Social security witholding is also going up, energy costs are going up, us current working people are being penalized for those promises made in the past, much like the future generations will bear the burden of paying back TARP money, etc... Raising taxes in a recession has the opposite effect, witholding taxes should have been dropped to push more money into the economy, instead of giving away free money.....to those that do not work..

loner - Rome is burning...and the woodpile was built by greed and war. Instead of spending time pointing fingers, you ought to be finding ways to learn to live on less. We probably need this...

auburnite - We Americans are gluttons. Too many seem to think we need designer furniture, new cars, latest fashions, the "right" everything down to the water we drink. We think we deserve it and we like jumping on the class division trains. We just can't get enough. This suffering economy was inevitable and easy to see coming 4-5 years ago. Obama is a hero, just for even running for President at this time...

Observer... I have learned to live on less..... I just don't want to keep learning! The cost of government is out of control... the cost of social programs is out of control... the cost of illegals is out of control... The unemployed numbers we are feed are not the real numbers... Where are the jobs? REAL jobs with a future? I am frustrated seeing friends neighbors etc.. suffer... and I mean suffer.. which is different than learning to live on less!

lonewolf - Your friends are of lower income and status which I am one :-) Us "lower" class are always the first ones to suffer the most in hard times :-) You point at social programs, cost of government and illegals. That is exactly what corporations and special interest groups want you to focus on. Now that you have your scapegoat...why don't you do some searching today and find out where the bulk of our money is being spent. Want a hint? type in Federal spending and see where our money is going...

...it might help to embrace your "learning to spend less"..."oh death, where art thou sting?"

lonewolf

Your state tax is just a bit of premature yanking of your dollars, its supposed to balance out to neutral they just want it sooner. Its an example of the state legislatures kick the can down the road and pray for a new boom economy policy. The are hoping for something like the dot.com boom to bail out their fiscally irresponsible spending. The only way to keep gas prices down is to slow consumption. They will charge as much as we will spend. The oil companies give plenty of excuses but it is simple supply and demand. +

auburnite

I don't know what you are buying for energy but natural gas prices have lowered enough for PG&E to rebate some of the electrical on our bills this month or next. Most of California's power comes from gas burning plants. I don't know about gas bills but but I imagine those will be down for the same reason. My dad uses fuel oil in Michigan and it is projected to be lower than they have seen it in many years. From what I am reading energy is down this year because of reduced consumption and the use of more diverse sources. In Michigan many went back to wood, pellet and corn stoves to avoid the high cost of fuel oil.

Observer

You may be right at the federal level but at the state level I think that the numbers show lonewolf to be correct.

lonewolf..how about a little humor...this man was a funny visionary...who saw the world as it really is.....he will be missed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

The IRS has recently increased the withholding rates for pension checks.

You guys seem to be alluding to an inflating dollar (increased price of goods, energy costs), but to my knowledge the dollar has deflated over the past year.

JP, Econ 101 a deflated dollar leads to price inflation. The dollar is not worth as much today as it was yesterday. Look at the price of gold. It takes more dollars (a lot more) to buy an oz. of gold today than a year ago. Gold has gone up in relation to the lower value of the dollar.

The increase of our state taxes makes everyone of that is receiving a paycheck complicit with the state government by forcing us to loan the state more $$. Our state government cannot figure out a way to live within there means, yet every household in California can/must figure it out or incur the wrath of our debtors and government.

Robert Capp

"I don't know what you are buying for energy but natural gas prices have lowered enough for PG&E to rebate some of the electrical on our bills this month or next."

Electric rates are going up, natural gas and propane have dropped though, but this is only temporary...

auburnite

I just got a letter from PG&E saying they were giving the rebate on Monday. They said it was because of lower natural gas prices. Maybe they just like me but I sort of doubt it.

Jon,

Yeah you are right, a blunder on my part. What I meant to convey is that according to the consumer price index the price of consumer goods relative to the value of the dollar has decreased over the past year. In other words, according to the CPI we can buy more consumer goods with one dollar than we could last year.

My business requires me to review several commercial leases every year to see if we can increase the rent based on an increase in the CPI. The CPI has not gone up in the last 2 years or so. It may FEEL prices are up, and the prices of some items may have increased, but overall, the CPI has been flat as a pancake.

As far as your paycheck is concerned, just be glad you get one.

CA04_Voter Yes gas prices have fallen, but congestion charges, wheeling charges, and distribution charges for electricity distribution are rising and the rates will continue to increase, with brief lulls in the process. We have no shortage of energy in the US, its distribution we are short of. I am in the business...

auburnite

Thanks for the birdseye view. I just had the view form my mailbox.

lonewolf

You might like this legislation

http://www.theunion.com/article/20091106/BREAKINGNEWS/911069984/1001/NONE&parentprofile=1053

CA04voter, You're correct, natural gas price are down, Fuel oil is down in Michigan. Unfortunately we live n California, our gasoline is at least 30 cents per gallon higher than any other State except Alaska and Hawaii. We also live in a State that controls or tries to control people's lives, I'm glad that in Michigan they still allow the unrestricted use of wood stoves, here in California we have no burn days.

Observer, I bought me a little scooter, it gets 85+ miles per gallon and it's a kick to drive. I haven't started my truck since I got it and if we go anyplace then we take my wife's little economical car. Can I afford to use my truck, yes. Why don't I? Because I hate to throw money away or worse yet, give it to some large corporation that doesn't care about me. Would I impose my thought or views on any one else? No, every one does as they see fit, can afford, etc. I don't know why but there is a segment of the population which includes our President that is bound and determined to bring our standard of living down to those in third world countries. When I visit Hearst Castle I not only marvel at the buildings and the art and artifacts in them but also wonder how Hearst felt building such grandeur in the midst of the Great Depression, I also think of how grateful those that were employed by him felt when they got their pay.

To each his or her own, whether I'm rich or poor doesn't mean the rest of the country has to match my lifestyle.