Thursday, February 16, 2012

It's the Economy




This past week there has been a lot in the news about the economy.   Just when the media is reporting that our economy is turning around, I'm starting to see the impact of our reckless economic policies. For months I saw the reports on television about the housing crisis, and I heard the monthly unemployment statistics, but in spite of all the reporting, it didn't really hit home for me.  My life wasn't impacted.   It wasn't personal.  It was easy to dismiss the story of the family who didn't pay their mortgage.  I could chalk it up to making bad decisions and over-extending their spending.  They didn't make responsible choices.  As someone who has never been out of work for an extended period of time, it was difficult for me to imagine going months or years without a job offer.  I could rationalize that they're being too choosy or not trying hard enough.  It was easy to stay in my comfort zone, blame the victim, and distance myself from the possibility of economic disaster.


Last week I had an email from a former co-worker.  He is my age, late fifties/early sixties.  We worked together in the Migrant Education/ESL Program in the early days of my educational career.  He's a smart guy with advanced degrees.  I remember that he was a good writer.  He played the guitar and used music in his English as a second language classes.  Although he is a native English speaker, he spoke Spanish fluently.  He has been out of work for several years.  He sent me a note because he was "mourning" his early educational career.  He remembers it as a time where his work was valued and his supervisors were supportive.  He wonders who decided that the work we did, educating migrant children, was not worthwhile or worthy of continued funding.  He has held several teaching positions since that time and then worked in the business sector, but lost his job when a hearing loss impacted his ability to do his job. He has actively searched for work for several years.  Most recently he was searching openings for farm workers, but worries that he does not have the physical stamina to work in the field all day.  Here is someone who has followed all the rules.  He went to college and completed advanced degrees.  He learned a foreign language.  He married and raised a family and contributed to his community.  He can't find a job.



My son-in-law lost his job in October.  He's also followed all the rules.  He has a college degree, not in one of those fluffy liberal arts areas, but in chemistry. He has a solid employment history of challenging positions. Several years ago he accepted his "dream job"and moved his family to Austin, Texas. They bought a house and settled in to raise their family. When his employer was unable to renew government contracts, he was among the staff who were let go.   He is aggressively looking for a job, but has been unsuccessful.


I was in Austin last month to visit my grandchildren. My youngest granddaughter is four and until her father lost his job, she attended a preschool/daycare program. When daddy first lost his job her parents decided to keep her in preschool for half a day to minimize the impact on her schedule. A half day of preschool in Austin is $600.00 a month. After three months out of work they could no longer afford $600.00 a month for preschool.




Monday morning, while her older sister was at school, the two of us went on an adventure.  She wanted to ride the merry-go-round and then go to lunch at McDonald's.   We sat on the plastic furniture by the play structure at McDonald's and my granddaughter said to me, " I really miss my friends at school. I'll never see them again. I really loved my school, Nana." 

The economy has become personal.

11 comments:

  1. I'm heart-broken for you, your granddaughter, family and dear friend. I hope things improve for them very soon. However, a prolonged period of unemployment can be life-changing for an individual and a family. My father lost his job when I was 13 (he was 44) and he was never able to get another. He died young, a broken man. And that all had a major impact on my brother and me. And, after a frantic year of unemployment more than 20 years ago -- when I either got no responses or replies that I was overqualified -- I held multiple jobs at once for the next 20 years before retirement to preclude such desperation again. My heart goes out to those many families, including yours, who are suffering now.

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  2. The guy who lived downstairs from me lost his job and a year later had run out of all options, applying for jobs every day. When unemployment ran out, he was finally evicted from his apartment and had to move away. I was heartbroken for him, I saw how hard he tried, but he is in his mid-forties and nobody wanted to hire him. This economy is indeed personal. And to read about people who never missed a payment, never did anything wrong, forced out of their homes by the misdeeds of banks... I could do on but it will only make me mad.

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  3. Oh my, what a touching post. You're right, most of us are just far enough removed that we feel no pain from this economic disaster. A lot to think about in this post. Most of us need our chain jerked from time to time. Thanks for writing this post.

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  4. Yes, these the stories around us, and for the life of me I can't understand how it got so bad so fast for so many people. Hope things turn around soon.

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  5. Unless you're in that top five percent, the bad economy will hit you eventually.

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  6. Oh girl, that last line brings a huge lump to my throat. Yes, it's dire just about everywhere. My eldest emailed me today to say when he comes home from Uni over Easter, his regular bar job the manager holds open for him here won't exist anymore - the hotel is closing (sigh). He's lucky, he CAN survive without work, he has no family to support, and us to help pay his bills. Your friend, on the other hand, I can only imagine what he must be going through. I do count my blessings, although our incpme has more than halved over the past few years, we are okay, noone is going hungry and the bills can still be met. I really have to remind myself of that often. Things could be so, so much worse..

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  7. I'm part of the people who were duped into believing so many wonderful things and in the end suffered with a foreclosure, loss of two jobs, bankruptcy and a slew of additional fallout after 2008. We were on the early wave of the collapse and have since started to recover but back then Matt had to take a 75% paycut, and I took a 100% pay cut in order to just survive. When it hits home there is no stopping the emotional outpouring. I wish for your family quick success in locating something that allows them to get back on track as quickly as possible. For all of your sakes but most especially your granddaughter.

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  8. You personalized this for us in a way that breaks my heart for your daughter, son-in-law and sweet granddaughter. I'm sure you are so worried. My husband and I feel blessed that we are retired and don't have to worry, but I am seeing a close family go through so much for the past five years because of unemployment also. I worry about this person all the time. A daughter also went a year and a half without a job after she was laid off because of the economy. When she finally got a job, she broke down in tears when they offered her the job. She had applied to so many, gone on so many interviews, that when she was sitting in the interview room on a second interview and was offered the job, she just broke down.

    I hope your son-in-law finds something soon. I pray all of my children keep their jobs. Things are so iffy these days.

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  9. I watch my children - all six of our sons are in the trades - or were. They are baffled. We are sympathetic. It does affect us all.

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  10. It got real for me a long time ago. My son lost his job three years ago, was unemployed for a long time, and has b een underemployed ever since finding work. Friends of his have lost their homes. One 36 year old has had to move his family back in with his parents. I don't know if that generation will ever recover financially. Mu daughter moved from Colorado when she landed a teaching job here, and finally her husband has found work here and is in the process of moving the rest of the household belongings here. but they can't sell their house back there and may have to walk away from it.
    Its very personal. And it makes me very angry.

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  11. Great post! It hit home for my family a long time ago, too, as my son-in-law's employer decided to relocate. My son-in-law decided this would be a good time for him to go out on his own--he's in computers--and then boom! The economy crashed. It breaks your heart when your daughter says, "I'm just so tired of being poor." I do see some signs that the economy is recovering. Yes, the housing industry, banks, etc., were partly to blame, but also we've been pouring money into war that could have been used to rebuild our infrastructure at home. Yes, I think we should redirect some of that money into worthwhile programs that will help our country and put money in the pockets of our families. Then when the economy is more robust, we can turn our attention to deficit cutting.

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