I have a JOB! But why doesn't anyone else?

Hallelujah, I found a job! Right now South Carolina has an 11.4% unemployment rate, so I do believe it's a miracle. I am now an employee of Books-A-Million for the third summer in a row.
This store is much smaller than the one I worked at previously, at least in terms of merchandise. This could be good and bad. I'll have to put on more Southern Charm to sell discount cards.

I saw an article in Time a while back that discussed how the terminology of the wealthy has changed. We used to talk about what we owned, you know? I have a nice car. I have a great house. Or else we talked about where we went to school or what degree we had. But now we talk about our jobs.

What does this say about how our economy is working? A few years ago we felt secure enough to spend. We felt sure we could go to school. But now student loans are scarce, grants are getting cut, and people all over are losing their jobs. Personally, I think we've skipped the recession and gone straight to a depression, but you know the big wigs won't ever say that. Can you imagine the panic? We saw how crazy people went over the swine flu. I went to the doc today for a sinus infection, and they drew blood to test "on a hunch." Sorry guys, but I don't appreciate feeling lightheaded so that you can relieve your paranoia.

Having a job is our new measure of wealth. Especially a job that has security! If you can say "I do have a job! It only pays eight dollars an hour, but I know I'll still have it in six months," you can feel that you are better off than someone who is working in a major corporation facing bankruptcy. Their salary might be better than yours, but they are making back-up plans and making sure their resumes are up-to-date. You can focus on working and waiting for things to look up.

I have my own plan. Well, a back-up plan. I knew going into school that I was going to have problems finding a job as a music teacher--especially with the way music programs are getting cut. So I'm minoring in Spanish with the goal of being a bilingual band director and possibly heading to Texas. Very few music teachers have time to study a language in-depth, and the fact that I can speak a language that is necessary in the public school system should help me out. And working for the same company every summer should prove that I'm consistent, right?

Yes, I have a plan. But what about all those guys who worked for the same company for 30 years just to have their pensions cut? I don't know about you guys, but I was FURIOUS when I heard about the AIG bailout. Thank goodness for Randy Forbes; he at least had some sense. Here's a quote from his e-mail newsletter The Capitol Monitor (dated Mar. 21, 2009):

Imagine a situation where a husband goes out one day and, in the midst of the current economic situation, decides to buy an expensive new boat. A few weeks later, the bill comes in the mail. His wife opens the bill, steaming as she realizes what he’s done and sees the monthly payment they will now have to make on top of all of their other monthly commitments. As her husband walks into the room, she throws the bill across the table demanding an explanation. Her husband looks down at the bill. Realizing he can’t make the payments and seeing how mad his wife is, he pounds his first on the table and says angrily, “Honey, I am outraged over this bill that we have to pay!”

This situation seems like a scene we’d find ourselves watching on a Thursday evening sitcom. In reality, it is what we found ourselves watching on the news this week as Members of Congress and members of the Administration pounded their fists and cried “outrage” over taxpayer-funded bonuses that went to AIG executives. In fact, the word “outrage” was used in almost every speech on this issue on the House floor this week.

As I watched those Members express “outrage,” I couldn’t help but be irritated about their outrage. I am one of only 17 out of 435 Members of Congress who voted against every single one of the so-called bailout and stimulus packages under both Presidents Bush and Obama. I did so for the very reason that there was no accountability over where the money would actually go. Without accountability and transparency, we will have waste, fraud, and abuse. In fact, there was not even time to read most of the bills before leadership rushed to pass them.

Are these guys so out-of-touch that they didn't realize what would happen? WAKE UP! As John Rich's song puts it, "In the real world, they're shuttin' Detroit down." I know a family whose small business collapsed, and they had to file for bankruptcy. After they moved, the parents found new jobs, and they got back on their feet...well, now they've both lost jobs again. What are they supposed to do?

Or how about my roommate? She relies on grant money and scholarships to go to school. Well, the funding was cut for her grant program, and she found out last month that she can't afford to live here anymore. She's afraid that she may not even be able to afford to go back to school next semester. She's working three jobs to try to keep things together.

My boyfriend is going to school and working full-time, but he's having trouble making ends meet, too. How are you supposed to make money in a commission-based job if no one is buying anything? I'm sure he won't ever admit it to me, but his family's sweating it right now.

The school district where I grew up has had $53 million cut from its budget. This is a county that has 38 elementary schools, 14 middle schools, 11 high schools, and a tech center! If anything, this place needs more money, especially with the population influx. All the schools are overcrowded. The special ed departments all over are losing workers, the front offices are losing staff...things are looking bleak.

So what can we do?

Let's pray, people. Because I have a feeling that things are going to get worse before they get better. But in the meantime, DON'T PANIC. We all know what happened in 1929...