Funny question for a post, but I wanted to see how many out there are keeping up with the economy.  Yes, I know that most of you watch the news and get some take on things.  However, I wanted to see what you all think of what is going on. 

GM goes to bankruptcy court, Chrysler closes down dealerships…and the news goes on each day.  Besides all of the bad stuff there have been recent signs of positive change in the stock market.  Looks like many companies  are having an uptick in their stock prices for a sustained period of time.  So the question becomes, are we getting in better shape or worse shape as an overall economy?  Depending on how you keep up with the news, your own answer may vary.  Or more important, depending on your own pocketbook, your answer may vary.

Here is how I see it playing out over the summer.  Oh, and I am no economic expert so do not put your faith behind my projections.  This is just my observation of the economy and how I currently see things.  

Since the whole stimulus thing has gone down, we have seen the American Dollar devalue.  When you throw a lot of the taxpayers money around to fix things there are repercussions down the line.  Not saying that was a wrong or right thing to do, but I am starting to see some results – both good and bad for your pocketbook and mine.  What I see with the devalued dollar and it’s buying power is the prices of commodities going up.  Why is that worth noting?  Well, what have you seen gasoline doing at the pumps for several weeks.  Usually when that happens there is a ripple effect in prices going up on so many other things.  (food, clothing, basic needs type of things)  

So our dollar is becoming weaker, “why”, you fill-in the blanks.  I am trying not to turn this into a political thing.  My primary reason for bringing this up is to communicate that you need to be prepared to make some changes to your budget if you keep one.  You will need to make an increase to your gasoline, food, electricity, natural gas, and other consumables over the next several months.   

So, are you keeping up??? Let’s pray or hope that no other unforeseen things have a negative effect on our economy.  How do you see things playing out in the near future?  Are you prepared?  Are you concerned?  Am I just having a problem with my knees today?  

 - Phillip