The Economy at Your Doorstep

The U.S. economy slipped into recession in December 2007, the nation's business cycle arbiter declared on Monday, and the downturn could be the worst since World War Two.
Reuters - Mon Dec 1, 2008

The above statement, or the basic idea anyway, has been haunting around our neighborhood for the last several months. I've heard rumors of job cuts. Church members catch me in the hall to tell me that their friends are being laid off and they're only working 30 hours a week. A friend will be taking a quick trip to Vietnam and back because her department was mandated to take a week off - unpaid. We all saw it coming, we all recognized the signs, but it's still an unpleasant surprise (to say the least) when it's staring you in the face. I just got out of a meeting with our department head who told us that we are safe from direct layoffs, for now anyway. Who knows what next week will bring.

Positivity is absolutely imperative. Of course I can "be" positive right now because I am still sitting at a desk getting paid to work. Many of my brothers and sisters, in the County and elsewhere, do not have this blessing or will soon be stripped of it. Finding the good in times like these can seem impossible, but truly it is the only way to survive. We must move with hope and not sit and bemoan tragedy. It is upon hope that we can regain our balance and continue forward; without it, we lose all and submit ourselves to defeat. And for what can we hope? Just as Mother Earth cleanses herself with fire, rain, and rumblings in the earth before shooting forth new life, the Economy must bend and break before it can start swinging up again. There's a pattern and a plan behind all of this - always.

Update: Here's the scoop on my county in particular. It will be interesting to see these leaders come to a collaborative agreement without tearing each other apart: County CEO proposes 3 percent across-the-board salary cut

Update 2: Looks like we're not the only ones: Việt Nam: Thất nghiệp tăng vọt