Posted on 02/18/2026 7:04:21 AM PST by yesthatjallen
-The U.S. economy could be in a “boomcession.”
- A portmanteau of the words “boom” and “recession,” the term can help explain why many Americans don’t feel the economic growth appearing on paper.
Welcome to the “boomcession.”
The term is a portmanteau of the words “boom” and “recession.” It highlights how the average American doesn’t feel like they’re reaping the benefits of an economy that is — on paper — humming along, according to creator Matt Stoller.
Economic output and the stock market are surging, consumers are spending big and the post-pandemic recession that many expected never materialized. But many feel terrible about their finances, with debt at all-time highs, and the majority of Americans incorrectly believe the country is in an economic slowdown.
“Traditionally, the economy is doing really well,” said Stoller, an antimonopoly advocate and research director at the American Economic Liberties Project, a nonpartisan thinktank. “But ordinary people are saying they’re not.”
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Who is the head of the RNC now? Why is there no nationwide Republican message on this? Why do the Republicans continue to let the left define the battleground?
Yes, and a big part of it is government mandates and regulations. Fuel economy rules are forcing car makers to use more expensive, lighter materials (which may also reduce safety), super complicated and annoying 10 speed automatic transmissions, back up cameras, airbags, the stupid auto stop system, Electronic Stability Control, etc.. I might want some of those systems, but it should be a choice.
In 1986 I could buy a Radio Shack 19” color TV (the biggest they sold) for $499.95.
Currently, on the Walmart web site, I can get the VIZIO 75” Mini LED Quantum 4K QLED HDR Smart TV (NEW 2026) VQM75C-10 for $498.00.
I have in my pocket a computer/telephone that is many time more powerful than a desktop computer of 20 years ago and costs half as much.
In 2002 a gallon of milk was $2.78. I just bought a gallon of milk for $2.95.
I could go on, but you get the point.
Some things are more expensive, some things are less.
The problem is that housing, medicine, and education are way up.
A collapse in demand so severe it causes a deep recession, which almost no one wants to see.
I’m “left behind” because I work contract, and while my salary in 2022 was good, it has literally not changed since I started my current assignment (renewed every six months). I make the same now as I did in June 2022. Gas is cheaper now, eggs, too. My electricity bill for the past month was the lowest in years. Hopefully, that trend will continue and I’ll be able to ‘catch up’ on my retirement and savings. And, maybe my salary will go up, even slightly.
1) What was the cumulative inflation from 2020 to 2025?
AI: "Based on the search results, cumulative inflation in the United States from 2020 to 2025 was approximately 23-25%"
2) What was the cumulative wage increase for American workers between 2020 to 2025?
AI: "Cumulative Growth Since 2020: The search results don't provide a single cumulative percentage for the entire 2020-2025 period. However, they show that:
Nominal wages have generally been growing between 3-5% annually in recent years"
On paper, the economy is thriving but that's not what people are experiencing because inflation has exceeded wage growth.
You can debate what went up or down and why and depending on what you buy, you will notice it or not notice it but the fact remains, inflation is real.
Price changes in consumer goods and services in the United States (1997 to 2024)
How many times can these microcephalic excuses for writers repeat themselves in the first paragraph?
Mainly because of the steady drumbeat of “Boomcession” articles just like this during the Trump administrations.
I’ve never heard so many whiners say “things are horrible.”
And, conversely, so many glowing articles during the Biden years about how great things were.
Not only do they want prices to go back to pre-COVID levels, they also want to keep all the raises they got since then.
Well theyre purchasing regardless. Whether they should be is the actual discussion at hand. Its not like these folks are not eating out, buying iphones, travelling, catching a show, buying the newest Jordans etc.
My marginal rate went up a tiny bit, not much but certainly not a cut
Correct, and what was a really good income 5 years ago isnt so much now
I make a very good income but it hasn’t gone up anywhere near as much as inflation over the last several years and margins are so tight now with increased costs our customers have less to spend and therefore we have to operate slimmer as well which means no raises—just a fight to gradually gain ground
This can be dismissed all day but lot of people feel like things are just getting worse and will act accordingly whether that is right wrong or logical
It can’t come back. It costs too much to ptoduce.
Meat is still too high.
My Social Security went up $25 a month and Medicare also went up for a net loss. Those with fixed incomes are hurting and yet we are paying illegals thousands to deport.
Sometimes making the right decisions, being thrifty, investing and so on, is derailed by life. One cancer diagnosis and other disasters, can ruin even the most judicious and hard working of us all. God does test us and some of us are meant to follow another path even if it involves poverty.
The media did the same crap in the 80s.
How much did you earn back then?
21 year olds have no business buying a house.
$10 toothpaste? Come on!
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