America in 2023: Better or Worse

Inflation is taming, supply chains healing, stock market rebounding, no more COVID. These are all good things.

I started working in 2016. Every year my life has become materially better. True under Trump and true under Biden. I don't let the "current thing" or who is president dictate my success in life. Are things perfect? No. They don't have to be. Opportunity is there for folks who are willing to adapt.

Sure dem. Keep living with blinders on

For who? Unemployment in the United States is historically low. Anyone that wants a job can find one. Maybe not a "dream job" but certainly gainful employment nonetheless. Anyone who wants housing, food, education, health care, and transportation can access said things regardless of income.

It is the expectation that anyone in the United States, regardless of income and irrespective of what they contribute back to society and the nation, has a path to live in relative comfort.

Sure, the United States has issues that need to be addressed. It always will. But to call the US a "nation in decline" is, at best, hyperbolic.

Me simple. Your party bad me party good.

Compared to when you Brits were in charge, I'd say we're much better off now. Compared to the clown show you Brits are entertaining us with now, we're still better off.

We are better in some ways, and yes, declining in others.

Better: No more turmoil from Trump and his Jan 6th followers.

Getting further from Covid.

Worse: Booming increase in "I identify as.."

A large volume of businesses, including restaurants, have a very low percentage of the employees they need.

I know you’re simple. I still love you. Bless your little heart.

D BAD R GOOD!

Exactly! So proud of you sweetie! Keep practicing your English. We’re so proud of you.

US economy is growing, unemployment rate at historic lows, wages climbing, inflation falling and at the low end of its peer nations, USA quietly leading NATO in an important war, budget deficit falling, US energy keeping Europe alive this winter...all that is good.

The bad is the Republican Party and its insurrections and lies, Biden is clearly not there 100% of the time, crime is rising, too many guns, etc. Red and Blue americans really don't get along right now and not even quiet man Biden could repair. WIth trump and desantis promsing culture war 24-7 in the 2024 election campaign...we will continue to loath each other.

Disagree with the premise that people in the US saw Biden as some great savior. Bernie was the big radical change agent candidate. Biden was just the guy who could beat Trump and return things to normal. Everyone knew that Biden is a centrist and wasn't going to make any radical changes like M4A or a Green New Deal.

Also disagree with the claim that the US is in decline. The US economy has been very resilient post pandemic. The job market remains strong and GDP was up 2.9 in the last quarter. Inflation is getting under control. The Fed has started easing its interest rate interventions. The Western states are getting a reprieve from the drought with a record snow pack that will help replenish desperately low reservoirs.

Internationally, the US has managed to hold together a strong coalition against Russia. Most believed that the EU would fracture over economic concerns due to winter energy shortages (that never happened). That did not happen. To the contrary, EU countries are following the US lead in providing tanks and advanced missile defense systems to Ukraine. And the EU and the US successfully moved ahead with a price cap on RU oil that has caused RU to incur huge budget deficits with its central bank burning through its foreign reserves.

And if you turn off social media and FoxNews, life in the US for most people is pretty good these days. The US still has a number of intractable problems like housing, health care and the environment. But people have jobs and the US economy dodged a big bullet with inflation coming down while economic growth has remained strong.

Crime in the US has not gotten worse. In fact the rate of property crime in the US has been on a steady decline for the past two decades. Murder rates have edged up in some jurisdictions, but the US is awash in guns, which isn't going to change any time soon. And this is why right wingers have to go to such extremes to find something to freak out about. They run all over to find one drag queen story time in a city of millions and lose their sh%t over something that 99.99% of the population did not know even existed.

I'll provide some objective answers. My cash flow after all bills and retirement savings is roughly 5k/month. I make more now than ever before (in real terms). I can go on vacations when I want and I can go have fun when I want (concerts, tickets to a game, etc). I'm on track to have about north of 5 million saved up in my retirement accounts by age 67. My health has never been better.

Bingo! This guy gets it!

To the OP, don't believe the crap you hear on the news. Those morons would look at a pile of gold and complain about how heavy it is.

As far as who is president, it really has no effect on most people's lives. Obama was boring. Trump was hilarious. And Biden is fascinating in a slow motion car wreck sort of way.

This hits the nail on the head. Biden is just a middle of the road and boring President. It is amazing that he has gotten so much accomplished being such and old dude. He is just a guy.

But if you listen the the right wing ecosystem you would think that Biden is the devil incarnate and that he is Hitler part 2. And that he is literally planning to make the US a communist nation and institute sharia gay law and mandatory trans. sex changes. It is amazing how many secret 3-D powers and diabolical deep state scheming that Biden is able to do being such a senile guy that can't even talk. All if you listen to right wing news or social.

I am not sure what exactly causes this craziness. It certainly did not help the GOP in the midterms. I guess it is just a way to feel good about supporting Trump for 4 years by projecting that Biden is the same. Who knows?

you should probably start hanging out with more positive people. Even our local crank, took down his Let's Go Brandon flag and replaced it with the ol' gadsden flag

For those that are into politics. As you read Trump's insane bats!t insane tweets these days on Truth social. Can you even imagine what Trump would have done if he had been given the power of 4 more years? A second term is often a license to throw your weight around way more so than an initial term. Much more unchecked power. And he would have no ability to have another term if he had. So he would have had to craft himself another term.

He would have gone scorched earth against any perceived enemies. This country would be an enormous disaster.

Homicides jumped by 30% in 2020. Formerly safe areas are experiencing a lot of crime. I used to live in Portland, and homicides have jumped 400% since 2016 - they disbanded the dang task force because of “racism” allegations due to the disproportionate impact on certain groups and crime immediately jumped.
Just look at stores that have put everything in cages

I call BS. Post who you are.