The Economy (Fear) Business Is Booming!

News Flash! The US economy is in the toilet! If you don't believe me, just ask the mainstream media. They'll be more than happy to tell you.....repeatedly.....and give you numerous examples of just how terrible it is and how afraid you should be.

Well, here's a little idea I came up with to help calm those media induced fears: STOP LISTENING TO THE MEDIA! Phew! I, for one, feel better already! Now, if you'll allow me, I'd like to tell you a little about my life and experiences, and also some additional helpful hints, just in case you have trouble (and you will) avoiding that mean ol' media monster.

In 1987, I was a divorced high-school dropout with a two-year-old and an infant. I worked in a factory for minimum wage ($3.35 an hour). I was fortunate enough to have my mother living with me to care for the children while I worked, but she had no income. In 1989, I graduated from a two-year college and got an entry-level job at an insurance company making less than $10,000.00 a year. I never saved a dime, but my family was provided for and I was never on welfare. Over the years, my income level increased, but while I was raising my children I never made more than $20,000.00 a year.

Helpful Hint #1 – If you were making more than $40,000.00 a year when the economy tanked, and you “lost everything”, you're probably an idiot. Please don't let society dictate to you what the necessities of life are. Paying cash, saving for major purchases, and avoiding unnecessary debt were smart choices before credit cards were invented, and they're still smart choices.

I recently met a woman who didn't have a job. I know, I know, there are millions who don't have jobs. What surprised me about this particular woman, though, is that I told her of a place where I knew she could get a job, and she told me in no uncertain terms that that type of work was beneath her skill level! I was literally shocked speechless. I've had all kinds of jobs in my working life, from cleaning woman to secretary to short-order cook and back to secretary, and never once have I found a job that was 'beneath my skill level'.

Helpful Hint #2 – Whoever it was that told you you were 'above' doing certain kinds of work to get your living was a big fat liar. If you depended on your job to meet your responsibilities and support your lifestyle, and that job no longer exists, you must necessarily reexamine your lifestyle and find a source of income. Still find the idea of a menial job distasteful? Perhaps standing in line at the food bank is more to your liking? If you're the entrepreneurial type, maybe you could start a business with a few of the other fifteen million who are currently out of work.

The labels 'poor' and 'rich' have been around for a long time. 'Middle-class', not quite as long. To the best of my understanding, the only purpose these labels serve is to allow the rich to distinguish themselves from the rest of us. Sadly, material wealth seems to command respect in certain circles, regardless of how it was acquired. From time to time, the definitions of the labels change, but the changes are slow and subtle. Most of us would agree that the basic definition of 'rich' is having more than enough in the way of material possessions, and that 'poor' means not having enough. So are we to infer that 'middle-class' means having just exactly enough? And who gets to decide what 'enough' is?

Helpful Hint #3 - Seeing as how the economy gods have apparently decided to hit the socio-economic reset button, I think now would be the perfect time for all of us to stop looking at our labels and decide as individuals what we need, what we want, and what we're willing to do to achieve those things.