on twelve years ago: Bill Clinton was just getting his feet wet as the new president crawling out of another recession created by another Bush and his republican cronies. Debt and pessimism were high in the early 90's ("It's the economy, stupid".) But it all changed around after Clinton's two terms as a disciplined (ok, financially disciplined, if not with the women) leader.

What's amazing about all this is that people don't see it clearly. They have been manipulated into thinking that republicans are somehow better with the money (they are better at getting money for themselves), while every time they have the reigns the people end up losing more of what they had before. It's a slow and painful death of middle-class America, one cut and one war at a time.
--- T