We had another thread drift off on the issue of the economy here in the US.
I am curious as to how the economy is doing outside the US.
All I can say about the economy here is that since the year 2000 my grocery bill has doubled,my electric bill has almost tripled and my gasoline bill has tripled.
But it has all been worth it as TV’s are dirt cheap now!
So how is it in your part of the world?
Ralph
Well, here in the Great White North things are getting more expensive, too. HOWEVER any time I order out of the USA I’m pleasantly surprised how the appreciation of our currency vis a vis yours has brought down the cost of the hobby. That suits me just fine!
The rest you can’t fret about, those are life’s necessities; what hurts is the hobby being too expensive. 
I think everything costs too much these days as well. For the most part I think our cost of living has doubled in the last 10 years. The local economy is terrible here too. I’d bet every other store front is empty now. The county next to us issued one residential building permit last year. Only one!
Jon.
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Well, here in the Great White North things are getting more expensive, too. HOWEVER any time I order out of the USA I'm pleasantly surprised how the appreciation of our currency vis a vis yours has brought down the cost of the hobby. That suits me just fine!The rest you can’t fret about, those are life’s necessities; what hurts is the hobby being too expensive.
Thats true. The Canadian dollar is now higher than the US dollar. But I don’t think your net cost has gone down. Prices in the US have probably increased enough in the past year to offset the strength of your currency.
Ralph
A little mouse whispered in my ear today. A mouse so high up in a bank that there ain’t no one higher. That mouse said “Wait until August. The crap is REALLY gonna hit the Fan”! Might you say China and their economy. Like I said. just a whisper. But I will not be taking any loans out right now. Specially variable rate ones.
Western Australia is atypical. We’re a giant quarry, considerably bigger than the US east of the Mississippi, with a population roughly the same as Houston. The royalties from the iron ore we sell to Japan, China and Korea, not to mention bauxite, gold, diamonds (the list goes on) fund a comfortable lifestyle. A lot of that wealth has been spent on trains - real ones. Three of the iron ore giants run their own lines, with a fair few Dash-9s in use.
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj307/healydj/Dash-9sonTomPrice-Dampiertestrun.jpg)
In the metro area, the Northern Suburbs line (green) and the Mandurah line (orange) are both recent, the former less than 20 years old and the latter completed last Christmas. Next on the agenda is a link out to the airport.
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj307/healydj/PerthTrainMappartial.jpg)
The service is pretty good. I took the train regularly in 98-99 and again in mid-03, and enjoyed the opportunity to relax and read a book. As with all public transport, it’s eyes open, looking, but it beats NYC! Jobs are plentiful, and we’ve experienced an influx of people from other parts of Australia and overseas. Perth has more English folks than any other Australian city. The US dollar is still worth more than the Aussie, but not by as much as it was. When I worked in NYC from late '99 to May 03, there were times when one US dollar bought more than 2 Aussie dollars. Nowadays, it takes over 90 cents US to buy an Aussie dollar. I’m a dual US-Australian national, and my Mom lives in Connecticut. She depends on investments for her income, so I’ve viewed the fall in US share prices and the interest rates banks are paying on deposits with some concern. That said, I’m optimistic. When working in the US a few years back, I was invariably the oldest bloke in the office, and ended up as mentor (for better or for worse) to many of my younger colleagues. While it’s for sure and certain they weren’t all created equal, what impressed me most about these young people was their willingness to question, discuss and argue a point of view. That collaborative approach is a peculiar hallmark of American society, and I think it bodes well for the future of the US economy. In an increasingly technology-oriented world, no one can have all the answers, and it was a very good thing to see that the American penchant for teamwork is alive and well.
Ralph Berg said:Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Well, here in the Great White North things are getting more expensive, too. HOWEVER any time I order out of the USA I'm pleasantly surprised how the appreciation of our currency vis a vis yours has brought down the cost of the hobby. That suits me just fine!The rest you can’t fret about, those are life’s necessities; what hurts is the hobby being too expensive.
Thats true. The Canadian dollar is now higher than the US dollar. But I don’t think your net cost has gone down. Prices in the US have probably increased enough in the past year to offset the strength of your currency.
Ralph
Ralph,
Luckily that is not the case i.e. the price index on food declined due to cheaper imports from the US. For train items I do a careful comparison amongst all the sources and 9.5 times out of 10 the US source is less expensive when it’s all said and done.
BTW when the US$ declined to record levels, there was a hue and cry in the GWN about the rip-off on book prices. Amazon.com must have increased their business by quite a bit. That’s just one example.
Of course it took a very long time for our dollar to get back to the 1972 position, for a while it was the “Northern Peso”.
Hmm…cost of living has doubled since 2000? Food prices have doubled since 2000? House prices have doubled since 2000? Gas and oil prices have doubled since 2000? and the Dollar is now worth less than the Loony? Hmmm…now what else began in 2000?
(http://www.geocities.com/bushbashers_anon/bush_headupass.gif)
Hey Vic, he would be perfect for Cirque du Soleil!
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:Ralph Berg said:Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Well, here in the Great White North things are getting more expensive, too. HOWEVER any time I order out of the USA I'm pleasantly surprised how the appreciation of our currency vis a vis yours has brought down the cost of the hobby. That suits me just fine!The rest you can’t fret about, those are life’s necessities; what hurts is the hobby being too expensive.
Thats true. The Canadian dollar is now higher than the US dollar. But I don’t think your net cost has gone down. Prices in the US have probably increased enough in the past year to offset the strength of your currency.
Ralph
Ralph,Luckily that is not the case i.e. the price index on food declined due to cheaper imports from the US. For train items I do a careful comparison amongst all the sources and 9.5 times out of 10 the US source is less expensive when it’s all said and done.
BTW when the US$ declined to record levels, there was a hue and cry in the GWN about the rip-off on book prices. Amazon.com must have increased their business by quite a bit.
Of course it took a very long time for our dollar to get back to the 1972 position, for a while it was the “Northern Peso”.
Your food cost is going down while mine is going up.What were your food costs 10 years ago compared to the US?
Are things just equalizing now?
Ralph
Victor Smith said:
Hmm…cost of living has doubled since 2000? Food prices have doubled since 2000? House prices have doubled since 2000? Gas and oil prices have doubled since 2000? and the Dollar is now worth less than the Loony? Hmmm…now what else began in 2000?(http://www.geocities.com/bushbashers_anon/bush_headupass.gif)
Hey Vic, This must be an old clip. I don’t think he can pull the head out any more. Ralph
Ralph Berg said:Ralph,
Your food cost is going down while mine is going up.What were your food costs 10 years ago compared to the US? Are things just equalizing now? Ralph
I don’t really know, the few times I was in the US and bought groceries, they certainly were cheaper, but it all depended what one bought.
But what I remember quite well is just how floored my relatives were when they came from Switzerland for a holiday, the food was sooooo much cheaper here, they almost flipped!
Seems to be all about perspective. Almost like buying LS trains.
Victor Smith said:Hey Vic, I thought this was all going to be resolved by the election of the Democrats to the majority in 2006.
Hmm...cost of living has doubled since 2000? Food prices have doubled since 2000? House prices have doubled since 2000? Gas and oil prices have doubled since 2000? and the Dollar is now worth less than the Loony? Hmmm...now what else began in 2000?
How is that working out for you?
Ric Golding said:Democans. Republicrats. They all like to bribe you with your own money (with a healthy cut for themselves). Same here, there, everywhere.
Hey Vic, I thought this was all going to be resolved by the election of the Democrats to the majority in 2006. How is that working out for you?
Yeah, but…but…but they promised! They really did promise to solve all of my problems.
You don’t think they lied to me, do you? :lol:
I seem to recall that things went into the tank just a little over a year ago.
Hmmmmmmm.
Steve Featherkile said:
I seem to recall that things went into the tank just a little over a year ago.Hmmmmmmm.
I’m with steve. Things did not start to tank untill a little over a year ago.
Besides whats so bad about the value of my house going up? I would be more pissed if the thing was worth half what I paid for it not twice as much.
Yeah things were just peachy werent they, guess things were going so jolly swell thats how the repubs managed to PO enough people that they lost both houses in '06. Yeah had nothing to do with the rickety economy thats been good on paper but on the edge of tanking for about 3 years now, the only reasons it didnt was that they kept cutting interest rates but how low and how long can you go before you see the resultant inflation we are seeing today, or the billions blown overseas and a national dept that would make even Ronald Reagan spin in his grave. Musta been them Florida vote counting machines…
PS sell your house, come to California and then try finding something that isnt a shack for less than $600K, housing here has gone up 3X in ten years, to the point where starter homes no longer exist, wonder why millions are defaulting? becuase when the ONLY housing you can get starts at $500K, but your income hasnt gone up 3x to match it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that the only way to get a loan thats risky at best, so I’m not surprised the **** has hit the fan, get ready for it, between the mortgage crisis, gas prices, and cost of living going thru the roof, will tank the entire economy.
I’m a G** D**** Professional, and I cant afford to move, even if I wanted to or needed to, I CAN NOT afford a $600,000 loan. If I can’t, what about the people who make even less than me?
Geoff George said:Steve Featherkile said:
I seem to recall that things went into the tank just a little over a year ago.Hmmmmmmm.
I’m with steve. Things did not start to tank untill a little over a year ago.Besides whats so bad about the value of my house going up? I would be more pissed if the thing was worth half what I paid for it not twice as much.
Your house may be worth twice as much but the dollar is worth half what it used to be.
Ralph