When asked to rate the national economy, some people base it on how they're doing financially or what they experience themselves. That might seem odd at first

No it’s not! That’s not weird! The strength of the economy is supposed to relate to people’s personal experiences! If the economy is doing “well” but everything is still getting worse for almost everyone, then either we’re measuring the wrong things, or the premise that economic health, as defined, is good for society is false.

The deal is that the line goes up and everyone gets more. If that’s no longer true, there’s no reason to sacrifice anything for economic growth. We should just be making sure that people are getting their basic needs met and that’s it.

Citations Needed:

But why should we be expected to just accept that a news report that “the economy” is on the upswing means the average worker is doing any better, when all evidence is to the contrary? Why should our media’s economic so-called “experts” come from a pool of elite economics departments beholden to corporate donors and right-wing think tanks? And why must “the economy” be defined in terms of whether the Dow is up or down, instead of whether people have food, housing, healthcare, and job security?--

• Episode 150: How Economic Jargon and Cliches Make Cruel, Anti-Poor Policies Sound Sterile and Science-y (Part I)
• Episode 151: How Economic Jargon and Cliches Make Cruel, Anti-Poor Policies Sound Sterile and Science-y (Part II)

I'll rate it better when my family is priced back into a weekly fast food trip, or even somewhere with healthy food. We slipped out of middle class by holding still and a "better" economy where nothing gets better for us means fuck all.