Yeah, every time I want to know what consumers think, I ask 75 mainstream, liberal Keynesian-spawned economists from The Conference Board. Not to rain on your Hopium Parade, but why go through all this trouble when we could just ask Paul Krugman, or any other
aggregate-spending-and-demand-is-the-panacea economist, and they can tell you pretty much anything you wanted to know.
(Ad Hominem Alert: about to attack the credibility and ulterior motives of The Conference Board)
If you want to know more about Aggregate Consumer Demand (aka - "How many windows do you need broken? If you tight bastards would just spend a little more, there's nothing we couldn't accomplish!"), you could turn to
The Demand Institute (yeah, they call it that!) run by The Conference Board.
Is there are a more liberal-quoted, political activist propaganda think tank than The Conference Board? HuffPo sure loves to quote it.
See that? According to The Conference Board, if we just get rid of "income inequality" our
economic growth (always with emphasis on growth for the sake of growth) won't be so stifled! Well, duh...
And where were the heads of the brainiacs on The Conference Board back in 2007? How about a few selections from their list of past publications from that time:
- Managing for a Carbon-Concerned Future
- Women are everywhere in corporate America — except on boards. Here's how to change that.
- ...today's democratized market is no place for top-down, hierarchical thinking.
- Boomers Are Ready for Nonprofits - But Are Nonprofits Ready for Them?
- Middle Managers: Engaging and Enrolling the Biggest Roadblock to Diversity and Inclusion
- Risk and Opportunity in the Gathering Climate Change Storm
And in 2008?
- Women's Leadership: Revitalizing Women’s Initiatives
- HIV/AIDS in the Workplace
- Weights & Measures: What Employers Should Know about Obesity
- Europe's Progress in Promoting Work-Life and Diversity in the Workplace
- How Public-Private Partnerships in Education Can Enhance International Business Competitiveness
And finally, in 2009, when they finally pulled their head partway out of the Keynesian Sand and got part of the memo?
Oh, well! Nothing to see here, move along! Let's put our shoulders back to the wheel, and keep those machines turning, folks! Confidence Makes Free, and YES WE CAN!
The Rasmussen Consumer Index actually measures consumer confidence by actually polling consumers--and is the only one to post results on a daily basis.
What do Rasmussen polls and articles show?
Just 16% Rate U.S. Economy As Good or Excellent
Just 37% Expect Their Home To Be Worth More in Five Years
50% Expect Weaker Economy In One Year
47% Fear Government Won’t Do Enough to Help Economy
45% Confident In Stability of U.S. Banking Industry
So what does The Demand Institute/Housing Demand Institute say in its report (PDF)? (emphasis mine):
Bottom line: No big gains. A few percent here and there, with 5% or more
in the coming years, and only from "the strongest markets"? No huge predictions, but anyone who can buy new houses can rent them out to those who lost theirs! BRILLIANT!