Is Poland experiencing the same economic problems as is USA?

Is Poland experiencing the same economic problems as is USA?
(rising gas prices, falling real estate prices, rising unemployment rate, etc)

Hi there,

Hell yeah!!! Just a bit different version of it.

Polish people are kind of used to this ongoing situation, not that it makes it any easier. Gas prices - up, unemployment - we don't really know, some say it's up, some say it's down, real estate prices - I'd say up, especially in Warsaw, Cracow and Wroclaw. Loans are definitely up. Groceries are up. Every time I am visiting my mom, we spend more on food. And we don't buy anything different, u know.

Cigarettes up, alcohol up, everything is going up. Heat, electricity etc. up. Clothing - up. Should I go on? I think you get the picture. It's freaking scary. Airfare on short distances seems to be a little down, surprisingly. Drugs - up...

EU also has an effect on Polish economy. They regulate certain prices, standards for services and so on.

I know that in August when I get back to the States, I will be broke :)

GAB

Yeah, you're not alone.. US was due for something like this though. We consume too much and dont produce enough.. so there ya' have it.

But a lot of countries are going through downturns one degree or another.. only real exceptions are probably China and Brazil.

Hi,

I prefer to spend my money in the US though. I can afford here much more such as clothing, car expenses (even with gas prices over $4 per gallon), cosmetics, household products, groceries etc.

Whenever I am in Poland, which is twice a year, I go to the dentist, get everything fixed up, see my eye doctor, get new glasses, you know. Medical expenses in the States are absolutely killing me! Not to mention a very average quality of services that are provided. It's an outrage! Plus, a lot of things are not even covered by my insurance even though the monthly premium is very high.

Bottom line, some things are more affordable in the USA while some others are more affordable in Poland. Depending on what it is. Electronics - definitely USA. I can buy a lot of things for a $1000 here, in Poland not as much as one might think. Actually, not much at all :(

G.

I'm with you on this one. I did not like the prices in Poland (or France) for that matter. I hope we'll never get our prices that high here. We make much more money, most (if not all) goods and food are way cheaper, yet people are still whining. I can't even imagine what would happen if we'd have pay European prices - even with our salaries.

The only thing - If we could get the healthcare and dental services more affordable for all people...

Agree, we whine way too much. Things aren't that bad.

People in the US are getting very very touchy (more so than ever before) about products in the US being imported from China and other countries, while on the other hand, fuel costs are causing everything to increase in cost as freight costs rise (most goods are transported in the US via truck, rail is second).

People are getting squeezed in every direction...food, gas, goods....and don't even mention health care over here! :(

People who were making it before are now looking for help....food banks in the US for the poor are at the lowest levels ever. Some days people don't eat...in supposedly what is the richest nation in the world.

It's a little tougher sure but not quite that dire.. perhaps the BBC likes to tell you these things? I dont' know.. I ate today. Hybrid semis are coming which will put costs down. Same as in the 30's , speculation has hurt us a little.

The ultimate demise of the US is like a Christmas carol for the UK. We hear your song all the time.

It wasn't the BBC...I live in the US....It was a news piece I saw on the part of the state where I grew up. It was hard to watch. People who work, and work hard, but have no money for food after everything else is paid (rent, utilities, gas). The higher prices for gas and food have tightened their budgets to a breaking point.

Be thankful if you are not in this situation, but don't turn a blind eye to it.

I'm not, but I was born lower middle class and I'm not now. I hear ya. Not the end of the world though. We'll be okay.. Hell , I've gone a couple of days without eating in the Army, got a little dizzy, actually laughed a lot. Really not so bad given the wisdom it spawns. You get a good perspective sometimes. For the most part, it was a blessing.

Not trying to make light of it but you've got to be tough. I live in Indy and I'll run some pasta down to the shelters tomorrow just for you. Seriously. No sarcasm.

well its also like this in Ireland and UK becauase of the USA and being stuck iraq does also not help it

Okay, it's the USA's fault then. Stupid f**k you are. Perhaps your dog running away is our fault too. Dip sh/t .. grow up.

no your the stupid fu*k its the USA whos in control of the economic IF THE USA HAVE PROBLEMS IT MAKES THE REST HAVE you stupid pr*CK GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND LEARN SOMETHING

maybe bono will give you a loan mate, he comes over here enough.

Yeah, sure blame everything on the USA. It's the media (ours here and European) who love to tell scary tales and the public listens like sheep. Fear is the best way to put people in the submission. It worked for well known "leaders" in the world, didn't it? Now, the media is the leader.

Frankly, I don't see poverty in regards to my friends, coworkers, neighbors...parking lots at the malls are full, maybe people are buying less, but they are buying. We have a food bank in our suburb. We get flyer's or it's announced on local cable channel if it needs supplies and I did not see any recently.

The main stream channels do. Why?

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself". FDR.

Wow. Is this a normal thing in the States Eurola. It seems almost like a siege mentality

People earning below a certain level, can always go there to get dry goods, cans of food etc., donated by community. They need to prove they actually live in the particular suburb.

Chicago has a huge food bank and distributes over 41 mil pounds of food a year.

yes...


no... no...

Thank you for that!

Here is an article you might find surprising.......

From USA Today : New breed of American emerges in need of food

At food banks, demand is up 15% to 20% over last year. Pantries are serving "folks who get up and go to work every day," says Bill Bolling, founder of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. "That's remarkably different than the profile of who we've served through the years."

usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-05-18-foodstamps_N.htm

Here is another one: Charities having to do with less

cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/22/charity.shortage/index.html

....and stair cases...

And BIG women with funny coloured hair now I come to think of it

Well my girlfriend did earlier this morning, couple boxes of spaghetti. I might do some volunteer stuff down there.

Hey thank you... You're nice and conscientious, and this country needs more people like that. It's going to be tough probably for like 3 years?? but we've been through it before.

seems strange its the media hmmmmm but kind of strange i study about economic problems and stuff

When the US economy has problems, it usually has an effect on the Western European market. As a lot of international firms trade in dollars.

That was a firm rule....till the last crisis that is.
The actual crisis in the US has done not so much to the EU economies as feared.
Two points: First the Euro showed to be a strong, resilient currency. And more and more business is done in Euro!
And the actual economic dependancy to the US has sunk...for example Germany does only about 16 percent of their trade with the US (Dollar)...so when the US slumped it's felt in Europe but not dangerously so...

Times have changed...

I was really talking about the UK, don't know why i put western europe into that same bracket;)

Problem is everyone lives on credit and most of there wages go to paying of bills and their credit cards, loans etc.

15 years ago you could not get a gold card unless you were earning 50k pounds, now anyone can get one cos there gold and cool or how about a platinum card instead.

This is only the beginning once interest rates go up the economy will go bang - we live in a false economy with a buy now worry about it in retirement attitude. This is nothing to what is going to happen before things settle down.

Well you start by aggressively paying down the deficit , get out of iraq, it's likely the economy won't go bang.. thud maybe , but not bang.


Genau my thread hopping freund. Lot more BMWs in Shanghai now a days. Good for you, you do make the snappy rides.

Its sad but war actually normally improves an economy as governments sign big defence contracts and builders and sub contractors get big money jobs rebuilding countries they helped knock down...

War is a bad thing but what is better a war to remove a dictator or terrorism - or just leave things as they were and risk someone planting a Nuke in your countries capital or blow you up on your way to work on the train or bus or when you fly somewhere on holiday.

It is terrible people die in war and nearly a 1000 soldiers have died in Afganistan since 2002 alone - but put that into context that on the FIRST DAY of the battle of the Somme this happened:

57,470 men became casualties of which 19,240 were killed or died of wounds. In terms of British casualties, the first day on the Somme is only surpassed by the Fall of Singapore when over 80,000 Allied soldiers became prisoners of war.

Todays war is still terrible but compared to the past our losses are small for the price to pay for a safer world we live in!

It is the people buying things on credit, things that they don't even need, like a new car, or a house that they only want to make money on and so deteriorate the neighborhood because they don't even live there to maintain the property, and the drug dealers move in to the abandoned property which is abandoned because the jack asses in California and New York decided to try to sell Texas, Florida, and Colorado properties for at more than twice their actual value and no honest citizens can afford it. This screws things up for honest/disciplined people who just need a way to get to work and a roof over their head, and it breeds crime and inflates prices by creating an artificial deficiency.