Are you better off now or then question

I mostly agree with you, we are in charge of our lives and we are the ones that determine our success or failure. But my life really has become worse in the past 2 years due to our president's policies. The family business isn't going well because of government cutbacks (which will cost the gov't more since it's not maintaining its buildings properly) and gas prices are affecting my grocery bill, my visits to my dad and stepmom, my garbage pickup and everything else because, in part, our prez won't allow us to use our natural resources of oil and natural gas. Usually, our lives are in our hands and we are responsible for our success or failure. But when we have a leader that deals in extremes I think everyone is affected and usually for the worse.

In my own life, my finances have usually been great in economically hard times, and bad in economically good times. I missed out on the big boom time in the 90s. I guess I could blame Clinton if I wanted to, since my financial crisis began when he pulled the bottom out of the military draw down. But if I'm going to blame him for that, then I have to thank Obama for my current good financial situation. But as you point out (and btw, it's great actually agreeing with you once in a while), the person whose butt fills the big chair in the Oval Office doesn't get to decide how I'm doing, financially or otherwise.

Well, like you have already expressed here, the thoughts on if we are better off now than we were then, really depends on what you have allowed yourself and your life to transpire into, and if you have learned to take control over continuously wanting to blame everything on someone else. There is no President, or person on this Earth other than the help of God along with yourself that you can Blame for things being Good or Bad right now. If you are finding yourself unemployed, etc. it is up to you to change it. Might just take a career move or change you've never wanted to ever encounter before.

I think so in alot of ways too. We make what our life is. We have to take the good with the bad and make things work for the best for ourselves.

This is one of those rare moments where I totally agree with you. We make our own lot in life. The actions of the government and various politicians may affect us in a positive or negative way, but in the end, we need to take responsibility for ourselves. I've consistently improved myself in life and have almost always been able to say I was doing better than 5/10/ whatever years ago. Last year was a bit of a rebuilding year for me when I had to take a job I was overqualified for after leaving Miami due to the layoffs there. Sure, I could blame the Mayor Carlos Alvarez. He's a crooked scumbag who laid off over 1,000 employees while giving his cronies retroactive raises ranging from $50,000 to $200,000. Doing that however wouldn't make my life better. I moved to a place where I felt I could do better and I did. So I was unemployed for a few months and underemployed for a year after that. I just got a promotion which I start next week so all is good now. I'm certainly not blaming or crediting Bush, Obama, or any other politician with anything that I've accomplished. Sadly, personal responsibility is quickly becoming a thing of the past in this country.