Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago? HuffPost Readers Respond

Are You Better Off?
Former President George W. Bush smiles as he takes in a baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers on Saturday, June 16, 2012, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 8-3. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Former President George W. Bush smiles as he takes in a baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers on Saturday, June 16, 2012, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 8-3. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

"Are you better off than you were four years ago?" President Ronald Reagan asked this question in 1980 and Republicans are bringing back the slogan in 2012.

In case you don't remember back that far, here's a short refresher: In September 2008, George W. Bush was president. Senator John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination a mere three days after vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter Bristol revealed she was pregnant. On September 15, 2008, a gallon of gas cost an average of $3.84, according to Consumer Reports. The unemployment rate spiked, Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Fed agreed to bail out AIG, and the stock market crumbled.

But what did all of this mean for you? Did you lose your job or watch your retirement fund collapse? Did you lose your home to the foreclosure crisis? Are you finding it easier to buy essentials like food and gas?

In a Facebook poll, an overwhelming percentage of our followers said yes, they were better off than they were four years ago. But on Twitter, our readers added more color to the debate.

Are you better off today? Let us know by tweeting with the hashtag #4yearsin or leave a comment below.

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