Friday, January 16, 2009

"Going Through The Big 'D' And I Don't Mean Dallas"

For those who aren't familiar with country music... you have to know that the guy singing the song is about to lose something...and it isn't his dog!

Now the Big D doesn't mean Divorce...but Depression. I think we are going through a depression.

I suppose there are defined lines between economic downturn, recession, and depression. But, sometimes you just know one when you see it. Jobs are being lost not regained. The job losses are in almost every sector. Stocks are a disaster. Real estate has taken hits. Sales are down, etc.

Just talk to people: Car dealer...only four left on the payroll and two of those are on commission; NY lawyer back in WA to be with parents (finance industry bust); MBA family of 5 back in WA (CA housing industry bust); Boeing; PACCAR; teachers (even); carpenters; Circuit City; etc.

You know it when you see it. "Going though the big 'D' and I don't mean Dallas."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess it is time to think about growing a garden, recycling tin foil, zip lock bags, and spending more time mending.
My grandmother kept reusing the same slip till it became more like a patchwork quilt. A friend of mine's grandfather refused to use more than one sheet of toilet paper at a time and instructed him to do the same. Over the years I have really pondered that one. He lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I guess in that remote region you do what you have to do.
When I worked in housing, an elderly man died and we had to clean out his apartment. It was filled with empty boxes and cans that had been carefully washed. Not sure what that was all about.
Anyway you look at it, our wasteful ways may need to change.

Anonymous said...

I agree it's a depression. As a family our situation has systematically went downhill for the past 4 years. For the first time in 2 decades I have turned to organizations for help (food banks, energy assistance) I called every day for 5 weeks straight before I could get an energy assistance appointment because they were full and I'm not going to be seen until Mid February. I believe this is worse than earlier depressions because we all live so seperated from each other. Families wont have each other to lean on and pull resources. These are truly difficult times hard to deal with.