Has the Bush economy had a negative impact on the working class in America?

Question

What costs have gone up since Bush has taken office, what costs have gone down?

Warning I will NOT tolerate insults.

I was hoping someone would show the rise/decline in fuel,Insurance,housing,etc;

Answer 1

The rich are richer, the poor are poorer. The middle class is seeing a huge increase in foreclosures. Jobs are leaving the country faster leaving more and more people unemployed and the numbers are up compared to 10 years age. Job creation is stagnant with wages flat or barely keeping pace with inflation thus I would say yes but I would like to see numbers that would contradict that as it is not looking good. Profits are up due to globalization and out sourcing has lowered real wage cost and with weak dollar it is way cheaper in other ways to NOT create jobs here
We have been sold out by the Bushcheney and it is treason that runs deep in that family back to Prescott
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=497251819335380093

Answer 2

Bush has had a hugely negative impact on the working class. The income gap between the rich and the poor has increased dramatically. The income of the working class has either declined, or has stagnated, while the rich have gotten a lot richer.
Meanwhile, the cost of everyday things like fuel, insurance, and housing has gone up. Further, the banks have screwed many lower income families by enticing them with 'interest free mortgages'. At renewal time, many of these families will lose their homes if they can't pay substantially more.
Bush and his party are the friend of big business and the evangelical far right. They are the enemy of the working class.

Answer 3

Costs that have gone up are all the energy costs, gas, electric and propane, we heat with oil and frankly, next winter we will be colder than usual because heating oil is up to $2.39 cents a gallon when under Clinton it was $1.25.
Meat and corn are also up, now that ethanol is becoming more common. Mortgage rates are up and have been going up since Bush took office, last year of Clinton it was 4.2% now its 5.2%, that may not be the national rate, just ours.
Our insurance plans had to be scrapped, we used to have an HMO through our work, now we have Blue Cross/Blue Sheild. Seems there were too many complaints about how long it took and approvals were too slow. Not that this is much better, lots of doctors won't take it, and we had to change doctors when the plan changed.
Overall our expenses went up around six percent. At the same time our wages went up slightly less than three percent.
We stopped eating out once a week, and we put off buying a new car, even though our old one is really old, like 14 years old. Good thing we take care of it. We are working class, and we aren't happy with any facet of Bushs American.
More American bought home alright, homes that are being foreclosed on because they were subprime buyers being given risky loans at rates that were too high. Not to mention interest rates on bank cards that would make Tony Soprano blush. Something that seem to be flying under the radar for some of the answerers here.

Answer 4

factually the economy is going strong especially after suffering through the recession that started at the end of Clintons term, the dot com burst, the corruption and book cooking scandals that started in the 1990s and 9/11. The bottom 20% of wage earners have seen the biggest increase in income in terms of percentage which truthfully doesnt mean a lot because 5% of $10k isnt a lot of money but none the less it is factual.
We could save money on oil if the left would allow us to drill here at home and build new refineries for the first time in 30+ yrs. Food prices could go back down if the government stopped pushing inefficient ethanol as a fuel source and subsidizing corn in that pursuit which is taking land out of use for FOOD.

Answer 5

First let me thank you for a REAL question.

Okay, here's what I see and can only base things on this area.
Gas prices are up.
The price of construction materials are much higher
Interest rates, although up slightly, are still decent
The price of electricity and other utilities have risen. That is in direct relationship with the increase costs of fuel.
Around here, more jobs HAVE been created.
I can only say that I've increased wages of employees who work with me to compensate for price increases. Of course to do that, the end user experiences an increase in price for my services.

That's my report from this end and as far as the rest of the country goes, I'd love to read what reality truly is and not a bunch of ranting.

I happen to live in an area that is rural but also depends on a huge military installation that is located nearby. For us, that virtually guarantees a good economy. Additionally, any type of industry moving into this area is a positive. And we've had new industry come in. So for us, the overall economy remains strong. How long that will last is any body's guess.

Answer 6

With an unemployment rate of 4.5 I think its been a positive impact. Most prices rise, that is what they generally do. Electronic products are more affordable today than when he took office. This has nothing to do with him, this has to do with less expensive manufacturing techniques, Oil has risen, but so has the Chinese and Indian economies thus raising the demand. If you get right down to it, the tax cuts have generated more tax revenue for the government. Bush had control over that, so that is what you can point to him.

Answer 7

"maximum accepted hour became their handling of 9/11" Oh, you advise the terrorist attack they knew approximately before hand and did no longer something to supply up, deeming bin weighted all the way down to no longer be a gamble? Or actually letting him slip out from below their noses? Yeah, it truly is a few powerful advantageous president paintings there, lou. Bush 2 became in basic terms a continuation of each and every of the reagonomic nonsense that paved the way for the mess we are in now. i do no longer think of they are able to be lots clearer, trickle down potential: you're GETTING PISSED ON.

Answer 8

Gas is high. Milk is high. Food is creeping up. Housing is hugely high. Health care is also very high.

The average wage has not gone up, and the average wage worker has backslid considerably. There have been a few studies about it, and Thomas Friedman a the NY Times talks about it often.

For the person who mentioned unemployment rates - although they remain fairly low, you need to check the disability rates, which have gone up. Also, there are a lot of people out there whose unemployment has expired and who simply stop looking. They don't get counted in the monthly number.

I know a bunch of them.

Answer 9

For people who think, it definitely has had a negative impact.
What costs have come down?
People rejoice because they have had their income tax 'cut' by 30-50 dollars, but on the other end of the scale the cost of health care insurance, education, basic foodstuffs, etc have risen by hundreds of dollars.
God help us when the bubble bursts. And sooner or later, it will.

Answer 10

More Americans bought homes during the "Bush economy" than ever before due to the very low interest rates. Cost of everthing rises due to inflation - check the numbers for the Clinton years.