When is the last time you met up with the Economy in a bar?
“How are ya doin’, Economy? How are ya feelin’ big guy? You feelin’ peckish? Sluggish? You got the flu comin’ on, maybe? You know, the ol’ recession? Hey, lemme’ buy you a drink.”
Okay, call me stupid. But if none of us chats up the Economy, how do we know it is in bad shape and getting worse? The figures certainly do not tell us this.
Screw the figures. A huge percentage of Americans tell pollsters the Economy is sick and getting sicker. Well, how did they come to believe this?
Did they simply ask themselves? Hey, we are doing poorly. And we think the future looks bleak for us. There are lots of people like us out there. Since there are lots of folks in bad straits like us, the economy must be rotten. And growing rottener.
No, we know this did not happen. They did not reach their conclusions this way. We know this because Americans tell pollsters they are doing well financially. Huge majority, very happy. Majority feel they will do better in future. Or at least as well as they are doing now.
The same is true of where the nation is headed.
We tell pollsters the country is going in the dumpster. Nearly 70 percent of us say this. It is going in the wrong direction because of the lack of leadership in Washington. We tell pollsters our President is a dud. And that our Congress is packed with more duds. We feel Congress stinks.
How do we come to such conclusions? Not by asking ourselves. Over 90 percent of us tell pollsters we are doing well. We, ourselves, are. We are pleased with the way things are going for us, our family. Over 60 percent of us believe things are going to get better for us.
How can this be? Imagine if we poll the Yankees. Virtually every player tells us he had a great season. Most say they expect to have a better year next year. How about the team? Oh, it’s rotten. Had a terrible year. Next year will be even worse.
If the Yankees spoke that way we would scratch our heads. Just as we ought to scratch our heads over what the pollsters are uncovering these days.
How can so many Americans feel good about their own situation while they badmouth the rest of the country?
