"Show me some facts about the growth of the economy that prove how great it is, it is 2.2% in the first quarter of 2018"

Unemployment is low.

The stock market is up.

My take home pay went up by $200 a month thanks to tax cuts.

"Stock market values are not a big factor in the GDP"

They are a real factor in how comfortably regular people can live, and if/when they can retire. It helps ALL of us when the market does well. You never check your IRA balance? Doesn't matter to you whether you have $0 or $1 million? It matters to most of us.

"Trade wars certainly won't help "

We've had trade wars for decades...

About 1/2 of the country (i.e. regular people) have zero investment in the stock market, hell they don't even have much in the way retirement savings other than social security.

We haven't really had trade wars either for quite some time, not like what's brewing today.

Yeah, let's pick a fight with Canada and ban German cars while we placate China! Our trade policy is rudderless at the moment.

"About 1/2 of the country (i.e. regular people) have zero investment in the stock market"

So the other half does. And when that half has more money to spend, is that good for the other half, or bad for the other half? You work in finance, you know this, you just can't say anything good when there is a republican in the white house.

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2008 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.4 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.1 6.5 6.8 7.3
2009 7.8 8.3 8.7 9.0 9.4 9.5 9.5 9.6 9.8 10.0 9.9 9.9
2010 9.8 9.8 9.9 9.9 9.6 9.4 9.4 9.5 9.5 9.4 9.8 9.3
2011 9.1 9.0 9.0 9.1 9.0 9.1 9.0 9.0 9.0 8.8 8.6 8.5
2012 8.3 8.3 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.1 7.8 7.8 7.7 7.9
2013 8.0 7.7 7.5 7.6 7.5 7.5 7.3 7.2 7.2 7.2 6.9 6.7
2014 6.6 6.7 6.7 6.3 6.3 6.1 6.2 6.2 5.9 5.7 5.8 5.6
2015 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.4 5.5 5.3 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
2016 4.9 4.9 5.0 5.0 4.7 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.0 4.9 4.6 4.7
2017 4.8 4.7 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1
2018 4.1 4.1 4.1 3.9 3.8
Here is the unemployment data for the last 10 years, how did the rate of change differ from the years prior to Trump to after?
I'd be careful about being brave in the market, it isn't real money till you sell it and turn it into cash.
Your $200 a month might cover the increase in fuel and food costs due to current policies.
Who do you know that makes steel or aluminum?
Who do you know that makes stuff from steel or aluminum?
We stand to lose many more jobs than we could gain.
We are not selling the right to put our name on hotels and resorts and who cares if the place in East BF fails, the whole country depends on what happens.

"how did the rate of change differ from the years prior to Trump to after?"

Oh. So it's not the unemployment itself that matters, all that matters is the "rate of change". Never heard that before. It's harder to decrease unemployment when it's already low, than when it's high, like talking shots off your golf score.

"I'd be careful about being brave in the market, it isn't real money till you sell it and turn it into cash."

Which is why all the best financial advisors tell their clients to put everything in a savings account, right?

"Your $200 a month might cover the increase in fuel and food costs due to current policies"

We bought a camper. Funny, when Obama was POTUS, I kept hearing that the president wasn't responsible for gas prices.

I get it Pete, liberal=good, conservative=bad., no exceptions. Right?

Unemployment has been dropping since 2009 and continued on the same line. I don't see where there was a significant change in data.
Hopefully your advisor is telling you to be conservative at this point. Look at the Dow and the rate of rise preceding each big drop, compare them to the last year. See any similarities?
Trumps middle east policy and actions have nothing to do with fuel prices?
Your not spending $200 a month more in fuel and food?
I don't know what it has to do with liberals and conservatives, since Trumps policies have no clear alignment with anyone other than authoritarians and isolationists. He just keeps gaslighting anyone who will listen. The rest of the world sees it and will just move on without us.

"Unemployment has been dropping since 2009 and continued on the same line. I don't see where there was a significant change in data."

For the second time, it's harder to lower unemployment when it's already low. Think of a golfer. When he starts golfing, he shoots 150 for 18 holes. every month, he takes 1 stroke off his game. I sit just as easy to go from 150 to 149, as it is to go from 75 to 74? No.

"Hopefully your advisor is telling you to be conservative at this point."

I am my financial advisor. I'm glad I wasn't conservative for the last 18 months, boy. I have a very aggressive portfolio, with safeguards to see everything that drops by 20%, that's the most I can lose. Many in the market are a lot more confident than you are. I don't know anyone whose advisor told them to dump stocks and go conservative.

"Look at the Dow and the rate of rise preceding each big drop, compare them to the last year. See any similarities?"

Sure, the market is high, we are due (overdue, maybe) for a recession.

"Trumps middle east policy and actions have nothing to do with fuel prices?"

I literally know almost nothing about what drives oil prices. I know at one point they were very high under Obama, and I bet you didn't criticize him for it.

"Your not spending $200 a month more in fuel and food?"

Again, when Obama was POTUS, I saw a huge gasoline spike, and I didn't have $200 a month more in my pocket to offset it.

" don't know what it has to do with liberals and conservatives"

You are the one making it about liberals or conservatives, you can't say anything good about Trump.

He also just passed a law saying that gravely ill patients can choose to use experimental drugs that aren't formally approved by the FDA yet. Why wasn't that a law 200 years ago? Trump fixed it.

A golfer would have to work very hard to reduce his handicap.
Show me what hard work the Trump administration did?
What does this have to do with Obama?
Because I have nothing good to say about Trump makes me what?
What does it make George Will?
He just signed a law that may help a few terminally ill people. It is not the panacea that some politicians would lead you to believe. Do a little research and you will see it is not so simple. Ask your physician and then ask what they think about the following.
We could save far more people by making sure people can have primary care before things progress to further stages than giving them some hope when they are on their last legs. And for far less money than we currently spend.

'Show me what hard work the Trump administration did?" He is known to work insanely long hours.

" Because I have nothing good to say about Trump makes me what?"

Biased.

"What does it make George Will"

Stupid and short-sighted (and I really liked him)

"He just signed a law that may help a few terminally ill people. It is not the panacea that some politicians would lead you to believe"

Name ONE PERSON who said it's going to be anything like a panacea. Name ONE. It gives people another choice, a bit more hope. Would a speck of honesty, a tiny sliver of a speck, really be too much for this president?

I hated Obama. Hated him. I think he's a rotten person and a rotten president. But he gets good marks from me in regards to beating back the effects of the crash, deportations, killing Bin Laden, etc... I can be honest, give credit where it's due, and still despise him.