Starting his career as a humble bookkeeper, John D. Rockefeller rose to prominence and created The Standard Oil Company in 1870. In the process he became the richest man in America as well as America’s first billionaire. By 1982 the number of billionaires in the US rose to a mere 13. However, according to Forbes, as of 2011 there are 413 billionaires in the United States. Speaking as a layman, it seems to me the rich just keep getting richer.
Sadly, the middle class has not fared as well. Since the “Great Recession of 2009,” American’s have faced the greatest economic challenges since the “Great Depression.” Savings and retirement funds were lost in the stock market, jobs were lost and homes were foreclosed in record numbers. I have heard rumors of a recovery, but as far as I can see, that is all it is — a cruel rumor. According to a November 5, 2011, article in The Los Angeles Times the unemployment rate has dropped from double digits to nine percent, but it is still double the rate of five years ago. Call me a pessimist, but I don’t find that all that encouraging.
If I sound bitter, I apologize, but it is difficult to feign hopefulness. You see, my husband and I have been not-so-proud-members of the unemployed club since 2009. The office product store I worked at closed its doors after 126 years of business and my husband lost his job due to lack of work. My husband was laid off in November and my last day of work was one week before Christmas. Happy Holidays.
In the beginning, we were naive enough not to worry. We qualified for unemployment benefits, we had a little money in the bank and we never had difficulty finding jobs. We weren’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but our bills were paid and we could afford to go out to dinner without panicking about our finances. Those were the days.
Now, two years later, after suffering hand cramps from filling out endless job applications, networking, and pounding the pavement, we are still unemployed. Our unemployment benefits are depleted, our saving account is running on empty and we have a few dollars to our name. The plummet from middle class to poverty was frighteningly swift.
I read somewhere that once a person is unemployed more than six months, HR professionals consider them unemployable. If that is true, God help a lot of us.
Now, I am not suggesting the wealthy citizens of the “Great United States of America” have any moral or ethical duty to bail out the victims of this recession. In most cases, they have earned their money. Good for them. They are living the American Dream. I just want to close my eyes at night without the threat of nightmares.