Americans think everything sucks, but I am OK

There is a column in the Telegraph about the gap between reality and the media/polititcian built perception of the US economy.

In the Telegraph, Irwin Stelzer writes: "Fortunately for America, the state of the nation is not quite as described by the Democrats. Some 85% of Americans do have health insurance. Of the 45.7m people who are uninsured, many receive healthcare at no cost to themselves from the non-profit hospitals that account for about 90% of all such institutions in America. And, according to The Wall Street Journal, 25% of the uninsured are eligible for government-funded Medicaid, but have not signed up, and 54% are between the ages of 18 and 34, a group heavily weighted with people who probably see little need for coverage. Can things get better with sensible policies? Sure. But experience in other countries suggests that huge government intervention in the healthcare system might not be the answer."

The idea that the US economy is fundamentally healthy is an unpopular one, as is the idea that Gustav is just another tropical storm. Hyperbole sells adspace and news papers, because we just like to tune in or read about the big train wreck. Of course, we don't have to buy into the idea that we were actually ON the train, do we?