Tell Me What Worries You Most???

Democrats conrolling the House, Senate, and Executive Office

Not exactly a worry, but I get a little exasperated with people who postulate that we're "at the bottom" of the housing crisis bubble. Historically, housing has run 3X income, i.e. with a $30,000 income you could get a $90,000 mortgage. Look at median incomes and median home prices in some regions of the country. Even with the declines in home prices they're still way overpriced in comparison to median income. Until these numbers close, housing will not recover, and with the oversupply we have built into the system, it may be 2-3 years minimum before the whole thing shakes out.

Liz - with all the trouble in the market, what worries me most is what I heard over the weekend about the bill in congress for the government to take over 401K's and move all the investments into TIPS. The discussions I heard were only about the structure of the plan, and no one seemed to consider the short and long term consequences to the stock market of liquidating every mutual fund in every 401k in the U.S. Besides the effect of selling trillions of dollars in stocks, it would permanently remove every 401k holder from equities, so millions of Americans would no longer have a stake in the stock market and the private economy, and all of the 401k contributions in the entire country would flow instead into the U.S. Treasury. This, I believe, would be one of the most disastrous things that could happen to our economy and our investments, and a retiree like myself would, in all likelyhood, be wiped out completely in the market crash that would follow the general forced liquidation of 401k's. Fox Business Channel would be doing the whole world a service if they would investigate and publicize this craze scheme, and it't potentially disastrous effects. Please get this out before the election! Gene G., Green Valley AZ.

If Obama is elected I have absolutely no motivation to keep my busy running. I am moving to Canada. America needs to wake up. It is only going to get worse.

i worry about obama spending when we are in economic crisis and he is spendingover 605 million on his election. he said he for the middle class but he spending like a very rich man and wants to tax people who make 250 thousand dollars

Who is selling to create the opportunity for the free-fall? Why are they selling?

Lizie, What's scary Is the fact that we accepted so readily the path of socializing our financial system as the only means of solving this crisis, it is a Republican administration that created this march to socialization couple that with a potential Demacrat Congress and White House, this path will not be easily reversed. Barry S. Ararat, NC

This is in response to Steven's post: Real estate prices are like politics - it's all local. Here is State College, PA, housing prices really haven't been affected at all, so it all depends on where you plan to buy. Housing prices have been way over-inflated for the past several years, and this is just a natural correction in the market. Prices will continue to come down another 15-20% before they hit the natural bottom. Personally, I'd park your cash in a money market fund and sit tight. As for jumping out of the stock market while the market is down, just remember this: The only way people have gotten hurt is by jumping off the roller coaster early.

In May 2009, I'll be graduating from PSU with my MBA with student loan debt that looks like a mortgage. What concerns me the most is the effect the looming tax hikes will have on the economy and how that will affect my ability to get a good job. Obama knows for a fact that his tax hikes on those making 153K and above will have a drag on the economy, but he is willing is sacrifice growth for the "greater good" of spreading the wealth around. If he becomes elected and there are no checks and balances in the government, our country will be on a freight train straight to hell.

AS you are aware, confidence is a major factor in how the markets behave. I say they are as afraid as I am that Barrack Obama will be elected. If he is, the markets will never stabilize. A vote of no confidence in an absolute unproven, unknown with many seriously questionable aspects about himself as a person and his numerous extremely questionable associates leaves us in the twilight zone as far as confidence and a proven track record, and I think, strongly feel, and I'm usually right about things, is that the markets are a direct reflection of a vote of no confidence in the polls that show an Obama lead. DB Albuq. NM

HERES WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST.....Something to think about before November 4th....Worthy of your time and attention regardless of your "PARTY AFFILIATION... 545 PEOPLE By Charlie Reese Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? . Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? . You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does. . You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. . You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. . You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does. . One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices, 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. . I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, 20 central bank. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. *** No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes. . Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. . What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. . The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. . It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. . If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ. . If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. . There are no insoluble government problems. . Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. . Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. . Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess....TRUNK MONKEY

Hi Liz, I am deeply concerned that this country seems to have sold out to Hollywood. The Hollywood elite do not represent any of us. They have millions of dollars. THey make money when we watch their movies and TV shows. I am 42 years old. I was raised in Reno, NV to believe that the true heros are those that fought Rommel in the desert, those who landed on the beach in Normandy and those who fought an invisible enemy in Vietnam. Not some athlete or TV show actor. Today, parents don't seem to bother to talk about the sacrifices of those buried in Arlington and elsewhere around this once great nation. In that nutshell lies the slippery slope we find ourselves on. For the first time in my adult life, I am ashamed that the American people are so focused on an immediate and short-term economic issue that they are willing to abandon everything our forefathers/mothers have fought for since the inception of this country. We were not formed as a socialist nation. Yet when Obama says he will "redistribute" wealth, and people cheer, it is a source of great embarassment for me. We denounce the likes of Hilter, Stalin, and Putin and yet we seem to want to strive to be more like them. This election is not about black and white in the 21st century...it is about capitalism and freedom vs. opression and goverment tyranny. Obama may mean well. He is a very good speaker. But the leaders of the senate and house of representatives did not look after the American people and look where we are. Neither did the lending institutions who were neck deep in the problem. But what disturbs me more is that the media spews opinions at the expense of the truth. Corruption abounds and from what I can see, most of it is coming from the media. They strive to drive a wedge between us as Americans. Please do not let that happen. Mr. Obama has not been properly vetted. He has not participated in his role as a senator enough to know who he really is and with a lopsided house and senate, this is not the time to roll the dice on a guy who is admittedly a socialist. McCain is not my first choice as leader either, but in the interest of maintaining the balance and the gatekeeper that our constitution tries so hard to do, we NEED McCain in the white house. For those of you on the fence, please consider this: This week Barney Frank has said that they (the Democratic majority) must raise taxes to pay for the bailout. Rasising taxes will reduce jobs. Reducing jobs will lead to more government handouts. More government handouts will lead those with the money and ability to create new jobs to go elsewhere. If jobs go elsewhere and too many people are dependent on the government, there will never be enough tax dollars to support us and we will cease to exist as a nation. I argue that there are those in power in Congress today who would like nothing more than for that to happen. Stop looking at the trees and save the forest!

Obama winning along with a democratic congress that will tax and spend the U.S. into an extended period of economic downturn.

Many seem to think this market will bounce back. It's possible, but I doubt it will be what they hope for. The last 15 to 25 years have seen everything soar, but it wasn't real. This has not been a sustainable economy because indiviuals, and government have lived beyond their means. The level of consumption during this time was built on borrowing. It has come down because there is nothing left to borrow. Government keeps throwing money at everything they can think of and who is going to loan this money to them? It will take a lot of money for Obama to meet his agenda. Where do you think it will come from? Banks are nationalized, and your retirement account is next. He wants to give it to those who don't have any money.

What worries me is how Democratic tax policies will aggravate the severe recession that's already coming.

The biggest worry is voters who will encourage this bailout and will vote for Obama simply because he speaks well. Campaign promises that can't be kept, share the wealth socialism, government control of everything, and not enough mature voters to stand against it. His smooth talking, rapid rise, is very similar to the way Hitler came to power. Obama is a leader, that much is certain, but Hitler was also a leader.

Liz, No one is talking about inventories. Where are they? With all the layoffs they have to be low. wont that turn things?

What worries me most is that the government will try and "help" us.

What frightens me is the socialist government we are now facing. They want to unionize small business (the growth engine of the economy), destroy healthcare, increase taxes (a real drain on the economy), and worst of all, add to the massive government bureaucracy that has been built over the last 16 years. I am astounded that people would vote to give total control of our economy to the very people who forced banks to make loans to people who could not pay them back. It's a sad day for America.

I'm worried and concerned that the perpetrators of this national disgrace have not been held accountable for their actions. Where is the Justice Department? Where is a special prosecutor? Why haven't we seen multiple Perp Walks. I believe the public deserves satisfaction that the big shots are suffering as much or more than John Q Public. Where is the notion of "You do the crime, you do the crime."? Well, if this is the state we are all in, who is going to enforce the law?

What worriesme most is that Democrats are planning in committee meetings to tak eover our IRAs and 401Ks in the pretense of "saving them".

What worries me most is that the Democrats are planning in committee meetings to take over our IRAs and 401Ks on the pretense of "saving them".

Obama worries me the most because he has so many things wrong and I do not trust him. I am not sure if it is due to a true radical nature or to ignorance (i.e., he does not know WHAT he does not know). It simply boggles my mind that this country may elect a Freshman legislator to the Presidency. He is simply not qualified and does not appear to have our best interests at heart. I am worried that we are headed toward socialism and that the lack of incentive to work will continue to spiral downward. A large majority of my "wealth" is slipping away in the market. Obama wants to take the rest of it to distribute it others who may not have taken advantage of the opportunities that are available to otherwise better themselves. I agree that I should pay a fair share of taxes to support programs established by our representatives in Washington, but my money should not be transferred directly to another "taxpayer" without stipulation. I want my tax dollars buying food and education, not wide-screen TVs. And of course, I am personally worried about out losses in the stock market. Our daughter may not be able to attend the school of her dreams because even her relatively conservative 529 account lost 30% in the past month. Some say, "well at least you had it to lose", but it's not like that was a gift! We have worked hard and struggled for everything we have. I've been driving the same rusty truck for 17 years so that I could put hundreds of dollars into each kid's account every month. And I don't even want to think about the losses in our 401Ks. But I will keep contributing and buying things "on sale". Otherwise I would certainly miss a big, yet slow, rebound.

I am not worried. I have resigned myself to the fact that my life time of savings has been robbed by the greedy idiots on Wallstreet under the eyes of the US Congressmen and Women who have let this happen. I have resigned myself that we are going into a depression worse than any thing ever experienced and these rich greedy b**** who stole my money will lose everything too. It is a disgrace that someone can rob a conveninece store of a few hundred dollars and go to prison for years while these thieves stole Trillions and they got off without even a hand slap. i always trusted the stock market. But,that was when I thought we had a real, honest, transparent market. Now, I know it was the thieves guarding the prison all along.

What worries me most is where will I pull the next sum of money from to live on? Will I be forced to sell a CD paying 5-6 % or will I have to sell stocks at a tremendous loss? Seeing as how these funds are in my IRA, adding insult to injury, by having to pay taxes on this loss? On top of all this looking at a new President Obama, and how he is going to re-distribute income, and how will this affect me?