Things That Do Worry Us a Bit

Although some forecasting groups continue to debate whether or not the economy is heading into a recession, these numbers should make it perfectly clear that the state is already in a recession," Beacon Economics, a Los Angeles-based research firm, said in an analysis of the jobless data. "The only question now is, how long and how bad will it be?"

Yeah, wise up, dipsticks, we're in the proverbial toilet, the only remaining question is, "How long until the flush sends us all down the pipes?"

"Absolutely, it's getting worse," said Debbie Smith, who worked as an office manager for a real estate magazine publishing company in Ventura before being laid off last September. "There's nothing out there, believe me."

Smith said she had only one strong job possibility in the last nine months, but "it fell through, I think, because I'm 54."

How old was that? Oh, the very same age as your editor, & many of his friends & acquaintances. What do you know about that? Life begins at forty, & so does the opportunity to sue on the basis of age discrimination. Let's make it worse, here's the entire sidebar concerning Ms. Smith:

Over 50, in a jam that's 'hopeless and desolate'

Debbie Smith is a victim of California's real estate meltdown.In September, she lost her job as an office manager and marketing assistant for a chain of magazines that showcased available homes and acreage. Smith, 54, of Port Hueneme, hit all the online job sites hard but came up with nothing but responses from "bogus recruiters" seeking her personal information.

Money got tight. Smith lost her home to foreclosure and moved into a rental with her son. After her unemployment benefits ran out, Smith began selling her belongings on the Internet and baby-sat her grandchildren for $20 a day

"To me, it's hopeless and desolate," she said. "Anybody over 50 is going to struggle for a long time and end up working at Mickey D's."-- Marc Lifsher

And, unlike others stuck in her age cohort (That would be us.) she's not even suffering from depression, etc. Though that should follow soon. And the people at the fucking Mental Health Day Care for Adults want us to go to some fucking group therapy session entitled "Positive Thinking." Magical Thinking would be more like it, if you're expecting the disturbed to believe that everything's coming up roses. There's a reason we're disturbed, & it's this society, & your world we didn't ask to be born into. (Yes, it's all about us. Don't for 30 seconds try to pretend it's not all about you, either!)