I think people look at a lot of things when they think about how the economy is doing. What is the job market like? What are interest rates like? Are prices up and paychecks down? How comfortable do they feel that they can survive in a way they like? Is our government driving up the national debt with nothing to show for it? So when people talk about how good the economy is doing, it is a discussion that might be different with each person. Generally, I think if people are working, earning a living that keeps a roof over their families’ heads and food in their stomachs, then they feel the economy is doing okay. If they can afford to put some money away as well or afford more “toys”, then it is better. I don’t believe most people worry about whether the rich are getting richer…they do that all the time. Everybody raves about what a great president Reagan was, but I remember struggling with double digit home loan interest rates, elevated prices on everything and worrying about making ends meet. The economy was growing, though…jobs were being created and things were changing. Bush 1 took over and things were hitting bottom. When he ran for re-election, the economy was recovering. I remember he got asked in one of the debates what he was going to do about the economy. He said he wasn’t going to do anything because there was nothing wrong with the economy. Technically he was right…it was coming back on its own and the best thing to do was nothing. But it made him sound out of touch. On the other side, you had Bill Clinton talking about “My Plan”. My Plan will do this and My Plan will do that. He never did describe what “My Plan” really was though. When he was elected he did…nothing. He did absolutely nothing to help the economy. He knew enough to keep his hands off it and ride the wave. So people will vote on how they feel the economy is impacting them.