Majority of Americans believe U.S. in decline

[Sol Invictus]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126100346902694549.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStori es

Less than a year after Inauguration Day, support for the Democratic Party continues to slump, amid a difficult economy and a wave of public discontent, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

The findings underscored how dramatically the political landscape has changed during the Obama administration’s first year. In January, despite the recession and financial crisis, voters expressed optimism about the future, the new president enjoyed soaring approval ratings, and congressional leaders promised to swiftly pass his ambitious agenda.

In December’s survey, for the first time, less than half of Americans approved of the job President Barack Obama was doing, marking a steeper first-year fall for this president than his recent predecessors.

[Octothorpe]

Well, duh.

Anyone old enough to remember when America was at its high-water mark can tell it's been in decline for decades. It's only the young who don't seem to have a clue.

Personally, I think things have gone to heck since gas stations quit hiring pump monkeys. ;)

[Birka]

Well, duh.

Anyone old enough to remember when America was at its high-water mark can tell it's been in decline for decades. It's only the young who don't seem to have a clue.

Personally, I think things have gone to heck since gas stations quit hiring pump monkeys. ;)


And high school kids running cash registers could not give you correct change.

[Cato]

Polls, polls, polls, what would modern life be without some sort of polling data to salivate over?

[SwordoftheVistula]

35% don't think the US is in decline...that's even higher than the number who believe in witchcraft and ghosts

[Smaland]

The US has been in decline since its "Cultural Revolution" of the 1960's. In the period 1945-1964, a young man could graduate from high school and go directly to work in an auto plant or a factory. If he watched his money, the wages he could earn there would be enough to support a small family.

[Cato]

And many Romans believed that their empire would never end. Irony of ironies, but no pollsters to quiz the citizens back then eh?

[SuuT]

In the period 1945-1964, a young man could graduate from high school and go directly to work in an auto plant or a factory. If he watched his money, the wages he could earn there would be enough to support a small family.

Moreover, his wife did not need to work, he could have a remarkable savings account to perpare for retirement, could likely have put one maybe two children through college, could purchase a vehicle outright, could eat steak once per week, could have a relatively 'expensive' hobby that he enjoyed, and could buy his wife nice things... just in my lifetime, I have been witness to an inflation of cost-of-living goods in the U.S. that is, for lack of any other word, amazing: Does anyone remember when milk was 50 cents per gallon? Bread for pennies? When gasoline was 59 cents? When a school clothes shopping excursion for 4 or 5 children cost $200? - Avergage middle (socio-economic) class wages have adjusted by only 6% relative to cost-of-living since this time.

If I am being honest, I cannot wait for the whole thing to fall into law of the jungle. I think that there is nothing substantially left to destroy. Indeed, the thought of it is something I find invigourating.

[Psychonaut]

If he watched his money, the wages he could earn there would be enough to support a small family.

I've found this to still be the case. I've lived and worked in five states and four occupations in the eight years my wife and I have been together, and not once has she been required to work.

[SuuT]

I've found this to still be the case. I've lived and worked in five states and four occupations in the eight years my wife and I have been together, and not once has she been required to work.

The difference, brother, is that you do not know how meager you must live for that to be a reality for you relative to how the man of 40, 30, even 20 years ago did. Look into it.

Do not get me wrong: Meager living is not wrong or bad. What is wrong and/or bad is that an hourly wage of $12.00 (for example; and, in adjusted dollars) could achieve all of the things that I mentioned earlier 30 years ago. Today?...pfff.

[Psychonaut]

The difference, brother, is that you do not know how meager you must live for that to be a reality for you relative to how the man of 40, 30, even 20 years ago did. Look into it.

Do not get me wrong: Meager living is not wrong or bad. What is wrong and/or bad is that an hourly wage of $12.00 (for example; and, in adjusted dollars) could achieve all of the things that I mentioned earlier 30 years ago. Today?...pfff.

I'm sure that's the case, but I get so incensed when, at work, I hear my married comrades complaining about two military salaries not being enough to support the pair of them. There are just so many artificial "needs" that are not recognized for the wants they truly are. So long as one's expectations of luxury are not particularly high, it's quite easy for a family of four (+ pets) to thrive on $30,000 a year.

[Smaland]

Moreover, his wife did not need to work, he could have a remarkable savings account to perpare for retirement, could likely have put one maybe two children through college, could purchase a vehicle outright, could eat steak once per week, could have a relatively 'expensive' hobby that he enjoyed, and could buy his wife nice things... just in my lifetime, I have been witness to an inflation of cost-of-living goods in the U.S. that is, for lack of any other word, amazing: Does anyone remember when milk was 50 cents per gallon? Bread for pennies? When gasoline was 59 cents? When a school clothes shopping excursion for 4 or 5 children cost $200? - Avergage middle (socio-economic) class wages have adjusted by only 6% relative to cost-of-living since this time.

If I am being honest, I cannot wait for the whole thing to fall into law of the jungle. I think that there is nothing substantially left to destroy. Indeed, the thought of it is something I find invigourating.

In the late 60's, the price of gas was about 30 cents/gallon. Also, "$1.00 in 1967 had about the same buying power as $6.39 in 2009", according to the website www.dollartimes.com (http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm).