Obama inherited from Bush the worst fiscal crisis since the Depression. "Are you better off?" is a slippery question - is it "has your situation actually improved?" or "are you less fucked than you would have been under McCain/Palin?"
"You're less fucked, and thus you're better off - the recession has been shorter and shallower than it otherwise would have been" is not a fun case to have to make, but I think that's the intellectually honest answer for most citizens.
Because gas and energy have tripled?
It's nearly impossible to get a loan?
The only money anyone is making is from debt?
Health insurance is harder to get and more expensive?
Who exactly are these 'better off' people?
Four years ago my spouse was laid off. A local company offered him temp work at 60% of his asking wage. We thought of fleeing Portland, but Craigslist ads in other cities were labeled, "Local candidates only." He ended up in a short term contract where he literally flew to another state each week.
This spring, my spouse was offered an FTE downtown with great benefits, making just a scooch under the median wage in his field. Recruiters are calling daily. His work directly deals with healthcare issues, so... did Obamacare save us? I'm not sure, but, yes, we are MUCH better off. :)
Health insurance isn't harder to get; it's way cheaper now too. I'm actually fully covered now; thanks to Obamacare. No longer can my shitty insurance company decide to up and drop me at the drop of a hat. Yay! Life is good once again.
It's a good thing that we live in an absolute dictatorship where we don't give the minority party any say in how things are done, otherwise this question might not make any sense.
"You're less fucked, and thus you're better off - the recession has been shorter and shallower than it otherwise would have been" is not a fun case to have to make, but I think that's the intellectually honest answer for most citizens.
It's nearly impossible to get a loan?
The only money anyone is making is from debt?
Health insurance is harder to get and more expensive?
Who exactly are these 'better off' people?
Four years ago my spouse was laid off. A local company offered him temp work at 60% of his asking wage. We thought of fleeing Portland, but Craigslist ads in other cities were labeled, "Local candidates only." He ended up in a short term contract where he literally flew to another state each week.
This spring, my spouse was offered an FTE downtown with great benefits, making just a scooch under the median wage in his field. Recruiters are calling daily. His work directly deals with healthcare issues, so... did Obamacare save us? I'm not sure, but, yes, we are MUCH better off. :)