In Tough Economic Times - We Can Make It!

We all know that we are in very tough economic times. It is affecting everyone of us, either personally or through someone we immediatley know. You do not have to reach far to touch the current crisis. The President has a lot of planes to land as he said in an interview with Jim Leher. It will not be easy. While he is trying to do that let us begin landing our own planes....

A few quotes I want to share:

WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans on Sunday predicted a doomsday scenario of crushing debt and eventual federal bankruptcy if President Barack Obama's massive spending blueprint wins passage.

"The practical implications of this is bankruptcy for the United States," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. "There's no other way around it. If we maintain the proposals which are in this budget over the 10-year period that this budget covers, this country will go bankrupt. People will not buy our debt; our dollar will become devalued." By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer

"No plan is perfect," Mr. Obama said. "And I can't stand here and promise you that not one single dollar will slip through the cracks, but what I can promise you is that we will do everything in our power to prevent that from happening." By JEFF ZELENY

With the recent events of the AIG bonuses, the attitude of the American public has grown more bitter and concerned as to the real benefit of all this bailout money and how it is going to affect all of us taxpayers. People are getting restless and weary!

In the world of economics, a recession is a general slowdown in the economy of a country over a sustained period of time. Such things measured as employment, investment spending, capacity utilization, household incomes and other business profits all fall during recessions, as well as stocks.

The current recession is seeing private consumption fall for the first time in nearly 20 years. This indicates the depth and severity of the current recession. Consumer confidence is at an all time low, and any recovery will take some time. Consumers in the U.S. have been hard hit by the current recession, with the value of their houses dropping and retirement destroyed on the stock market. Not only have consumers watched their wealth dwindle away, but, they are also now fearing for their jobs as unemployment rises.

Unemployment Rates by % - Via CNNMoney.com

51 MICHIGAN 9.6
50 RHODE ISLAND 9.3
48 CALIFORNIA 8.4
48 SOUTH CAROLINA 8.4
47 OREGON 8.1
45 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 8
45 NEVADA 8
44 NORTH CAROLINA 7.9
43 GEORGIA 7.5
39 ALASKA 7.3
39 FLORIDA 7.3
39 ILLINOIS 7.3
39 OHIO 7.3
38 MISSISSIPPI 7.2
37 INDIANA 7.1
36 KENTUCKY 7
35 TENNESSEE 6.9
34 MISSOURI 6.7
33 CONNECTICUT 6.6
31 MINNESOTA 6.4
31 WASHINGTON 6.4
29 ARIZONA 6.3
29 MAINE 6.3
25 ALABAMA 6.1
25 NEW JERSEY 6.1
25 NEW YORK 6.1
25 PENNSYLVANIA 6.1
24 MASSACHUSETTS 5.9
23 COLORADO 5.8
19 ARKANSAS 5.7
19 IDAHO 5.7
19 TEXAS 5.7
19 VERMONT 5.7
17 DELAWARE 5.6
17 WISCONSIN 5.6
15 LOUISIANA 5.3
15 MARYLAND 5.3
12 HAWAII 4.9
12 KANSAS 4.9
12 MONTANA 4.9
11 VIRGINIA 4.8
10 OKLAHOMA 4.7
9 WEST VIRGINIA 4.6
6 IOWA 4.3
6 NEW HAMPSHIRE 4.3
6 NEW MEXICO 4.3
4 NEBRASKA 3.7
4 UTAH 3.7
3 SOUTH DAKOTA 3.4
2 NORTH DAKOTA 3.3
1 WYOMING 3.2

Something can be done if we keep our eyes and our ears opened, and begin to be awre of what is happening around us. Do not take anything for granted. Understand the current situation, and what it means to you and how it will affect you and has, then, search for a resource, of both information and revenue to get to where you want to go.

It is hard to see people losing their homes and 401k retirement plans. Friends, family, who have worked so long, so hard. We are aimed at doing something to help, and to do so immediately, - even if it is just a prayer, or a kind word in your direction.....