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Could it be that the tax cuts are working? Could it be, as people get to keep more of their dollars, rather than give it to the government, they are investing and spending more, thus helping the economy?
Has the tax cuts helped cushion the negative impact of rising oil prices and interest rates could have had on the economy?
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Housing market good, we get stories on those having problems with ARMS. Unemployment down? We get stories about outsourcing, McJobs, etc. Not to mention the perpetual drumbeat about the uninsured, prescription drugs, high gas prices, etc. ad nauseum. People seem to no longer judge the economy based on their situation, but rather what they THINK their neighbor's situation is (based on pessimistic guesses).
Evie 
Unemployment is down, wages are up. People are buying big ticket items which is a sign of healthy personal economic situations, because people put off those purchases when times are tight. Companies are investing in capital improvements. But we get all the doom and gloom reports from the media, so folks think that they are doing well but presume their neighbor must not be -- or else why the pessimism of the media?
Debt is up, saving in non-existent, people are working longer - well past retirement, taking money out of their homes.
Wonder when the bubble will burst.
Diana
It's selective reporting. Like the recent thread on the downside of the housing boom -- no mention of the increase in net worth that has been a boon to far more people than the few who overreach with credit and make bad loan choices. The reporting on the savings rate is also slanted. There are simply more older folks that are supposed to be in their "negative savings" years included in the formula. Other savings aren't included in the formula such as 401K's or, apparently, various investments. We've "saved" next to nothing in the past 5 years (by what counts as savings), we've taken on more "debt", and yet our net worth and financial picture is far better than it was 5 years ago. This is not smoke and mirrors or some "bubble" about to pop. Quite the contrary. I can only surmise that there are far more folks like myself than there are the sob stories put forth by the media. I've been in difficult financial straights before, I wasn't in position to buy more appliances and toys. Credit cards don't last long, limits approach fast, etc. This economy has been growing for too long and too consistently to square with the media lies about how it's really not good.
they are called ''administration apologists'', or ''Bush lovers'', or ''conservative media'', or ''rich people out of touch with the working class''.
Yet, when I am with my ultra liberal friends, they seem to be doing rather well, living well, traveling and buying things, yet still complaining how ''bad'' the economy is. Go figure 
... they must be the lucky ones, everyone else is not so lucky and suffering miserably! Oh ... and the homeless!
Evie
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