Magazine Story

The Economy and the Average American

The economy has been at the forefront of political issues for well over two years now. The recession officially started in December of 2007 and most economist agree that the recession officially ended in mid 2009. However, economist also agree that America still has a long way to go before we get completely out of this economic mess we are in. It has been said that the housing bust is what started the recession and from there things went down hill.

When we watch the news about the economy, its always the same thing. News anchors providing statistics and economic facts, politicians pointing the blame at one another, each political party claiming that they have what it takes to fix Americas economic problem, but what about what the American citizens themselves have to say? All to often, all we see on the television, or hear on the radio, is how more people got laid off, or how more and more people have to file for bankruptcy, or how another family has to live on the streets.

Instead of hearing these stories coming from the mouths of news anchors, how about letting the people themselves tell the story, and that us just what I did. In the process of getting the story, I found out some pretty interesting, and at times, shocking things.

The first person I spoke with was 27 year old Rebecca LaFleur. LaFleur works as a call center supervisor for Comcast. She explains that" even though American as a whole is going through a difficult economic period she herself is doing quite well financially." She goes on to say that " she is doing much better now than before the recession started." However, she did admit that she knows six people personally who have been laid off. It was at this point her mood changed. As she was talking about her own situation, she was cheerful and happy, but as soon as she started thinking about her friends who have been laid off, her smile went away and her voice got a little deeper. I then asked if she knew anyone personally who has had their home foreclosed on. She answered, as she looked down at her feet, " my uncle and his family fell behind on their payments about 4 months ago." She continued " they had to stay with my mom for a few weeks and now they live in a motel." She glanced back up at me with a sharp glimmer in her eye and said very slowly, " 5 people are sharing a motel room." At this point I could tell that she was not enjoying this, so I quickly moved on to the next question. I asked. " Who do you believe is at fault for the economic melt down." She responded, very quickly, " I think this is all George Bush's fault, he just let everything go to hell and the taxpayers are paying the price for his incompetence and stupidity." This is actually a common theme among many people in America. Next I asked about the large deficit and government spending. She looked at me with a rather baffling and awkward look. I could immediately tell that this was not a topic she was well versed in. So I moved on to the final question. I asked what she thought about the gross amount of money being spent by the government on political ads and campaigns and given the economic climate, if she was at all offended by it. She replied " I think it is very disgusting that these politicians are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on 30 second TV ads, I just don't think that is wise spending and I believe it is sending the wrong message to the American people"

Next I interviewed Cory Williams, a 36 year old loan officer and husband and father of three. I asked him if he new anyone personally who has been laid off, and he responded " Oh, I know maybe six maybe seven people who have been laid off." I asked if he was worried about his job security. He replied " Not at all, this is actually a very busy time for me." I could tell by the smug look on his face and by the crooked smile, that he was pretty satisfied with his self and his job. It appeared he did not have a care in the world. I then asked if he felt any of the pains of the economic recession over the last two years, and he simply said "no, not at all". My next question was who he felt was to blame for the recession. In a very sarcastic and somewhat harsh tone, he responded, " I don't know and I do not care." It was pretty clear at this point that Williams was very oblivious to the world around him. He also had a strong sense of apathy when it came to the economic situation and those who fell victim to it.

Finally I spoke with Shirley Clark. Clark is a 56 year old retiree. Unlike that last two people I spoke with, Clark has been impacted personally by the economic melt down. Though Clark has not lost her home, she tell me that "things are a little more difficult now." She goes on to say that her monthly check has been cut and things have been much tighter. While she admits that things have gotten harder, she says " I am glad that I have not been put in the position where I have to go back to work and at least my medical expenses are still paid for." When I asked who she felt was to blame for the current economic situation, she replied " It is the entire government. They are all a bunch of crooks and thieves that can not be trusted." She went on to say that " I can't believe people though Obama was going to make everything ok. At the end of the day he is still just another politician and like the rest of them, he can't be trusted." When asked about the amount of spending politicians are doing when it comes to political advertising, Clark said " I think it is horrible. People are loosing their homes, parents can't feed their children, and people are out of work and what do politicians do? They spend millions of dollars just so they can sit on TV for 2 minutes and talk about all the things they can't do. Its offensive to watch that."  Clark grew increasingly angry over the subject. While Clark's situation was not nearly as grave as many other people, she clearly has been affected and feels for those who have been put in a much worse situation as a result of the current economic climate.

The interviews I did gave a voice to the economic problem. It was also very insightful. While not every person in American had fall victim to the economy, it is still important to remember that many other people have. When the individual stories get told, it becomes heat wrenching. At the same time, however, there is hope and things are getting better, slowly but surely.