If you can still put a roof over your head and food on the table for your family, you should consider yourself to be very fortunate. There are millions of Americans out there right now that are really, really suffering. The cold, hard reality of it is that there aren't even close to enough jobs out there for everyone right now. It is almost as if we are all caught in a really bizarre game of musical chairs where the losers get stripped of their tickets to the middle class. What this horrible economy is doing to the dignity of millions of middle class Americans is incredibly saddening. There are a lot of very highly educated and very hard working Americans who cannot seem to get jobs no matter what they do and now find themselves doing whatever they can just to survive. It can be really hard to keep your dignity when you played by all the rules and you worked as hard as you could all your life and now you find yourself a half step away from being homeless. Those of us who are still doing okay should never look down on those who are struggling in this economy, because the truth is that any of us could be next.
If you really want to read some horror stories about what long-term unemployment is doing to some people in America, you should go spend an hour or two over at Unemployed-Friends some time. It is a great forum with a lot of great resources for the unemployed, but it also contains dozens and dozens and dozens of heartbreaking stories from middle class Americans who have had their lives shattered by this economic downturn.
The following is a typical story on Unemployed-Friends. It is from a 48 year old Air Force veteran who has lost everything and is now sleeping in his vehicle. It turns out that Scott48's job was shipped off to India and now he has been out of work for over two years....
"I am a 48 year old USAF Vet. I got my house in 1996 with the help of the VA. In 2009 the company I worked for went out of buisness(gone to India) I then became a 99er. I notified Wells Fargo that I lost my job and they said they would work with me, the next mortgage statement I got they conveniently increased my mortgage! With what I got from UE was enough for the house but I had to cut out the luxury of food, gas, utillities, insurance, entertainment and alcohol. That was it for me, so the forecloser ball was in motion. I had to give my dog to my cousin so he would get fed, I took everything I owened to the auction( execpt tools, clothes, pictures, tech manuals and my Saxophone) and sold it. I went to a half-way house the VA recomended for a week and it was joke, so my cousin said I could stay with her. After 4 months she diecided that I wasnt looking hard enough and kicked me out, and Ive applied for everything except selling myself. This summer I was staying in an abandoned house due to forecloser and the real estate company has now put it on the market, and I am now on the street sleeping in my vehicle or a friend here and there. Keeping clean is going to be a challenge cuz the Flying J truck stops charge $10 for a shower, rip-off. What a country!"
The truth is that this economy is driving many Americans to the brink of desperation. Even recent college graduates are becoming desperate enough to actually consider suicide. The following story is from an Unemployed-Friends user known as 08pacollegegrad....
"I could just take any job like working at fast food places, but I hear people who try can't even get hired there. I went to Wendy's for lunch the other day and I thought of picking up an application...but the slot where they keep the applications was completely empty. That should say it all. Plus, I feel like if I take just any job...I will be set back further and never be able to gain experience in my chosen fields.
I follow up on job applications, but employers ignore me for the most part when I try to contact them. I sent five follow up e-mails last week and got no responses. I contacted an employer expressing my interest in working for them, but all they gave me is the link to their online application system that I have never gotten a job from.
I am thinking of applying for more internships (I have already done two), but I don't want employers to think why I am applying for an internship when I should have had a full fledged job by now.
I have almost killed myself over my situaion and am taking anti-depressants right now. I see a psychiatrist every 4-6 weeks, but I still have days where I feel so empty. I am sick of sitting at home searching for jobs and praying for a response that never comes."
Many Americans spend day after day after day looking for a job that never comes. The sense of hopelessness that can build after doing this for a few years is almost indescribable. The following is another incredibly sad story from an Unemployed-Friends user known as feuxdejoie....
"I lost my job in June 2008, my husband was working but sentenced to prison for 4 years, for DUI, no accidents or injuries. I had been using my unemployment to pay bills but my last check came June 12, 2010. I'm alone and scared. The city that I live in has the highest unemployment in the State, Illinois. Our children are grown and I sit alone all day searching for jobs. My husband can only call once a month because of the outrageous rates for telephone calls. I'm at the end of my rope and don't know where to turn if they don't pass a tier V for unemployment or open up some jobs.
I turned 50 in April and had worked all of my life, starting at age 14 with a work permit! My employer stated to me that they needed someone bilingual and terminated me even after I told them that I would take classes to learn. I signed up for college and began classes in January then unemployment told me that I wasn't elgible for unemployment while attending school."
There are millions of Americans who believe that their lives are over because they can't get decent jobs. When you lose your job, your home, your car, your health insurance and then finally your unemployment insurance runs out, it is easy to lose all hope as an Unemployed-Friends user named Ember has done....
"so i feel pretty much hopeless. been unemployed since July 2008. in over two years i haven't even been called for an interview. tired of looking and applying for jobs outside of my field that require experience i don't have. it's all for naught. i have two bachelor of science degrees. my BS degrees, cuz that's what they're worth. since losing my job i've gotten divorced. lost my house. lost my health insurance. totalled my car and sustained chronic back pain. and moved in with my mom. and did i mention, when all this started i was a new mom, just back from maternity leave? so (now) i'm raising a toddler on my own, with no income. my unemployment insurance ran out a few weeks ago. i don't even know what to do now. i just want to disappear. i'm tired of trying. i'm tired of being a burden on everyone. if i didn't have the responsibility to take care of my child i wouldn't be around anymore."
This final example is from an Unemployed-Friends user identified as Faith1028. Be warned that this one will shake you to your core if you have any sensitivity at all. As you read this, keep in mind that this kind of thing is literally happening to millions of Americans these days....
"HI, y'all! This is my story. I'm from Chicago.
I lost my job 11.06.09 - I did my best to remain positive & confident that I would get a job by the end of November.
December 2009 - Still no job. I'm getting food stamps (LINK card) & Unemployment Benefits. Not much money at all, but I'm surviving. Thanks to all this stress, my stomach has been burning and/or been painful daily for all December. I puked my guts out on the 26th.
January 2010 - My stomach is still hurting every day. I had to close out my savings account. I haven't told my slumlord or my fellow tenants that I lost my job; I go on pretending I'm still going to work everyday. Unfortunately on the 26th, I got my eviction notice. I called the office to ask why. The response was "I don't know." I became hysterical. I've no job, no money, no family/friends to help. (I have many *relatives*, but no *family*.) I truly believed my only alternative was suicide. I wanted to say good-bye to my brother (my only sibling), but we haven't spoken to each other for over 4 years; I no longer have his address/phone number. I found him on Facebook. I didn't bring up my situation because I felt he wouldn't care. We exchanged a few messages and that was it. I haven't heard from him since. Good riddance.
February 2010 - Someone found a family that I can stay with for only $250/month! My own room! They turned out to be aquaintances of mine. Vegetarian, too! At least I have a place to stay. I'd rather live alone, but, hey, I'm desperate! -- And I'm not too crazy about the bedbugs. OW!
June/July 2010 - Thanks to daily/nightly use of citrine crystals since 30 May, I have no more stomach problems!
Thanks to weekly use of a natural (green!) pesticide from PlusNaturalEnzymes.com, I no longer have a problem with bedbugs! However...
Mid-June, my Unemployment Benefits ran out. Of course, I'm still looking for a job! What am I supposed to do - put a gun to someone's head and force them to hire me? As of this date, I have $12 left to my name; $0 in my chequeing account. I recently reapplied for and am now receiving food stamps. Before I got my food stamps back, I've eaten whatever (Vegetarian!) food I can get, even stuff I'm allergic to. As a result, I've become sick: cold-like symptoms, pain in lower intestines...and a rash over my arms, legs, & neck. Oh, does it itch! At least my food allergies are not life-threatening.
Needless to say, my depression has gotten worse.
I am really trying hard to remain positive -- and alive.
But why? Is it really all worth it?
I haven't paid July's rent, and the people I'm staying with are getting very *impatient*; I fear I'll be evicted again! The money is coming! It's not my bloody fault!
Someone on Twitter sent me a link to this site. I know I'm not the only one suffering; some folks have already committed suicide. I don't want to die, but I don't want to be homeless, either. I am so bloody scared.
Just give me money that my tax dollars paid for!
--Or better yet: GIVE ME A BLASTED JOB!!"
The really sad thing is that there are countless other stories just like these being posted all over the Internet all the time.
People are hurting.
People are losing hope.
So how did we get here?
Well, it turns out that the "haves" have figured out that they really don't need the "have nots" after all. Incredible advances in technology have increasingly enabled employers to replace humans with machines and computers. In addition, as we have detailed previously, millions upon millions of middle class American jobs are being shipped off to China and to dozens of third world nations where workers are more than happy to work for less than a tenth of what an American worker would make.
All of those jobs that have been lost to technology and that have been sent overseas are not going to come back. The hordes of long-term unemployed that we are seeing now is just the beginning. It is going to get a lot worse.
So the next time you hear a hard luck story from an unemployed American, don't look down on that person.
You might be next.
Haven’t we been here before? I remember a time of a country with a wrecked currency, lots of homeless, disabled vets begging in the streets, the economy falling apart for most, and general social malaise.
That was all true of Germany during the Weimar Republic.
Joe
Free Trade was a weapon of the British. It was frequently used by the British East India Company in alliance with the English banks. It allowed people outside the nation practicing (targeted by) free trade to totally reduce that nation to poverty.
Free trade would often seem to offer great initial prosperity. Then an economic downturn engineered by foreign traders and banks would result in catastrophic economic collapse. This would result in foreign nationals and foreign banks owning huge pieces of the targeted country. The locals were often reduced to grinding poverty.
The United States chose a different path. It was called Fair Trade. Basically, through tariffs and other protections, we protected our farmers, fisherman, and industry. The Europeans were astonished that we were achieving great prosperity without using free trade. Bismark in his diaries marveled how well we doing. Fair Trade was also called the American Method.
Oddly enough it was the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, that was the champion of Fair Trade. NO TRUE CONSERVATIVE BELIEVES IN FREE TRADE. Globalist Fascists masquerading as conservatives promote this “free trade”. We are now seeing the typical result of foreign banks and foreign nationals, in collaboration with moral, financial, and intellectual sellouts that are homegrown, destroying our country in the name of a theory, that being Free Trade.
Terry
This is so difficult to read. I quit Limbaugh when he advocated strongly years ago for NAFTA. Common sense told me if there’s a buck somewhere besides the US of A–companies will flock there.
Can we find folks who would allow a camper-trailer in their yards to house those who are living in the street? If the tenant can’t pay something for utilities, perhaps he/she could do yard work/housework/pickup cans, gardening-anything? IDONNO! There has to be answers.
Build on this idea.
….another thought There are way to many rules and unelected rule makers. Perhaps some who have the education can visit legislators, write letters to editors, speak at functions…..
In my humble opinion the country we all love has been bogged down with many unnecessary regulations. Licenses for everything. Redundant education to renew a license. Tests for unrelated materials to even qualify for a license.
Then, there are the unions. Is it really necessary to have unions for public employees? These are better paid than most on the outside doing similar jobs, especially when one looks at the benefit package. I truly dislike the “teachers” union! Why is it necessary?
Comon…you can think of more. All need to work on this one.
Okay folks, collectively, we could all could go after your politicians (regardless of party), the Prez, the Dept of Labor (of whom HILDA SOLIS is a MAJOR Illegal Alien Supporter), as well as the Chambers of
Commerce, Rotary Clubs and Commonwealths and economists across this nation demand that these things be done:
1. End: NAFTA (N. American Free Trade Agreement), CAFTA, GATT (General
Agreement on Trade-Tarrifs) and the WTO (World Trade Organization).——-We need to be Self Sufficent again, NOT dangerously
dependent on other nations———also: WHOSE ECONOMY ARE WE HELPING WHEN
WE BUY-MADE IN: China, Taiwan, Mexico, India, Vietnam, Honduras, etc, etc.—-Does anyone get the picture here?
2. Demand an end to Tax Breaks of ALL corporations who: Offshore, Outsource
and hire all manner of VISA WORKERS and ILLEGAL ALIENS and send the Visa Workers and Illegal Aliens home!
3. Demand that employers use E-VERIFY.
4. Demand a moratorium on the immigration rates in this nation. This needs to slow down considerably (regardless of national origin)–How do we already have so many UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED LEGAL CITIZENS yet continue the
business world to still invite more immigrants in?
5. End the FEDERAL RESERVE (it’s time remove that noose around our necks) and punish the BANKSTERS for ripping off our nation. They should be in jail with MADOFF and certainly, they should have NEVER RECEIVED THOSE BONUSES. AND….What’s so special about our BANKSTERS that they cannot be brought to
justice?
I don’t judge these ppl at all. Been there and done that and it was difficult. I lived on the street in Arizona for 9 months but could have lasted longer because I found out how to get by. What I found though is you have to look at life differently and you really have to swallow your pride. I went door to door looking for work and found it. Painted, mowed, rocked yards, tore off roofs, picked up dog poop, fixed cars, cleaned houses, scrapped metal, and whatever it took. It was depressing and hard but I learned a lot. One thing is never give up your vehicle OR if you do have a vehicle then trade it for a beater in good shape and try to get as much money out of it as you can. A vehicle is your base. A truck is better than a car because you can haul stuff in a truck like recyclables and such. Also, dumpsters are a treasure trove. Food, scrap , and clothes are easily attainable. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel but you need to believe it. Just think of how many ppl are worse off than you and get it in perspective. Those miners in Chile will be in that hole for at least four months. I’ll bet that they wish they could be in your shoes. Also watch uplifting movies if you can. “Pursuit of Happiness” with Will Smith is a true story and pretty much says it all. BTW, I now have more money than I ever thought I would ever have so “Never give up , Never surrender”. I had my dark thoughts too but glad I stuck around to see what happened next.
Start deporting all the illegals and shut off the flow from the rest of the third world, and there would be plenty jobs, oil, food, ect.
It is a sad state of affairs but do remember 70 percent of world citizens have always lived in a state of desperation. Mike Rivero (whatreallyhappened.com)says:
Unfortunately, the economic policies of this government are exacerbating the problem.
We need to:
1. Abolish the Federal Reserve, and have the government issue its own money, as originally intended by the Founding Fathers.
2. Slash taxes and spending (primarily on these illegal and immoral wars without end.)
3. Create incentives for companies to bring back our manufacturing base.
He is correct.Hating other cultures will not help you. While you’re hating your neighbor the government is reaching right into your pocket. You’re at rallies to get “them” out while the government is on the floor changing laws left and right. PAY ATTENTION. Keep your eyes where they should be-on the government alone.
America is falling due to racial and social divide and conquer. It is working.
You think Arizona is such a trendsetter? Notice they haven’t abolished a single contract with those that don’t support them? They still take money from every state that abhors their behavior. You say good it means the other states are stupid to keep giving Arizona money.
It says to me Arizona just figured out a way to make every state give them more cash-which has yet to go to a single created job. With the cash they get and the illegals gone where are all of the new jobs? But wow look at the perks the politicians get. Sweet.
Yeah MEEP! Thats the idea I wanted to convey(see comment 8/27 4.32 pm). Get rid of all kinds of druthers and hang-ups to face the future. If you try to predict it, you would probably opt for suicide. Go naked into all your futures and let it be what it will be. Take care of now. If you cannot use Constitutional prerogatives, let the BS continue. We all die……., even the elites whose manipulations brought us to this. I curse them and their descendants daily. Those axxeholes who have fitted into niches need to see that it is their usefulness to the Elites, not personal greatness or hard work, that causes them to live salubriously even now! Now we know the American Dream was a fictitious cover for the diabolical conquest of America. Now we know for sure!
It’s too late. (God’s hand writes straight in crooked lines). We are living the end result of something put into motion long ago before grandparents were born. It won’t be long now. Never was in ‘our’ hands – but in hands of the ‘elite’. All clockwork – and on ‘their’ schedule. It will be gone to ‘naught’ in an hour. Don’t knock yourself out – very evident how hard Americans have worked -even shared – if only to keep up with the ‘Jones’. Few ‘lazy slobs’ in America – didn’t get 37 hr workweek -or 4 wk or ‘months’ off such as in Europe they boasted about. Propaganda’s powerful – but 3,000 miles across – a land of one ‘speaking’ language & real estate to be proud of – Well! Speaks for itself. Alas, the ‘civilizzzed’ world is completely in chaos- magnitude caused by ‘elite’ -but all predictable. Secret to look at the bottle 1/2 full – not 1/2 empty – taught by grandmothers of ‘prohibition’ era ’20s. Loss of job, money, roof, food – and the good ol days. Nothing is forever – everything is ‘on loan’. ‘The evil ones’ will pay the ultimate price. What to do now is ‘reach out’ and help a ‘brother. Live by the rules of decency- this is ‘when the going gets tough – the tough ‘get going’. Does ‘stuff’ make you – or do you make the ‘stuff’. Master – or mastered. We’re in the trenches – wherever you are -there you are – be your best self. Sleeping well is a reward money can’t buy. If not, make amends. The reward is Eternity. The chaff will be winnowed out.
Start a business. Thats what I did back in the early 80′s when things went down hill. I prospered since then I have made a very comfortable life for myself. I have the best of everything and I don’t lack for anything. I thank God everyday for everything that I have. God gave me the body and brain to be somebody that can sustain themselves without the need of government or anyone else. Not everyone can do this, I know that, but if you have fingers and Internet access and the knowledge to realize where you are and what your circumstances are in this one and only life that you have then you should do all you can to stay alive and prosper. Start by not sitting at home all day looking for work. Sitting at home does nothing for you. I was lucky in the beginning I didn’t have a home. I also slept in my car and I used it to move around and make the deals and offers that began my business that became my livelihood. Don’t sit at home. If you think that filling out applications is not working then consider going on commission. What do you have to lose. You don’t have anything anyway. The best that can happen is that someone will take you on your offer and you will gain. Go sell something. Go NOW! This is the only life that you have. Remember that no one cares about you as much as yourself. No one will do anything until you force it on them. People won’t budge until you confront them and people wont buy from you until you ask them to. So go do it!
Lucille put it so well.
That is one of the best responses here.
Economic interaction is unstoppable.
You can’t stop trade or commerce.
All the establishment does is try to manipulate it and control it.
Small business hires 90% of all Americans!
Small business is the backbone of this country, not Walmart.
They’ve fooled us all into begging them for jobs and the government for welfare.
We don’t need any of them to buy, work and trade.
What we need is a healty and thriving black market economy independent of all their
business-stopping laws and requirements.
Yes, it is time to come to the ‘senses’. We have 5 (most of us). But – this is not ‘every man for himself’. No. Every century of mankind -things went sour. Things have usually been bad for the ‘little guys’ since the beginning- history repeats itself. However – back when people could round up a few dollars doing their ‘thing’ like selling pencils etc -but now – with the laws & the internet – everything is being recorded. They have even put ‘bartering’ on the income tax info. So – to live morally and lawfully have become separate issues (not necessarily one or the other). Dignity is achieved by overcoming that which is difficult by maintaining morals. They can take away that which is tangible – however – the riches lie in that which we can share – that is priceless. No one is ‘safe’. Anyone who is ‘comfortable’ will soon not be. We are all a link in a chain – no man is an island. To sell – means someone else has to afford to buy it. But we can be imaginative, invent, please, smile, sing, reach out -we can share without a price tag – and information is valuable. There is no such thing as a ‘college education gets you somewhere’. It does get you a huge student loan and does not guarantee a job. I know people with Master degrees slinging burgers right now. The future is ‘now’ – tomorrow may not come. Time to ‘dust yourself off’, take stock of what you do have, count the blessings. If you sleep in a car, thank God for the car. If you sleep in a homeless shelter, thank God for the homeless shelter. This is not a matter of ‘crying in one’s beer’. Look forward – not back (as in Lot’s wife). Get a grip. If God wanted you gone – you’d be gone – so there is still a reason for you to be here. There are ‘NO Jobs’. That was corporate America – corporate America is gone – over-seas – they sold out. The Gates foundation just bought into the Monsanto who makes the ‘terminator’ seed. Thanks Gates for the computer. It’s not just the little guy on the ‘countdown’ – but the ones who think they’re safe – on the other team. The time has come to ‘get together’ – just as before. There are communities called ‘intentional communities’ being formed all across America – of many styles and flavors (so to speak). This may be a huge answer for the current homeless. When the time comes – it is not ‘who’ you are -but ‘what’ you are – that will count.
I grew up way poorer than anyone I know now. As a child I was happy, even when hungry. I learned things that others didn’t know. I could do things that other couldn’t do. Poverty isn’t as bad as it is made out to be. Most of the happiest times of my life were when I was my poorest. No kidding!
I have to agree with you Lucille!!!
Make your future!
I saw the impending collapse back in 2004. By 2005 I had set myself up in a position to have choices. By the end of 2005 my good paying job ended. I never even considered applying for another job or UE. I knew that another job would only lead to my financial ruin. I had to do something on my own. I had two years of very hard times. I struggled when other spent frivolously. I have several endeavors that provide me cash flow, when one slows another is there. I accept no defeat, and I’m always looking for something new.
I have to be very thankful for my abilities. I give to others in need and I am very sympathetic to others not as fortunate as me. But ultimately everyone will have to be able to provide for themselves.
That is a REALITY.
As Lucille said: “GO NOW” you really can do it. Figure out something that people need and figure out how to do it well. Then do it like no other, make it your thing. Look people in the eye, they aren’t any better than you. Speak up, be heard, and stand out. Need is the ultimate motivator, utilize that to your benefit. Go further, try harder; these are the things that made America great in the first place, before mega-opolopy. No machine can offer this nor can anybody in China or India or elsewhere.
You have all the power.
Don’t get discouraged when things get impossible; right after is when it gets good. The worse that can happen is that you have to try again. That is ok; you get to try again and again if necessary. The only way you can fail is to stop trying. You might be surprised how many people will assist you when they see you trying your hardest.
Suicide, something that I considered many years ago, never enters my mind any more. I threw off the covenants of state, church and media and now my mind is mine. The thought of suicide never even comes to me anymore. It is those MtrFkr’s that are telling you lies; that you are not good enough, that you can’t do for yourself.
Think for yourself…Free yourself.
“Do It NOW!”
Oh, Ivan.New Zealand, your country is also in severe decline and will soon be in worse shape than ours. It too was built on injustices of the past. But it lacks one thing that only the USA has; TRUE AMERICAN SPIRIT!
You are wrong to confuse the American government with the American people. It is the American people who are speaking here.
So… Hate not, and Fear not.
this is now happening toAmericans….n u will not be alone….it will happen globally……China , India are both bubbles…..the world economy and its growth had been fueled by cheap money for the last 40 years…….when credit contracts….it will collapse badly…..most effected will be jobless middle class……we will not see the level of spending and growth seen in the last decade..or perhaps sometime after a few decades….forget jobs……its all about SURVIVAL now
Joe the clerk needs to work 100 hours a week at minimum wage to support his lifestyle – probably has a truck, boat, toy hauler, quads and goes to the river every weekend. Most likely, still trying to live a spoiled lifestyle. He doesn’t need to put anyone down because even that minimum wage job could be gone tomorrow.
Plenty of jobs, get off your ass and don’t be so damn afraid to relocate!
SEARCHING FOR JOB IS NOT THE BEST SOLUTION!
why? 1. you may loose it soon anyway and 2. the usa government is quickly implementing new laws so that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer so whatever you will earn may not be enough for your expenses anyway.
THE SOLUTION: somehow you must find a piece of land and start growing your own vegetable and have something to eat. even some 500 square meters of land are enough to feed a small family! within few years American cities will be a hard place to live – violence, hunger, epidemics, gang ruling… get away somehow until it is easier!
Nice article, but technology isn’t the reason why this happened. (Go read “Economics in One Lesson” by Henry Hazlitt).
If someone gets the blame for this, it’s undoubtedly the Federal Reserve.
The mantra is ‘divide and conquer’. Quite a prize to be gotten from the ‘lambs’ -sacrificial lambs. Divide & conquer.(Catacombs calling) Okay – so what to do? Yes, American ingenuity is the answer – such as ‘thinking out of the box’. Another thing is ‘there is comfort in numbers’. Relocate. Connect with others like-minded -the time is coming when much ‘comfort’ needs to be shared -everyone will have lost much (around the world – even stuck-on-itself Europe). Make yourself a ‘small package’ of the basics -technology etc while still obtainable. No one is safe. They took the waterways a couple of years ago-next is the land. Prophecy was ‘there would come a time when people would be enchained -without chains -because of all the laws’. Still areas where people live in the countryside and need help. While the internet is still going (not for long) good thing to get information down on hardcopy of where to go. Make those connections now. (Go find your tribe) -Not a time to ‘cry in the beer’. Grab your ‘dignity’ together. Make preparations for personal comfort sortof better than the ‘Go Bag’ they were advertising on tv in NYC area after towers went down. This is for ‘real’ -(can’t ya feel it)- and when the time comes (pretty soon) – not a good time to be stuck in the city under mrmarshalls law. HOwever -if you are a Christian you know that much better times are ahead – the earth doesn’t end (discovery channel?) – it simply will change for the better.
The path that the world economy is on is a slippery slope. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Quality of life is not going to be suddenly evenly distributed, without a bloody war, or (hopefully) a more peaceful, economic revolution.
There’s a lot of land out there, and even if the government/big business owns it all, they cannot police it all. Hopefully, enough Americans realize that working 100 hours a week for soon-to-be worthless American dollars only perpetuates the cycle. ‘They’ are only as rich as ‘we’ make them! Degrees, money, and employment status do not matter when the bombs drop!
My only concern is that Americans don’t have the properly-developed survival instinct required to build your own house, farm your own food, evade the authorites, and establish a new economy. I fear that many are ‘brainwashed’ to the point that they would consider suicide as a better option than this.
If you have means, consider yourself lucky. If you have greater means, help a fellow human out: give him a place to stay, or feed him. If you are without means, good luck, hang in there soon, change is on the way. If you are feeling invigorated, get yourself to a rural area, squat in a house, grow/catch your own food, and live the easy life! PS – collect your bottle caps, because I am proposing that they become the new currency of ‘Inner North America’
Lost your job? Thank a tea bagger. They demand employers pay healthcare and make employers foot the bill. They want to go to the doctor of their choice even if it runs the company out of business. When we tried to get what every other country has, they screamed at town hall meetings. Now we lost our jobs. Tea baggers have destooyed this country. They do not want to pay tax but want to get everything for free. Tea Baggers are trash.