Staring out my window, I can see how the much-needed rain is quenching the thirst of Southern California. What I can't immediately see is how this wet day will make things grow in the coming months. It's been too dry. Too parched. Too long.
Kind of like the economy.
Our president is working to provide the economy with a "stimulous" package of $900+ billion on this very morning. I don't understand economics or the buzz around bailout ideas, but the much-needed reign is just a step into a whole new way of living. We've been living above our means. Too extravagent. Way too long.
We've slowly succumbed to the idea that it's okay to buy things one can't afford - pay for it later and enjoy it now. We've allowed businesses to be held unaccountable for years, and are suddenly surprised when executives embezzle billions of dollars. Who suffers from it? The people.
As of today, the Labor Department said U.S. employers slashed 598,000 jobs in January, the most since late 1974. The unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent, the highest since late 1992. And it's already impacted the people around me.
Just yesterday, I heard from a colleague who said she was laid off the day before, and she spoke with my old boss who reported that my former employer disbanded two weeks ago. Completely closed shop and moved out of their building.
Slowly, I'm feeling the pressures of the economy weigh on my shoulders, and wondering what that will mean for my family in the future. How will we wash away the mistakes and indulgences of the past?
I welcome the rain.
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