Joblessness – Society, Marriage and the Implications of Long-Term Despondency
February 11th, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized — Economic Author
Regardless of how the Stock Market may be doing, it’s jobs that are the true measure of just how far our recovery has come. And, by that bellweather, we’ve gone nowhere. Jobs run the economy, give us money to spend to drive the economy, and without that, we’re in for a long haul of trouble, despair and despondency.
Cities like Detroit and so many others are hurting like never before. You can’t keep doing things the same old way to bail out of a Great Recession or Depression. It looks good on paper for the Dow to climb, but it’s as “irrational an exuberance” as there’s ever been.
What is going to happen to families, marriages, alcohol abuse rates, schools, and our society at large without jobs? Will life cease to mean much for the masses? It certainly could go that route. We’re already seeing it. Just look all around you. How many people do you know who have lost their jobs, homes, health insurance, their collective spirit? You and I probably fall into that category, too.
Most of that money used for bailing out the culprits of our economic doomsday should’ve gone to us. The lion’s share of our tax money (emphasis on “our”) should have been used on the American People. Create jobs, save homes, save families, the middle class, our way of life. But, is it too little, too late? I hope not, but it does not look good.
What will be the long-term and lasting effects of this rampant joblessness? Don’t ask the men of Russia. There are fewer and fewer of them everyday. They’ve handled their times of despair and desperation with vodka, and it’s killing them in droves. Are we to suffer a similar fate? Please, no.
We are used to having bad things happen, then quickly resolve. But, this isn’t one of those times. I don’t think we can actually grasp the magnitude and implications of all that has befallen us. Retirement has suddenly become an archaic relic from past decades and generations. You can’t retire if you don’t have a job in the first place. And, you sure can’t retire if your 401k has vaporized along with the other $5 trillion dollars worth of them over the last year or two.
I wish I could end this piece with some good news, but it is eluding me at the moment. We are in a state of despair, denial and: politics as usual. Isn’t that what got us here in the first place? How can you turn to the dysfunctional source of all your misfortune for your rescue? I don’t think you can.
About the Author:
Grant Brad Gerver is an entrepreneur and creative consultant for Filibi Classified Ads & Printable Coupons: a business grounded in generosity paying 70% commissions. Click here to post free ad with pictures. No cost to join and earn. “Gerv” is also a YouTube (gbgerver) blues singer-songwriter and guitar player who performs with The Buzzard Brothers. He’s a retired elementary school teacher who works in the mental health care field.
