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Got your message and hurried over to read your article.
I think you are right on the money. Most of us haven't seen such bad times as the great depression and it will take us by surprise.
Planning ahead is the smart thing to do. Such as your ideas of cutting back on services that are really luxuries. May start with container gardening and grow some radishes to whet you appetite for gardening.
Worse times are coming. We will have to live smart.
Enjoyed,
Ripi
You bring up some interesting points but let me correct you on a couple of them. I don't think it's nearly as class driven as you might think. Up until the economy started on it's downward spiral there was plenty of opportunity (jobs) out there, now the job numbers are dwindling. My point being, a year ago if a homeless person truly wanted a job, the opportunity was out there if they took the initiative. The lack of jobs also causes problems for those responsible individuals who have held their jobs for a number of years. What happens if your company lays you off or goes out of business? Up until recently, losing a job wouldn't be a major life changing event. You pick yourself up and find a new job in a matter of days or weeks. Not any more, during economic down falls you can plan on easily spending three times the amount of time looking for a job and still may end up unsuccessful or forced to take a job that doesn't pay enough to keep up with your outgoing debt.
There are a lot of people like you who think everything is going to be okay and I hope you're all right but there is a problem. Everyone has their comfort zone and up until that comfort zone is riled up there's no need to worry. It will be an endless debate on what's to blame for the state of the economy but what is clear is the massive amount of foreclosures due to irresponsible lending and ignorant borrowing played a major role. Here is the BIG problem, My wife and I, like a lot of working class American families are stretched fairly thin. (The average American carries 9k in credit card debt) We have no problem affording our bills while we are working but the minute one of us becomes unemployed there is a major problem which is something we've never had to worry about because we are both hard working reliable people. THOUSANDS! of jobs are being lost daily and think about all of those responsible working class Americans who will then not be able to afford their house payment due to being out of work. It's a second housing crisis in itself. Unemployment isn't enough for most Americans to keep up with their bills or more specifically their house payment.
Now onto a dose of reality that hits real close to home. The day after I completed this article we got some disheartening news, the company I work for (The largest cookie/cracker company in the world) informed me that my hours were being cut to the equivalent of 10% in pay. That was stressing enough on it's own but just today my wife was informed that her company (A large clothing retailer on the eastern side of the US) will be shutting down completely. That's right, just as I wrote in the article a couple of unfortunate events are forcing us into survival mode. I do indeed look at this as a glass that I will do everything in my power to keep from running dry, tipping over or cracking. I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty, I'm telling you this to bring some reality to the severity of problems our country has and it's not just us, it's your neighbors and thousands of other complete strangers.
The overall problem now isn't the tightened credit, it isn't adjustable rate loans, the problem is purely lack of opportunity.
<abbr>Ryan Kazinecs last blog post..Is Job Security Becoming More Significant Than Compensation and Benefits?</abbr>
I am still very hopeful that things will turn around so that people can begin to recover. And I know what you're thinking - that my hope is in Obama :--) I'm just waiting to see with him.
That means a lot to me and Crystal. We'll see, he may surprise me and quite frankly I hope ;) he does.
<abbr>Ryan Kazinecs last blog post..Is Job Security Becoming More Significant Than Compensation and Benefits?</abbr>
<abbr>sheas last blog post..Happy New Year!!!</abbr>
<abbr>Ryan Kazinecs last blog post..Is Job Security Becoming More Significant Than Compensation and Benefits?</abbr>
This a really good post as i like to read :D