The Misery Index

Well it's over.
Didn't turn out as I had hoped, but I take some degree of relief in the fact that, like any journey, you put one foot in front of the other until you get where you're goin'.
Things will get better, someday.

To those BHO supporters that stop by here- Congratulations.
Your candidate ran a smart campaign.
Now what?

Many of us lived through the Carter years. Many have predicted the coming years will be as bad or worse than those years.
God help us.
I'm glad I'm not looking for a job in a technical field.

For those that didn't live through the Carter years, a primer is necessary:
When Jimmy Carter ran against Gerald Ford, he introduced most of us to
"the misery index"...
A simple formula-
The rate of inflation, added to the unemployment rate.
During his campaign in 1976 he asked voters, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"
Most folks had to answer no.
In 1976 the misery index stood at 14%.

Carter was a nice man... Navy Veteran, Christian, peanut farmer.
Folks were ready for change, and handily elected him.
(I voted for Jimmah.)

He was a poor leader, an indecisive President.
At the end of his term, candidate Ronald Reagan made a fool of him by asking, as Carter did four years before:
"Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

In 1980, the last year of Carter's administration, the misery index hit its highest mark in history- 22%.

As a public service to all my dear readers, I intend to start keeping track of the misery index.
As you can see at the link, it currently stands at 11%.
I suspect that will change quickly.

Care to take a shot at a prediction?