The Pain Realized

Articles are being written at a feverish pace about the plight of the US. But economists are quick to point out that this is not the first time that something above a recession and approaching a crisis has occurred. With the unemployment totals, as cited by this weeks' DOL statistics approaching 8% and new unemployment claims seemingly winding up, with a weekly average loss going from 580k to 607k from January to February. It is staggering, scary big numbers. Those numbers are encroaching everywhere.

So I really want to focus on the human cost for a moment because, when these things, the economy, the mistakes, the corruption, when it hits your household, then you truly understand. I work in human resources, a profession that by its definition is constantly on the frontline of loss and gain in individual lives. How many stories have you heard about a 50-60 year old losing their two decade or three decade old job with a major corporation? It is a somewhat common occurrence these days. As the recession retreats further into crisis level, that feeling that you are insulated starts to disintegrate.

Fear breeds fear. It is spoken of in the lunchrooms at factories and in boardrooms alike. You may think that because you are on the lower end of the scale that the other end feels it to a lesser extent or not at all. But this is not true, and somewhere deep down inside, you know this. No matter who you are you can't always outrun the tide.

But as you read these days, you need to also realize that harshness does come to pass. No country has ever been so resilient and stalwart as these United States. The problems that you are facing though, each of us are truly a part of and can do something about. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines and wait around for things to get better. I strongly suggest the proactive approach.

We need to be pointing out bad deals set in play by our politicians. We need to get ticked enough to say something when, as Fortune Magazine noted in its February 16th issue, the oversight for TARP was blatantly missing. The last job application you filled out was longer than the one banks had to fill out to get money doled out to them. We ought be angry enough to call a congressman when they decide that what's not good enough for this Stimulus bill is having a tax break for unprofitable companies unless revenues are higher than 5 million. Or how about how they stripped out E-verify, a system that I personally use and set up for my company. It is the one thing that would have absolutely ensured that only people that are legally allowed to work in the US do so.

This is tough stuff to chew. It goes down badly like a piece of gristle with no drink to wash it down. So I really truly hope that that pit in your stomach is starting to burn as much as it does mine.