We’ve all heard it countless times in the last week… month… year… the economy. I’ve been resisting the idea that it’s as bad as everyone says, even though I work in a real estate related field and have watched things get worse and worse. Maybe it’s like the frog in a pot that boils to death because the temperature rises gradually. I’ve gotten used to bad news, and hey, I still have MY job. Every time someone on TV mentions the Great Depression, I blow it off as grandstanding.
But that was before the last two days. After all the bank failures and store closings and stock crashes, it was the tent cities that got through to me. In the Great Depression there were shanty towns and bread lines. I thought things could never get that bad again. Then I saw the Sacramento tent city on the news and heard that they’re springing up in many major cities. The next night I saw the lines of average looking families lining up for free food boxes in Indiana. And all this is happening even WITH the safety nets that were put in place after the Great Depression.
So yes, the comparisons may be valid, but we are still better off than in the 30’s. The displaced are living in manufactured tents, not under plywood and tin. The food line in Indiana was a drive-through for a week’s worth of boxed food, not an endless 
Obviously this is an extremely difficult time for so many. My heart goes out to those looking for work and losing their homes. Those who hear of every new layoff and know there will be that much more competition for jobs out there. We seem to be in a time of black and whites – either you’re still ok or you’re not. Either you still have your job/your house or you don’t. Things WILL get better. It’s going to be a long haul, but we have no choice but to keep moving forward. Day by day, week by week, month by month. Maybe before we realize it, we’ll start hearing more good news than bad.
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4 comments:
Yes things will get better...just not tomorrow. The sooner everyone faces that fact the better. For alot of people this will mean great changes in you lifestyles...lets just hope they keep those changes after things do start to turn around. Remember no one told you to buy all the bells and whistles just because you make good money...the days of disposable income are gone. I never really thought of income as disposable...but I am older and have faced downturns before....
Very good post thank you for sharing this will everyone....
Unfortunately, while you did not see them on tv, there are those that do not have nice "manufactured" tents and are living under plywood or even just an old refrigerator box in freezing temps, there are food lines for the soup kitchens that are not drive through and, in most major cities, those who have turned to the city shelters have had their families split up as most shelters are single sex for adults. Some of these folks had homes, cars and jobs less than a year ago but savings only last so long when all of yhour living expoenses come out of those funds. Things will most surely improve but there is no set timeline and I don't see it happening soon. I think we are still spiraling downward and government bailouts are not going to "save the day" but merely postpone the bottoming out process.
I was doning the same as you. "It's not that bad." That is until I went to work last Monday only to find the gallery pad locked shut. The owner is trying to negotiate his way back in to the shop but I still have not heard if I have a job. I've been looking for something else in the mean time. It's a very scary time for many people.
Thank you all for the comments. Now, back to my usual not-quite-so-serious blogging!
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