Stagnation for some while all else is thriving

In the month ended October 31st 2008 the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 14% or 1526 points closing at 9,325.01.   Most of us remember those days as the "dark days" - no light at the end of the tunnel, the misery was pretty widespread.  It appeared the down turn would continue unabated and the fear was commonly felt worldwide.

In the years that have followed some have been blessed to participate in the rise of the stock market. In the third quarter of 2014 the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded at a rate of 3.5%,with the growth being credited to a decrease in imports and an increase in military spending.  (2008 - USA GDP was -0.3%) Year-to-date in 2014 the Dow is up 813.86 points or 4.9%.  Closing the month of October at 17,390.52.  Truthfully very few would have ever imagined that significant a recovery.  It is all very positive but sadly only a very small portion of the population has participated in the recovery.

For the man on the street who does not invest in the stock market, who is still trying to get back to her/his earning capacity prior to 2008-2007 it is all very hard to understand.  The government appears to have had many programs to stimulate the economy but none of those programs appear to have trickled down to main street.  Employers continue to sing the song of hard times.  If we are to believe them it makes the recovery of the stock market a little confusing as one tries to understand exactly whose recovery is being mimicked by the stock market.    

On October 7th 2014 Walmart announced it was cutting health benefits for 30,000 workers.  It sited increased costs and the availability of alternatives for its employees through #ObamaCare.  Now beginning November 1st Walmart is offering "rollbacks" to beat the competitors in attracting shoppers into their stores. This comes with an offer of free delivery for their season's top 100 hottest gifts.  Which all begs the question - were the benefits cut to accommodate the rollbacks?  So what kind of holiday are their employees whose hours were cut supposed to have?

At  some point something has to give for it is unsustainable for large sections of the population not to participate in the economy. This coming week is the elections and we are being bombarded by TV and Radio commercials filled with sound bites that are meant to sway voters.   At their core none really give the voter true insight as most of the things being said do not really apply to #MainStreet.  Those that do will be debated to death but no real resolution will come to be.  Most in the middle class mistakenly feel that the debate on #minimumwage does not really concern them.  Nothing could be further from the truth, for unlike the ineffective recovery of the stock market, a rise for the minimum wage will have positive effect of salaries of the middle class.