RLSH700

Precisely, the news media only wants to cause a frenzy because it sells more papers and helps their ratings. Look at the history of Pulitzer and Hearst. That should tell you something about what the current media will do to sell papers and improve ratings (they even named a prize after the one hack). Bad news sells better than good news. How many times in the last few years have they talked about the good news in the economy? Even though I will agree our economy hasn't been perfect, there has been plenty of good news. They don't talk about the new jobs being created, they only talk about the places that are laying off. They didn't talk about how easy it was to get a loan when the rates were low, they were trying to scare us to death about massive inflation.

The fact of the matter is when they report everything as bad people who believe anything they hear on television respond to this in radical ways and that leads to people spending less which effects other businesses. What your not taking into account is how gullible people really are when it comes to hearing something that they heard on television, because we all know that if you saw it on television it must be true.

I agree with most of what you said Patrick on the previous post as well. Too many people spend every cent they earn today and what they will earn tomorrow. My parents could live a far more luxurious lifestyle, but they don't because it first of all goes against what my father was raised to do, plus he hates being in debt. We only buy cars when we can afford to buy one via a full down payment and we drive them until it is no longer cost effective to keep running them (though we normally get rid of them far before that point unlike my dad's siblings, but they generally have over 100K on them nonetheless). We have had a few luxuries, we once owned half a 1959 Piper Comanche with another pilot until the engine blew and it crashed (for the record, everyone was okay).

My aunt on my mother's side has an obsession with trying to keep up with the Jones' and she is always struggling to pay her bills. She has an enormous house/estate, drives a new Infinity G35X, has a pontoon boat which she uses on her lake, has a condo in Florida with my cousin for when she wants to take a vacation (which is a couple times a month) via flying on a jet, eats out at expensive places in St. Louis all the time, spends I don't know how much money on clothes at full price that she might wear once and of course these are generally gaudy/expensive things to begin with, gives her grandkids tons of crap, etc. The reason how she is able to do all of this is that she started her own business. Now having said all of this, she does deserve the money she makes because she does work hard. The point is that people that try to keep up with the Jones' are going to have the financial issues of the Jones,' the people who spend money practically will be better off in the long run.

Jeremiah 29:11

While I do have expensive tastes, and will pay higher than most for electronic gadgets, TV's, audio equipment, guns, etc. I have not had expensive hobbies like owning a boat, motorcycle or jet ski's etc. I grew up with boats and my dad had 21' Wooden Chriscraft and a 26' firberglass both for fishing in salt water.

But I never owned on.

Somebody told me once that best thing about owning a boat was the day you bought it.........and the day you sold it.

I have paid my dues and saved early in my 20's and I will now reward myself with a few toys like a Challenger.

RoswellGrey

And if we didn't report it, you all would be crying that the media are engaged in a conspiracy to cover up how the oil companies are screwing the American public. Give me a break.

joeyr

Thats what I plan on doing. when I get to be forty I dont want to say I am working because I have, to but because I want to. I have start saving some now but I once I graduate, I plan on storing up some dry sticks for the wet days ahead ( old saying).

RLSH700

No, we'd be crying just as we are now that the media outlets are engaged in a conspiracy to cover up how it is actually the politician's fault because they won't get out of the way for getting real solutions to the problems instead of telling us that we should just adjust our lifestyles and drive SMARTs and Hybrids. I understand that you might feel offended about this subject matter since you are apparently a person who works in the press, but you know just as well as we do that bad news sells better than good news and that if the press begins to plant envy and hate against a particular group that happens to be doing better than the rest of us, people will eat it up and will be begging for more. That is the business. I'm sure that not all people in the press are this way, but the fact of the matter is many of them have earned the reputation for extending the truth. After seeing them doing this so many times throughout my life, I just don't trust the press because they always take sides and many times distort the facts.

MrKrisSullivan

The economy is headed south. Fuel prices are headed north.
Here in good ole' st. augustine fl. you used to be able to build a house where ever and be able to sell it for just about what-ever. Now people can't pay mortgages selling boats, condos, motorcycles for what-ever you want to buy it for. There's really not much in St. Augustine but the beach and a place to live. Everyone seems to commute to Jacksonville, some people come all the way from Palm Coast which is another 20 miles down the road, nothing but housing in that city too. It's almost scary as i've grown up here and am just playing my cards till i move (hopefully new york in a year or so) but the older I get the more I realize that everyone here seems to be trapped like lab rats. Low wages houseing becoming slowly expensive not any real job oppurtunites. It truly is a place to kick back and rest while you enjoy the latter part of your life. Just some thoughts peace....

1 Bad Mirada

feel free to provide an instance of me crying about the media not reporting something, ever. I dont know who the hell you are to group me in with any "you all". Its no secret that the oil industry lines its pockets with american money...thats business.

MrKrisSullivan

Simma down now. Funny thing when I logged on yesterday it has all the headlines and such, one of them was "Senate wants to know where Iraq oil money is?"