From a CNN story –

Seventy-four percent of Americans believe the economy is still in a recession, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. Only 25 percent think the downturn is over.

One-third of Americans say the recession is serious, while another 29 percent characterize it as moderate.

Only the elite in the beltway believe the ridiculous idea that we have successfully come through the recession. I don’t understand how the numbers could add up to anything but a continuing crisis.

Unemployment – 9.6 percent – This doesn’t count those who have given up seeking work, so the real number is probably closer to 15.

Financial Markets – All Better? – NO – Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh said on Tuesday that financial markets have not fully recovered after the financial crisis and that economic growth is currently weighted to government expansion.

Hiring – All better? – NO – U.S. chief executive officers’ view of the economy darkened in the third quarter, with top executives saying they were less willing to hire new workers as they fear sales growth will slow.

Consumer Confidence – Optimistic? – NO – When it comes to attitudes about the economy, Americans continue to see the glass as half empty, according to the latest reading on consumer morale. The Consumer Confidence Index fell to 48.5 in September — its lowest level in 7 months — and down from August’s negatively revised level of 53.2, the Conference Board, a New York-based research group that compiles the index, said Tuesday.

How long can I keep going? How long have you got?

The politicians and the commentators feel your pain from a safe distance. You’re just more economic data and an annoying one. If you would only believe, everything would be fine. Everybody is doing well. You just don’t see it because you can’t see the big picture obstructed as it is by your suffering. Don’t be pessimistic. Don’t you know that this is America and a good attitude can solve all your problems?

I get tired. You get up and you hear these criticisms of hard working Americans and the utter lack of comprehension of the beltway elites as to what the world is really like, and the next day it happens again. The cycle never ends. Americans are lazy, self-indulgent, and fat. They need to get tough, get smart and do what we, the real people, the people that count do. Learn from us, they say. These creatures who don’t live in a world of labor and pain, who live by manipulating money, shaping opinion, and other ill defined processes. They know how to fix your lives. Right, and I can build a nuclear weapon with a little barb wire and an old tire.

Well, tomorrow will be another day and the cycle will begin again.

James Pilant