The State Of The Economy

If you are a working class person in the industrialized world, as most people are, you can tell me with remarkable certainty the state of the economy.

High unemployment, shrinking wages, mounting debts and you make nearly nothing on the interest rate paid on your savings.

The U.S. Government speaks of a recovering economy but even five years after the economic meltdown the U.S. Fed in record levels is actively buying U.S. government debt to stabilize American and global financial markets and to stabilize the banks.

Small business, which is a jobs engine, continues to struggle. The stock markets now are skyrocketing but as we saw in the 1990's, 2000 and in 2008, all those "profits" and "gains" can be lost in a hurry.

This is a time for working people to act, a time to cross train and to strengthen one's job skills. It is a time to reduce debts so one is not overextended and overwhelmed.

It is also a time of renewal, a time to see one's self anew and to be selective in what really matters in one's life. And as in any times, good or bad, it is a time to be loving, understanding and forgiving.

Your family and friends need your support as they struggle, as do people en masse who now go to food banks. In the U.S. it is estimated that one in six people go to food banks to help feed their families.

But this is also a time that builds character as one recognize the challenges and rises to meet those challenges.

The greatest learning experiences and the greatest triumphs arise not in good times which are easy, but in bad times which test the souls of those who must endure them.

Together we will endure these difficult times and grow wiser, more compassionate and ultimately more prosperous from this experience.

Dick