[ropin71]

Well I am a conservative representative middle class person here, and it is bad. Property taxes are sky high here in NJ (would leave it if I could) along with everything else, paying more to the boss for healthcare, working more hours, thusfore using more gas, utility bills are high,, living paycheck to paycheck, 401K is non-existent, had to re-fi the house again and I can go on. I work in retail, and I see the slowdown in a business of non commodity goods, and hear the same from my friends and customers.

Not trying to bring everyone down, but the forum posts sound like the government officials, out of touch.

[Elyse]

Your local economy can be down when the rest of the country’s economy is up. Your personal economy can be down when the rest of the country’s economy is booming. You have to look at the overall picture when you are talking about the US economy. Sometimes, it just sucks to be you. I speak from experience on this. :)

[dinoparty]

Well, sounds like you either need to get a better paying job or spend less money. I don’t mean to be flippant, but there have always been people who struggle, in any economy. The difference is, it used to be that struggling meant living in a shack or on the street, scrounging just to get enough to eat. Now, “struggling” means not being able to save for retirement, or having a high credit card balance. Big difference. The economy IS getting better.

[badbass]

Not trying to bring everyone down, but the forum posts sound like the government officials, out of touch.

I agree completely.

[FlipWilson]

One, you live in NJ. Two, nuff said. But let me say more. Your story illustrates perfectly why people don’t see the economy as humming along. NJ is liberal land central. The land of taxes and a near bankrupt government. The land where if you work a job and make money, you are, gulp, rich. And as the libs in NJ tell us constantly, rich people need to pay pay pay. Of course, the deomcrats in NJ get votes by promising millionaire taxes and tax increases on the “rich”. Well, this means YOU. Of course the economy won’t be good in a state like that!!!

You say you can’t leave. Well, you might want to at all costs before NJ implodes of its own socialist weight.

[Tulane]

It’s not good for everybody or evry locale, but we’ve had 20 something quarters in a row of growth, and the unemployment rate is 4.5%. I can’t imagine it being much better, on a national level.

[pacelvi]

Property taxes are sky high here in NJ (would leave it if I could) along with everything else

That's not the economy. That's your lovely government.

, paying more to the boss for healthcare

Decline coverage then and pay for it yourself

, working more hours

Work is good for you. Especially if you get paid by the hour.

, thusfore using more gas

If you are working more hours then you should be driving less not more. I bet you drive a SUV.

utility bills are high

Conserve your use.

,, living paycheck to paycheck

Whose fault is that

, 401K is non-existent

Whose fault is that.

had to re-fi the house again

Why would you re-fi during raising rates?

and I can go on. I work in retail, and I see the slowdown in a business of non commodity goods, and hear the same from my friends and customers.

So you work at Walgreens and because you made some stupid economic decisions that means the economy is bad? I think your problem is elsewhere.

[driftless2]

"bad"

What is the unemployment rate in New Jersey, and is your state running a surplus?