Economic Recovery is not here, YET.

I am writing as I watch the evening news with Charlie Gibson. This is after I spent the last couple hours reading the news from various economists and the average person who has felt this recession the most, and of course, my own experiences from this economic mess. I have now gone beyond my worst. For me, this is the longest I have been without a job since I have been 12 years old. I am 48 1/2. All those years of working have taught me one thing. Listen to your gut feelings.


I am hearing everyone say that we are now in a recovery and we will see it better by the end of the year. Apparently none of these people are looking at EVERYTHING. While it is true that spending has gone up in the last month, which is mostly due to the “Cash for Clunkers Program”. The experts are saying it is also up from the purchase of electronics, namely appliances. Correct me if I am wrong but did they not start the same “cash for” program with appliances also?

And even though I am unemployed, I go to the stores and purchase the food we need as well as other necessities. What I see in the checkout line is not exactly good news. Why? Well for one these people are picking through their wallets for a credit card that has enough left on it for this particular purchase. If they were using cash or even a debit card, then I would feel a little better. Just because something is being purchased, does not mean things are good. How long will they be able to use those cards before they must pay it back? How many payments will be made on those new cars? Will their jobs still be there in January?

I will give you all 36 years of experience and perhaps a bit more wisdom than is being shown by those that are telling you we are recovering. Many companies typically cut back at this time of year because winter is a bit slower. Many companies are at the end of their fiscal year and need to do inventory and other housecleaning in order to plan for the next year. This planning includes what kind of money they will be allotting for major expenditures which would also include hiring for the coming year. Now with that said, all of this means that there will be more layoffs. Even in good times, this is the time of year that companies will trim their workforce.

Keeping all of this in mind, and don’t forget the use of credit for current purchases, do you think that there will be increased spending? I don’t think so. Even with the “Great Deal” sales going on at stores during the year, most people are still buying it on time. I am sorry, but even if you offered me a 250k home for 50k, I would have to painfully turn it down, simply because I would not take the chance at a dream, only to lose it because I could not pay for it.

Black Friday may only be here the day after Thanksgiving symbolically, but it may still be a day of red for many. I am telling you this for one reason, and that is so you may save yourself, your family, and what little you may have. Last year I had a Christmas tree with no presents underneath it. This year I will not spend 30 bucks on a tree. That money will be used to feed my family. I will instead use our decorations on the couple of live pine trees in front of my house. Christmas Eve I will stand out there gazing at those trees and wonder where all the common sense in this world went to. I already know the answer to that. It was swallowed up by the greed of this world. People were blinded by what they thought was the American Dream. A dream, that turned into a nightmare, for too many of these people.

I will have hope that when many will lose all they have because they are listening to these “experts” now, that they will not lose their sanity as well. If you will be one of those to blindly follow the blind, know that you will be in my heart. Perhaps next year at this time we will truly feel a recovery and I hope many jobs will have come back. But it may not even happen then if everyone continues to “spend” their credit and follow those with more than enough money to burn. Trust me, you will not lose out on anything by playing it safe. Some of the banks and companies that rely on you to keep spending may fail, but there will be someone behind them to bring a little more common sense to the industry. Our government will not and cannot keep pitching money into bottomless pits. So bottom line is, let these companies and banks fail because they do not deserve your money and do not have the common sense to protect future business by protecting YOU, now. Their future in ensured but your future is not. Protect yourself NOW, and do not follow the hype!

But don’t sit on your butt either, push your Senators and Congressmen and women to work on change NOW, or be gone at the next election. Vote for someone who will change what has become to be known as “The Good Ole Boy Club”. No politician should have so much of a connection with any company or bank that would prevent them voting for the interests of the people. Stop these politicians from spending weeks on something that will never create change. They are there for us not themselves, PERIOD!!!