Typically the number of calls coming into the unemployment department in Ohio is 7500 a day.  But in just one day, this week, the number went up to a staggering 80,000 calls!  The US economy has lost more jobs in 2008 alone…since wayyyy back in 1945.    And they are saying that 2009 will not be any better.  In fact it probably will get worse. 

According the to CIA World Factbook published in 2008, the US is ranked 95th in unemployment out of 127 listed countries.  (That was when we had a 4.6% unemployment rate…but take note, we are now about 7.1%!!!!) Some estimates say we could be around 8% by the middle of 09.  Personally I think that’s waayyy low. 

What I wonder is…how accurate can this percentage actually be?  They count people who are on the unemployment rolls…not the ones who have exhausted their benefit and are no longer able to collect (but are still not working).    So how high are those numbers, really?  The US Department of Labor says the average number of claims in a 4 week period (as of Dec. 27, 08) was 552,250 (new) claims.  But, they are tooting their own horn by also claiming pride in the fact that ‘workplace illness and injury is down 21% since 2002′.     Uh, duh.  Could that be because there are less people in the workplace….um…because they are unemployed?   Yeah, big pat on the back for that ‘statistic’ lol.

In fact, I think our illustrious government is actually sugar coating what is happening.   Personally, I’d rather be told straight up (for once) what is going on and where the country is headed.  (Rather than when it’s too late to take precautions…with say…my money.)  Hopefully our next president will take things in a new direction.  Although he’s gotta lotta shit to mop up first.

I don’t know but it seems to me that we should all be preparing for a long ass haul this year and possibly into 2010.  Shane and I were talking about how we saw this economy tanking way back in Oct-Nov of 07…as did anyone who owns a small business like us.    We all saw it, felt it, lived it.  

So, I find it rather ironic, that all of our republican friends and family who scoffed at us and actually said (out loud) that we were crazy….’the economy is fiiiiiine!’ (or calling us ‘chicken little’) are all suffering tremendous losses financially.  Maybe sometimes it’s better to listen to the ones that life ‘trickles down’ to for what is about to hit the rest above them.    (Sometimes when you are sitting high on the perch, it’s hard to see all the shit on the floor of the cage.~ oooo, I just made that up, but it’s gooood!)

I found this article on the web.  For anyone who is in any kind of trouble with their house, credit, etc….you should really read through this.  It’s very interesting for people who are at the end of their rope.   Good luck to all of us as we enter into this new year.   It looks like we’re all gonna need it.  

Take care, and see ya in the bread line!