For the “Most Americans” who think that the economy should be in fairly good shape this time next year

First, I have to say the barrage of reality contradicting propaganda we see in the news lately has become so wearisome that I mostly ignore the national level news and just pay attention to what has happened to my family, my extended family, my neighbors, friends and co-workers, and fairly well everyone who isn’t generationally wealthy and just working their tails off and praying their jobs last. As the Fed bankers continue to assert, “more workers need to lose their jobs”

Yet, sometimes the most blatant assertions do get my attention. Here is one, and it is intriguing if even remotely true. [https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/economy/fed-survey-consumer-expectations-october/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/economy/fed-survey-consumer-expectations-october/index.html)

I mean, “most”, really? Who did they survey? The executives, the old money heirs, the generationally wealthy, the politicians? Surely they sampled at least some people who work for a living. So, with that hope and assumption the next question is Why? Why do “most” think the economy should be in fairly good shape a year from now? The next question is “What do you define as ‘the economy'”?

For everyone I know, who has seen their entire lifetimes of savings, their 401Ks and pensions not only devalued by more than 30%, but also wiped down by rate hikes, there isn’t a lot of hope that they’ll miraculously rebound to such a degree that their past earnings are restored, their purchasing power restored on critical lifetimes of savings, and that they’ll be made whole again from such massive devaluation of their earned dollars. Worse yet, I know of no one working family supporting jobs who has seen their wages keep up with inflation, and I have to question which fields these people who fall into “most Americans” are working, where they firmly believe they’ll experience +30% pay increases by this time next year. Or am I mistaken? While we can no longer even afford essentials, and we’re trying to weather through all of this by mounting such credit card debt that I foresee no way to even pay it down now, maybe others… or “most” see something brighter on the horizon? Perhaps there is a rumor of credit card debt forgiveness? Maybe mortgage debt forgiveness? What is this light at the end of the tunnel that others are seeing and believe in that I’m missing? Or is it just that they see the light of a train barreling down on them and they’re delusional that there will suddenly be a positive outcome from it.

I don’t want to be cynical. I really really don’t. So someone please point me to how purchasing power can be restored, how we can also can get +30% pay increases, how our lifetimes of savings purchasing power will be restored and our balances back up to where they were. Because THAT is our economy. THAT is what gives us opportunity, shared prosperity, and even hope. Without that, we’re just drowning, deeper and deeper under water with each passing day. And even if we were to stop sinking right this instant, a year from now won’t save us from being underwater with little reality-based hope of rising again. And again, we’re not of the generational wealth, we don’t own the businesses or rental properties where we can jack prices to compensate for devalued dollars, we don’t have millions of dollars or employers who are running to us offering new salaries and wages to offset these crushing costs.

by agreeablederivative