[Carrie]

It seems like Ben Stein's view of the future has been getting darker lately. His recent columns in the Yahoo! Finance section seem to reflect a real worry about the future of all those boomers who have been saving zilch:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'ve had a couple of bad experiences recently that sharpened my worry about what life will be like for retirees in the future -- I fear that a catastrophe of declining standards of life is heading our way....

The sad fact is that retirees will suffer. And for the leading edge of the Boomers is: It's too late. Many of them cannot escape a drastic ratcheting down in income and lifestyle. A crisis akin to the Great Depression is racing our way: A ruinous drop in standards of life.

[mekrob]

He's one of the smart economists. He was an advisor to Nixon who initiated price controls, leading to shortages, which in turn helped America get off oil somewhat. I'm not sure if he had an effect on the policies, but had this not been in place, we probably would have hit peak already, or would be much closer. He also doesn't place blame on oil companies. He's actually grateful for them for supplying such a great product so cheaply. Quite smart and realistic. Need much more like him.

[thuja]

Carrie -Condi's face is really freaking me out. You cannot unleash her unexpectedly like that when I just happen to open a thread. She starts to swarm around in my head like a demon and tells me things I don't want to hear.

Yeah, it isn't just Ben. People in positions of power and influence are starting to smell that things aren't right. Rats are starting to jump ship.

[NeoPeasant]

Ben Stein a doomer? No Way! He sounds like such a giddy optimist in those Visine ads.

Does he still do visine ads? I haven't watched TV for about 4 years now.

[JoeCoal]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('NeoPeasant', 'D')oes he still do visine ads? I haven't watched TV for about 4 years now.

[Carrie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('thuja', 'C')arrie -Condi's face is really freaking me out. You cannot unleash her unexpectedly like that when I just happen to open a thread. She starts to swarm around in my head like a demon and tells me things I don't want to hear.

Yeah, it isn't just Ben. People in positions of power and influence are starting to smell that things aren't right. Rats are starting to jump ship.

[FireJack]

His other article Living Hand to Mouth -- and Barely Getting By is good too.

Reading his stuff makes me more want to go hide and make my own food and I live in canada. If the governemtn decides to tax everyone to death to try and make up for these people who didnt save and need help. Seems more like people are going to try and help themselves will jsut get screwed in the end.

[Zentric]

Okay, so Stein's a doomer, but he also is a Republican who worked I think writing speeches for the Reagan(?) administration. My impression when listening to his interviews or reading his articles is that he's always about 80% correct and 80% prescient, where that 20% remainder might be calculated to completely kick your ass. For example, he foretold maybe a year and a half ago that the dollar was to continue to get creamed by the Euro due to all these structural imbalances, etc., with the USD. Well, he was right about the structural imbalance stuff, yet it turned out that at about the same time, the US companies abroad were preparing to sell their Euro holdings for dollars as part of a special federal government 'corporate welfare' tax avoidance program in 2005. So, if you were to have bought the Euro and shorted the dollar on Stein's advice back then, you would have faced some serious losses.

And what is Stein recommending today???

Bond funds. So please exercise caution.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JoeCoal', 'Y')es, only now he's recommending that you include Visene in your bugout kit.