I'm not an elite.  I teach as an adjunct faculty person, I'm semi-retired but can't afford not to work.  My awesome salary of about 10,000 a year doesn't pay many bills, but I get health coverage, which is why I'm working.  My husband commutes four hours a day to a working class job because where we live is economically distressed. Our small neighborhood upstate NY has about 85 homes in foreclosure.  There are over 200 "for sale by owner" signs; the owners are  older people who can't pay the taxes, but no one is buying. There are long lines at the bottle return machines in the local supermarkets, and my neighbors, including me, all clip coupons.  We shop more at the local dollar stores than in the fancy stores in the mall.

I'm blessed because I am in a union and get free eyeglasses and have dental coverage.  But my co-pays just went up.  I don't go to the doctor as often as I should.  

We sold our former house because our taxes were too high and had to move to an area further away from jobs that pay well.

My husband grew up in the projects.  He was lucky to get a basketball scholarship to help pay for school, and GI benefits - he served in Nam.  I've been on unemployment quite a few times in my life, and have gotten food stamps too.  With a college degree. Thankfully those days are behind me - but my future is not looking too bright and my small pension won't cover any unexpected expenses - like a new roof.  We worry about the age of our furnace.  I wear sweaters instead of turning up the heat.  I plan trips to the supermarket and shops to cut down on gas costs.  We have no public transportation here.

We're better off than many of our neighbors.  We both have jobs.  We don't owe car payments.  We rarely eat out - I make lots of stew and use cheaper cuts of meat.   I have a garden and raise veggies, and have hens for eggs.

I am dismayed by the costs - human and  economic - of the war.  Local schools have cut back on supplies, textbooks, and many kids aren't even learning to use computers. Our roads are crumbling, bridges are dangerous, our river is polluted, and propane (home heating) prices just went up again.

I'm happy I don't have a water bill - we have a well. We have a lot of "poaching" up here; folks hunt deer in and out of season to put meat on the table.

Am I "bitter" about our economy - you bet. Are my neighbors mad as hell - yup. My next door neighbor, an Italian-American 65 year old woman, long time Republican, switched parties for the primary.  I was stunned when she told me she voted for Barack Obama.  She said she wasn't real comfortable about him at first, because she saw him as an unknown.  She wasn't worried about him being "black", she was more interested in what she read in the paper about him changing politics as usual.  She doesn't have a computer, can't afford cable so doesn't watch CNN or MSNBC but does read the local paper.  She was inclined to vote for Hillary she said, but was discouraged that promises Senator Clinton made about revitalizing upstate New York's economy never happened.

I have family members in PA.  Some are middle class, others are working class.  Many who are my age or older are living on fixed incomes.  Two are worried about losing their homes.   My aunt and uncle just moved in with their son because they couldn't afford the modest rent on their retirement apartment.  We just took up a family collection to pay for the funeral of another relative who was on disability.  Hospital costs had eaten up all his savings.  He was a retired Philadelphia city worker.

So, I'd like to poll this community to get a sense of where you stand on the economy.  To find out if this is a group of elites, or if there are any folks here who can truly identify with hard times and tight pocketbooks, and if any of you are bitter too.   I'll be back later to see the results - I'm on my way to return bottles, after my trip to the dump (I can't afford garbage pickups anymore).