If the escalating strength of marijuana products is a valid concern, and I could be led to believe that it is, then regulate it like the most used recreational psychoactive substance in the world...
They note that any long-running study of marijuana that the federal authorities have reviewed may not account for the escalating strength and increasingly frequent use of marijuana, which has been tied to psychiatric problems and chronic vomiting among users in recent years.
If the escalating strength of marijuana products is a valid concern, and I could be led to believe that it is, then regulate it like the most used recreational psychoactive substance in the world - alcohol. Using increasing strength as an argument against rescheduling or outright legalization is a red herring. If those concerns are truly where the line is drawn then strength of products should be regulated like they are in alcohol
Ancedotally, most cases I've heard of the chronic vomitting are tied to people using heavy concentrates constantly. It's almostly like a spontaneous allergic reaction. I had psychiatric problems...
Ancedotally, most cases I've heard of the chronic vomitting are tied to people using heavy concentrates constantly. It's almostly like a spontaneous allergic reaction.
I had psychiatric problems with MJ, although in retrospect it was more like it just lifted the wall I had erected between internal and external projection of my thoughts...I was already mentally ill, it was just nobody else knew.
I no longer have psychiatric problems with MJ, since I learned to consume like a grownup instead of a binge drinker. 1-2 puffs of the modern strong flower gets me in a nice place without triggering anything.
Not being constantly terrified of the police busting down my door also does wonders for my paranoia.
I have to actively seek out the weakest cannabis at dispensaries. I use once or twice a week but not nearly enough to build up a tolerance. I don’t really care if people want to buy 35% flower but...
I have to actively seek out the weakest cannabis at dispensaries. I use once or twice a week but not nearly enough to build up a tolerance. I don’t really care if people want to buy 35% flower but don’t make me search high and low for 15% and below. At that level I can vape 0.1-0.2g and still get a solid high without dipping into anxiety or rough hangover territory.
It's just crazy how high-THC the commercial strains have gotten. They're 5 - 10x as potent as what I grew up with, and I feel poisoned if I try to smoke any quantity. I don't know if you've got...
It's just crazy how high-THC the commercial strains have gotten. They're 5 - 10x as potent as what I grew up with, and I feel poisoned if I try to smoke any quantity. I don't know if you've got edibles available where you are, but it's much easier to control dosage with them. Edibles with full-spectrum cannabinoid extracts that reflect the properties of different strains are harder to find, though.
If you can't find hemp flower, there are legal non-nicotine herbal mixtures you can use to cut the amount of cannabis.
I agree about edibles, but the drug isn’t the same after it passes through the digestive system (literally, it’s not THC) so it feels different and lasts way too long. I vape flower instead....
I agree about edibles, but the drug isn’t the same after it passes through the digestive system (literally, it’s not THC) so it feels different and lasts way too long. I vape flower instead. Definitely not healthy but the quantities I’m working with are pretty low.
Have you considered cutting it with hemp flower, which is much cheaper and easier to buy? 25% flower cut 50/50 with .03% hemp would basically be 12.5%.
Have you considered cutting it with hemp flower, which is much cheaper and easier to buy? 25% flower cut 50/50 with .03% hemp would basically be 12.5%.
If it doesn't smell bad (to someone that thinks weed smells good) then that could work. Edit: It’s pretty crazy the state of things. This would be like only finding distilled spirits when you go...
If it doesn't smell bad (to someone that thinks weed smells good) then that could work.
Edit: It’s pretty crazy the state of things. This would be like only finding distilled spirits when you go looking for beer, so I have to instead buy vodka, water it down, and then drink that.
You're honestly better off looking for high-CBD strains. 15% is not an unusual THC concentration for those. It's easier to find, and you don't have to fiddle around with blending anything.
You're honestly better off looking for high-CBD strains. 15% is not an unusual THC concentration for those. It's easier to find, and you don't have to fiddle around with blending anything.
Exactly the same as what? Even different strains of thc weed can vary pretty substantially in smell and taste. I've had some hemp that tasted much worse than any regular weed I've had. Didn't mind...
Exactly the same as what? Even different strains of thc weed can vary pretty substantially in smell and taste. I've had some hemp that tasted much worse than any regular weed I've had. Didn't mind too much since I don't smoke for the flavor but worth keeping in mind.
This feels a bit pedantic to me -- of course it's strain dependent, but to my point given a bunch of bags and told to sniff them all you'd be unable to tell me which were high THC "marijuana"...
This feels a bit pedantic to me -- of course it's strain dependent, but to my point given a bunch of bags and told to sniff them all you'd be unable to tell me which were high THC "marijuana" strains vs low THC "hemp" strains, given that they're the exact same plant.
I don't know if all hemp is that way, but the stuff I've had has all been noticeably worse, and I think I would pass that test. If I had to explain why, I'd guess it's because THC weed has been...
I don't know if all hemp is that way, but the stuff I've had has all been noticeably worse, and I think I would pass that test. If I had to explain why, I'd guess it's because THC weed has been selectively bred for years to produce stuff that will be appealing to sell, especially now that it's legal so many places and people have options. On the other hand, since hemp has been grown for other purposes, there hasn't been much reason to breed for flavor and scent.
One of the great things about living in a legal (both medical and recreational) marijuana state is that there's also a regulatory framework which requires testing and labeling of cannabinoid...
One of the great things about living in a legal (both medical and recreational) marijuana state is that there's also a regulatory framework which requires testing and labeling of cannabinoid contents for all THC-containing products, as well as plant matter.
I can dose very precisely for CBD:THC content and ratio to provide pain relief and better quality sleep, with minimal cognitive impairment. Lack of control (and lack of patient's control) for dosage in many studies was one of the issues with cannabis vs. placebo meta-analyses that found risk outweighed benefits in chronic pain treatment.
One disappointing thing is the strain’s reported cannabinoid content and ratio varies wildly in each actual batch. Thankfully California seems to have pretty strict requirements for reporting the...
One disappointing thing is the strain’s reported cannabinoid content and ratio varies wildly in each actual batch. Thankfully California seems to have pretty strict requirements for reporting the drugs in each joint. But the marketing numbers are far off from what’s labeled on the product (“1:1 10% CBD, 10% THC” on a website can really mean “5% CBD, 15% THC” once the product is in your hands). I’ve had to complain and get a refund for this twice after deliveries, which makes going in store by far the better option.
The most used recreational psychoactive substance is really caffeine but its strength is also regulated. I just want to know why there is so much federal pushback.
The most used recreational psychoactive substance is really caffeine but its strength is also regulated. I just want to know why there is so much federal pushback.
I wasn't aware caffine strength being regulated. About 1600mg in a day can cause serious heart problems in even healthy humans. You can just buy 200mg caffine pills, making it trivial to overdose.
I wasn't aware caffine strength being regulated. About 1600mg in a day can cause serious heart problems in even healthy humans.
You can just buy 200mg caffine pills, making it trivial to overdose.
You do not want to overdose on caffeine. You can take an enormous amount to the point of hallucinations, but eight hours of continuous vomiting is a memorably bad trip.
You do not want to overdose on caffeine. You can take an enormous amount to the point of hallucinations, but eight hours of continuous vomiting is a memorably bad trip.
I deliberately didn’t write caffeine because I don’t see it as recreational. People drink coffee and tea as either regular nourishment alongside food or in a utilitarian manner to promote...
I deliberately didn’t write caffeine because I don’t see it as recreational. People drink coffee and tea as either regular nourishment alongside food or in a utilitarian manner to promote wakefulness or performance and while drinking it does give pleasure like with eating there is none of the euphoria or recreational aspects of enjoying a high or trip. Indeed, caffeine is psychoactive but I would wager only a minority would use it in a consistent manner that we could call recreational in the same way we do with drugs and alcohol. And while added caffeine as an ingredient is regulated, the naturally occurring caffeine content in beans and teas is not which would make its comparison to the suggested regulation of naturally occurring THC in flower products more apples and oranges. I’ll give you that you do have a point comparing things like caffeine pills to THC vape pods but that’s not really the comparison we’re making here
I don't know; I don't see much of a difference between going to get coffee with someone vs getting a beer. This next thing doesn't exactly prove it to be a real recreational drug (my initial point...
I would wager only a minority would use it in a consistent manner that we could call recreational in the same way we do with drugs and alcohol.
I don't know; I don't see much of a difference between going to get coffee with someone vs getting a beer.
This next thing doesn't exactly prove it to be a real recreational drug (my initial point was more that people ignore the drug effects/aspects of caffeine) but it seems that junior high kids act the same way when they have access to caffeine that high school kids act around alcohol.
You make a good point. I think I still feel like getting a coffee and getting a beer are two different things but I was thinking of a cup of coffee when I replied to you and not energy drinks. I...
You make a good point. I think I still feel like getting a coffee and getting a beer are two different things but I was thinking of a cup of coffee when I replied to you and not energy drinks. I think that you're right that a lot of kids and young adults, and even some old adults, use energy drinks in a more recreational fashion
The urge to just say "no shit" is strong. My partner uses medical. Without it, he'd probably be dead due to the amount of pain he's frequently in. He used it in conjunction with prescription...
The urge to just say "no shit" is strong.
My partner uses medical. Without it, he'd probably be dead due to the amount of pain he's frequently in. He used it in conjunction with prescription opiates and did so at his pain doctor's recommendation. If we'd just listen to medical professionals.
Gentle reminder that pain is a complex phenomena and we're struggling to show that cannabis does anything more than placebo. That's not unusual - most non-opioid pain meds have similar results....
If we'd just listen to medical professionals.
Gentle reminder that pain is a complex phenomena and we're struggling to show that cannabis does anything more than placebo. That's not unusual - most non-opioid pain meds have similar results. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36441553/
And also the US is coming out of a crisis where medical professionals were handing out huge quantities of opioid meds - leaving people addicted to opioids, suffering from the side effects of huge doses of opioids, but also still in pain.
Being a medical professional doesn't magically make someone blind to bias. There's loads of stuff we used to do because doctors knew it worked - until we tested it, and found it didn't work.
And at the same time, when the government response to the opioid crisis was change prescribing standards, my partner was cut back on meds harshly. Those standards changed again because they were...
And at the same time, when the government response to the opioid crisis was change prescribing standards, my partner was cut back on meds harshly. Those standards changed again because they were causing increased risks of death by suicide.
I am well aware chronic pain is complex - cannabis doesn't do pain relief so much for my partner but manages his sleep, nausea, etc. as he's got something like 8 of the reasons on our state's first list of permissable medical conditions to get it (haven't kept up since then). It has side effects, but so does the opiate, so does everything.
I am not a "cannabis is a miracle plant" person. (I think current cannabis and cannabis products are so much higher in THC than what was used 40 years ago, a number of people have a blindspot to the risks of its use.) And yes, all medical professionals are imperfect humans. But we've had research on medical uses for cannabis - even if it isn't explicitly pain relief - for quite a while. My feelings are so strong because it's perfectly permissable for my partner to go drink himself into a stupor (and liver failure) but the federal government doesn't think it's ok to eat a gummy that will let him sleep.
We've known the effects of Marijuana prohibition for a long time, and we're finally getting enough data from states where it is legal to actually prove that it would be okay to legalize country...
We've known the effects of Marijuana prohibition for a long time, and we're finally getting enough data from states where it is legal to actually prove that it would be okay to legalize country wide.
Politically, if I was Joe Biden, I would push this issue as much as I could ahead of the election. I believe (and I could be wrong) he has the power to reschedule it, or at least can direct people underneath him to do so. Then use that political capital to campaign on it as one of his achievements. He has already used his pardon power in people who were convicted of drug crimes. Keep it going Biden, take this train as far as you can.
I wouldn't bet on that strategy. Despite broad popularity, the minority faction is fervent that ending prohibition would practically bring the end times. It would potentially highly motivate one...
I wouldn't bet on that strategy. Despite broad popularity, the minority faction is fervent that ending prohibition would practically bring the end times.
It would potentially highly motivate one voter base while the other (that already probably supports you) would say "cool, about time" and move on with their lives.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/11/22/americans-overwhelmingly-say-marijuana-should-be-legal-for-medical-or-recreational-use I don't think Biden is going to steal many Republican...
45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents favor legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use, while an additional 39% say it should only be legal for medical use.
I don't think Biden is going to steal many Republican votes, but he may be able to steal the independents. More importantly, he can ensure Democrats and Dem-leaning independents actually turn out to vote for him.
I just don't see how that would compel people to vote for him. It might help his approval rating for a second, but I don't see a correlation to voting beyond that.
I just don't see how that would compel people to vote for him. It might help his approval rating for a second, but I don't see a correlation to voting beyond that.
The only thing he should promise to do in his second term would be to appoint pro choice justices. Everything else he can do now, he should. People pretend that he hasn't done anything and the...
The only thing he should promise to do in his second term would be to appoint pro choice justices. Everything else he can do now, he should. People pretend that he hasn't done anything and the more achievements he has to his name the better. He already averted a recession and yet people swear up and down the economy is in the shitter. Trump accomplished very little during his term, so he's going to be playing up the "I'll do this and that when I'm elected". Then Biden could say "you said that last time, I accomplished these things like I said I would."
I think(hope) Biden has enough sense to know every promised left unfilled loses him votes.
A large majority of people base their opinion on economic performance using just price economics. Sticker prices go up? Economy is in the shitter. No matter what other objective metrics are up,...
He already averted a recession and yet people swear up and down the economy is in the shitter
A large majority of people base their opinion on economic performance using just price economics. Sticker prices go up? Economy is in the shitter. No matter what other objective metrics are up, inflation renders that all meaningless to the average voter.
Unemployment numbers? Can be gamed by playing with definitions. Besides, they treat good jobs the same underpaid make-work.
Composite stock indices? The people who care about those are the people who weren't shoved into enough lockers as children.
People feel gaslit by objective nerds claiming the economy is better than ever while their local experience says it's worse.
Also, I've been out of the loop economically for the past 6 months. What did the administration do to avert a recession?
I think(hope) Biden has enough sense to know every promised left unfilled loses him votes.
He may know it, but will his staffers care? It sure would be nice if he did instead of playing yet another exhausting game of "we didn't have the votes this year, try again next time."
People think the economy is worse than it is. In fact, most people think they're doing fine, while others aren't. https://www.axios.com/2023/08/18/americans-economy-bad-personal-finances-good The...
People think the economy is worse than it is. In fact, most people think they're doing fine, while others aren't.
The constant propaganda push of "the economy is so terrible under Biden" makes people think it's actually worse than it is. The metrics say otherwise, and the anecdotes people use to try and justify their negative outlook just doesn't hold up to reality. Could it be better? Absolutely, but decades of stripping away financial regulations have allowed the wealth gap to grow, and a second Trump term would just exacerbate that.
For being such a short article, it was very informative in that it reminded me of the fact that 80% of drivers consider themselves to be above average. Do they think the economy as a whole is bad...
For being such a short article, it was very informative in that it reminded me of the fact that 80% of drivers consider themselves to be above average. Do they think the economy as a whole is bad because they reason that if they're beating the average, it must be because the average tanked?
Actually, an aggregate of "is your family in a better financial position than last year?" is probably the most objective measure of the economy. Numbers are easy enough to manipulate, but the general mood of households tells a better story about how the economy will impact the polls than a 768-page report on the GDP and pension obligations.
If the escalating strength of marijuana products is a valid concern, and I could be led to believe that it is, then regulate it like the most used recreational psychoactive substance in the world - alcohol. Using increasing strength as an argument against rescheduling or outright legalization is a red herring. If those concerns are truly where the line is drawn then strength of products should be regulated like they are in alcohol
Ancedotally, most cases I've heard of the chronic vomitting are tied to people using heavy concentrates constantly. It's almostly like a spontaneous allergic reaction.
I had psychiatric problems with MJ, although in retrospect it was more like it just lifted the wall I had erected between internal and external projection of my thoughts...I was already mentally ill, it was just nobody else knew.
I no longer have psychiatric problems with MJ, since I learned to consume like a grownup instead of a binge drinker. 1-2 puffs of the modern strong flower gets me in a nice place without triggering anything.
Not being constantly terrified of the police busting down my door also does wonders for my paranoia.
I have to actively seek out the weakest cannabis at dispensaries. I use once or twice a week but not nearly enough to build up a tolerance. I don’t really care if people want to buy 35% flower but don’t make me search high and low for 15% and below. At that level I can vape 0.1-0.2g and still get a solid high without dipping into anxiety or rough hangover territory.
It's just crazy how high-THC the commercial strains have gotten. They're 5 - 10x as potent as what I grew up with, and I feel poisoned if I try to smoke any quantity. I don't know if you've got edibles available where you are, but it's much easier to control dosage with them. Edibles with full-spectrum cannabinoid extracts that reflect the properties of different strains are harder to find, though.
If you can't find hemp flower, there are legal non-nicotine herbal mixtures you can use to cut the amount of cannabis.
I agree about edibles, but the drug isn’t the same after it passes through the digestive system (literally, it’s not THC) so it feels different and lasts way too long. I vape flower instead. Definitely not healthy but the quantities I’m working with are pretty low.
I find that a really low dose---like, 1mg THC---is very comfortable.
I think even with my low tolerance 1mg wouldn’t be detectable.
Have you considered cutting it with hemp flower, which is much cheaper and easier to buy? 25% flower cut 50/50 with .03% hemp would basically be 12.5%.
If it doesn't smell bad (to someone that thinks weed smells good) then that could work.
Edit: It’s pretty crazy the state of things. This would be like only finding distilled spirits when you go looking for beer, so I have to instead buy vodka, water it down, and then drink that.
You're honestly better off looking for high-CBD strains. 15% is not an unusual THC concentration for those. It's easier to find, and you don't have to fiddle around with blending anything.
It smells and tastes exactly the same.
Exactly the same as what? Even different strains of thc weed can vary pretty substantially in smell and taste. I've had some hemp that tasted much worse than any regular weed I've had. Didn't mind too much since I don't smoke for the flavor but worth keeping in mind.
This feels a bit pedantic to me -- of course it's strain dependent, but to my point given a bunch of bags and told to sniff them all you'd be unable to tell me which were high THC "marijuana" strains vs low THC "hemp" strains, given that they're the exact same plant.
I don't know if all hemp is that way, but the stuff I've had has all been noticeably worse, and I think I would pass that test. If I had to explain why, I'd guess it's because THC weed has been selectively bred for years to produce stuff that will be appealing to sell, especially now that it's legal so many places and people have options. On the other hand, since hemp has been grown for other purposes, there hasn't been much reason to breed for flavor and scent.
One of the great things about living in a legal (both medical and recreational) marijuana state is that there's also a regulatory framework which requires testing and labeling of cannabinoid contents for all THC-containing products, as well as plant matter.
I can dose very precisely for CBD:THC content and ratio to provide pain relief and better quality sleep, with minimal cognitive impairment. Lack of control (and lack of patient's control) for dosage in many studies was one of the issues with cannabis vs. placebo meta-analyses that found risk outweighed benefits in chronic pain treatment.
One disappointing thing is the strain’s reported cannabinoid content and ratio varies wildly in each actual batch. Thankfully California seems to have pretty strict requirements for reporting the drugs in each joint. But the marketing numbers are far off from what’s labeled on the product (“1:1 10% CBD, 10% THC” on a website can really mean “5% CBD, 15% THC” once the product is in your hands). I’ve had to complain and get a refund for this twice after deliveries, which makes going in store by far the better option.
The most used recreational psychoactive substance is really caffeine but its strength is also regulated. I just want to know why there is so much federal pushback.
I wasn't aware caffine strength being regulated. About 1600mg in a day can cause serious heart problems in even healthy humans.
You can just buy 200mg caffine pills, making it trivial to overdose.
You do not want to overdose on caffeine. You can take an enormous amount to the point of hallucinations, but eight hours of continuous vomiting is a memorably bad trip.
I deliberately didn’t write caffeine because I don’t see it as recreational. People drink coffee and tea as either regular nourishment alongside food or in a utilitarian manner to promote wakefulness or performance and while drinking it does give pleasure like with eating there is none of the euphoria or recreational aspects of enjoying a high or trip. Indeed, caffeine is psychoactive but I would wager only a minority would use it in a consistent manner that we could call recreational in the same way we do with drugs and alcohol. And while added caffeine as an ingredient is regulated, the naturally occurring caffeine content in beans and teas is not which would make its comparison to the suggested regulation of naturally occurring THC in flower products more apples and oranges. I’ll give you that you do have a point comparing things like caffeine pills to THC vape pods but that’s not really the comparison we’re making here
I don't know; I don't see much of a difference between going to get coffee with someone vs getting a beer.
This next thing doesn't exactly prove it to be a real recreational drug (my initial point was more that people ignore the drug effects/aspects of caffeine) but it seems that junior high kids act the same way when they have access to caffeine that high school kids act around alcohol.
You make a good point. I think I still feel like getting a coffee and getting a beer are two different things but I was thinking of a cup of coffee when I replied to you and not energy drinks. I think that you're right that a lot of kids and young adults, and even some old adults, use energy drinks in a more recreational fashion
The urge to just say "no shit" is strong.
My partner uses medical. Without it, he'd probably be dead due to the amount of pain he's frequently in. He used it in conjunction with prescription opiates and did so at his pain doctor's recommendation. If we'd just listen to medical professionals.
Gentle reminder that pain is a complex phenomena and we're struggling to show that cannabis does anything more than placebo. That's not unusual - most non-opioid pain meds have similar results. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36441553/
And also the US is coming out of a crisis where medical professionals were handing out huge quantities of opioid meds - leaving people addicted to opioids, suffering from the side effects of huge doses of opioids, but also still in pain.
Being a medical professional doesn't magically make someone blind to bias. There's loads of stuff we used to do because doctors knew it worked - until we tested it, and found it didn't work.
And at the same time, when the government response to the opioid crisis was change prescribing standards, my partner was cut back on meds harshly. Those standards changed again because they were causing increased risks of death by suicide.
I am well aware chronic pain is complex - cannabis doesn't do pain relief so much for my partner but manages his sleep, nausea, etc. as he's got something like 8 of the reasons on our state's first list of permissable medical conditions to get it (haven't kept up since then). It has side effects, but so does the opiate, so does everything.
I am not a "cannabis is a miracle plant" person. (I think current cannabis and cannabis products are so much higher in THC than what was used 40 years ago, a number of people have a blindspot to the risks of its use.) And yes, all medical professionals are imperfect humans. But we've had research on medical uses for cannabis - even if it isn't explicitly pain relief - for quite a while. My feelings are so strong because it's perfectly permissable for my partner to go drink himself into a stupor (and liver failure) but the federal government doesn't think it's ok to eat a gummy that will let him sleep.
Yeah, that's part of the reason I didn't provide any further quotes or commentary.
Little late to the party, but maybe we can stop treating law abiding citizens at the state level as felons at the federal now, you think?
We've known the effects of Marijuana prohibition for a long time, and we're finally getting enough data from states where it is legal to actually prove that it would be okay to legalize country wide.
Politically, if I was Joe Biden, I would push this issue as much as I could ahead of the election. I believe (and I could be wrong) he has the power to reschedule it, or at least can direct people underneath him to do so. Then use that political capital to campaign on it as one of his achievements. He has already used his pardon power in people who were convicted of drug crimes. Keep it going Biden, take this train as far as you can.
Or he could just not do it and promise to do it as part of his reelection campaign.
I suspect he's keeping it as his last-minute ace in the hole to beat Trump.
What’s more likely, rescheduling at the end of October or a promise to get around to it in 2025?
I wouldn't bet on that strategy. Despite broad popularity, the minority faction is fervent that ending prohibition would practically bring the end times.
It would potentially highly motivate one voter base while the other (that already probably supports you) would say "cool, about time" and move on with their lives.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/11/22/americans-overwhelmingly-say-marijuana-should-be-legal-for-medical-or-recreational-use
I don't think Biden is going to steal many Republican votes, but he may be able to steal the independents. More importantly, he can ensure Democrats and Dem-leaning independents actually turn out to vote for him.
Why would this motivate them to vote?
Because Biden's approval rating is awful so they wouldn't vote for him otherwise.
I just don't see how that would compel people to vote for him. It might help his approval rating for a second, but I don't see a correlation to voting beyond that.
The only thing he should promise to do in his second term would be to appoint pro choice justices. Everything else he can do now, he should. People pretend that he hasn't done anything and the more achievements he has to his name the better. He already averted a recession and yet people swear up and down the economy is in the shitter. Trump accomplished very little during his term, so he's going to be playing up the "I'll do this and that when I'm elected". Then Biden could say "you said that last time, I accomplished these things like I said I would."
I think(hope) Biden has enough sense to know every promised left unfilled loses him votes.
A large majority of people base their opinion on economic performance using just price economics. Sticker prices go up? Economy is in the shitter. No matter what other objective metrics are up, inflation renders that all meaningless to the average voter.
Unemployment numbers? Can be gamed by playing with definitions. Besides, they treat good jobs the same underpaid make-work.
Composite stock indices? The people who care about those are the people who weren't shoved into enough lockers as children.
People feel gaslit by objective nerds claiming the economy is better than ever while their local experience says it's worse.
Also, I've been out of the loop economically for the past 6 months. What did the administration do to avert a recession?
He may know it, but will his staffers care? It sure would be nice if he did instead of playing yet another exhausting game of "we didn't have the votes this year, try again next time."
People think the economy is worse than it is. In fact, most people think they're doing fine, while others aren't.
https://www.axios.com/2023/08/18/americans-economy-bad-personal-finances-good
The constant propaganda push of "the economy is so terrible under Biden" makes people think it's actually worse than it is. The metrics say otherwise, and the anecdotes people use to try and justify their negative outlook just doesn't hold up to reality. Could it be better? Absolutely, but decades of stripping away financial regulations have allowed the wealth gap to grow, and a second Trump term would just exacerbate that.
For being such a short article, it was very informative in that it reminded me of the fact that 80% of drivers consider themselves to be above average. Do they think the economy as a whole is bad because they reason that if they're beating the average, it must be because the average tanked?
Actually, an aggregate of "is your family in a better financial position than last year?" is probably the most objective measure of the economy. Numbers are easy enough to manipulate, but the general mood of households tells a better story about how the economy will impact the polls than a 768-page report on the GDP and pension obligations.