Why is the economy so bad ? What is the cause?

Question

What is the greater picture causing this?

Answer 1

People will give you a lot of answers, but the truth is, no one really knows.  The economy goes up, it goes down, and we aren't sure why.  It cycles about every 20 years, so tighten your belt, and wait it out.

Answer 2

if i knew the answer to that i'd be on the today show tomorrow morning. An economic downturn can be brought on by many different things. Some argue that the current one is due to the increasing prices of oil (most prominent reason) as well as the increasing federal budget, and also the housing crises. in laymens terms, our money is not going as far as it did the other year, and subsequently Americans are not spending it as much, and this has a negative impact on the economy.

Answer 3

NOT ENOUGH SMART PEOPLE VOTE.

Answer 4

What do you mean  by "so bad"? Compared to what? Two years ago? Twenty years ago? You could use some perspective.

Answer 5

Look up "economic cycle".  Basically, the economy grows for a few years until people start spending and investing foolishly.  Then the economy gets bad in order to balance things out again and starts growing again.