March 2020 vs March 2024 Trump has been raising this basic question: are you better off now than you were four years ago? I’m guessing that many of the answers here will depend on each poster’s side of the aisle. But there are obviously many different data points to consider, along with simply how things feel. A couple of obvious ones: prices were lower in 2020, but we were at the beginning of a horrible pandemic. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/24/trump-2020-better-off-covid/
Haven’t gone thru data. Looking back, Covid kind of overshadows everything. But in March it didn’t feel as overwhelming as it quickly became. So, to be honest, I don’t know. But the future seems a bit more precarious.
I guess when you've got the best economy in history, this is what happens. U.S Falls Out of Top 20 Happiest Countries for the First Time Ever.
2020 was brutal. March of 2020 things hadn’t completely gone to shit yet. Start this same thread this coming June and the answer is much more clear.
Depends on what is meant by “better off”. My net worth has increased but that tends to happen when the market goes up.
This may explain some of the relative unhappiness ….. and what is seen in posts on this board. Study: "Woke" attitudes linked to anxiety, depression, and a lack of happiness “A new psychological assessment has been developed to measure the endorsement of attitudes related to critical social justice. Findings from its application in a Finnish study reveal that stronger alignment with these so-called “woke” beliefs correlates with heightened instances of anxiety and depression, as detailed in a publication in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.” + “An intriguing aspect of the study was its exploration of the relationship between critical social justice and mental well-being. Lahtinen found a correlation between higher agreement with critical social justice attitudes and increased reports of anxiety and depression. Agreement with the statement “If white people have on average a higher income than black people, it is because of racism” exhibited the largest positive correlation with anxiety and depression, and the largest negative correlation with happiness. However, these associations were more strongly correlated with participants’ political orientation than with critical social justice attitudes per se. Specifically, being on the political left was more predictive of lower mental well-being than high critical social justice scores alone. This suggests that the link between critical social justice attitudes and mental health is complex and may be mediated by broader political and ideological beliefs.”
I can’t think of a metric by which I’m not better off. No global pandemic, no tanked economy, no race riots, more wealth, no narcissistic shit head troll in the White House.
Right it’s the younger folks that are disillusioned. The over 60 crowd (the vast bulk of the Trump coalition) is just as happy as ever - which is funny because they are the ones who seemingly can’t stop whining.
In my opinion this question does not apply because the pandemic was not representative of “normal” anywhere. Now was I better off in 2019 or now? I know I was less worried about my financial wellbeing 5 years ago (albeit since then we did IVF and had a child so that changes finances). But still the natural progression should be having better finances, and I was more secure financially under Trump than Biden. Yes I know there’s other issues besides finances, but roof over my head is always number one priority. With all that said there’s still no way I’d vote for someone as “flawed” (that’s me being nice) as Trump, so I will be voting for Biden.
I can't think of a way I am not better off. The obvious one is net worth. Market was crap four years ago. I'm retired now which is nice. People told me I would get bored, that hasn't happened yet and I don't see it happening. Both boys are away at college which is a little sad but they are doing awesome. I have four extra years on this frame but health is mostly unchanged. I did pull a pesky QL muscle in my back (second time in the last few years) but PT is taking care of that.
That is what happens when you have 1/3 the country being fed lies and distortions to spread fear, hate, and despair. And the other 2/3 is worried the 1/3 is going to try and kill off democracy.
Other than hearing from Fox and my Republican friends and family how horrible things have been, I am better off in all objective metrics. It ain’t perfect, and I have my beef with several of Biden’s actions, but I’m overall better off.
I think we are too focused on who is the president at any given moment. If it weren’t for my visits to too hot, I might not even know the president’s name. Lately, my favorite things have been kayaking in Tampa bay, going to my kid’s little league games, and watching Shogun on Hulu with my wife. (Very good show, BTW.) Anyway, none of this is dependent on who is in the White House.
