March 2nd, 2009, 12:28 pm
QuoteOriginally posted by: twofishQuoteOriginally posted by: penguinaMy opinion is that this is not part of the normal economic cycle but part of a longer term cycle - I think this is one of those once a generation things and main surprises will be on the downside not the upside. I believe these are events of a magnitude outside of the experience of most people alive today and that people are going to be surprised about how quickly things will deteriorate further despite the already gloomy mood.One of the benefits with having relatives that have lived through truly bad stuff is that things like a decade-long depression just bothers you a lot less. People survived the Great Depression, and if there is another one, oh well, my luck is bad. In any case, one of the things that I do remember is the late-1970's when everyone said that the US economy was doomed, and this happened just before one of the greatest expansions in history.You can make guesses as to what is going to happen next, but overcertainty in outcomes will make you miss opportunities.yes, but this greatest expansion in history was one based on a the biggest explosion in credit in history which then lead directly to this current crisis.It is not bad luck, it is the product of a corrupt and amoral political and financial elite that had gone completely out of control. Personally I am very angry at having my future stolen from me and so will the rest of the population once they understand what has been happening.