A story that is sad on the surface but bears out a very simple fact.
From CNN:
Economy has some in despair
After several minutes talking about the U.S. economy, Shanika Ross was in tears.
This wasn't because the value of the 401k she built at a previous job has dropped -- she's only 25, and doesn't know how exactly much she's lost -- and it wasn't just because she wonders about the stability of her bank amid news of bank failures.
It was a combination of all the bad economic news -- the stock market drop, the credit market freeze, the housing crisis -- and because, she says, she's a nurse having trouble finding a nursing job, despite growths in such jobs nationwide.
The news and her situation are weighing heavily on Ross, an engaged-to-be-married mother of three who is working at a Red Lobster in Atlanta, Georgia. She said she has sold furniture, mementos and clothes to pay rent.
And one more piece of the picture:
"We're three steps away from being on the street," said Ross, her eyes welling as she watched her oldest child, a 10-year-old boy, play near a fountain Monday at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. "It doesn't matter who gets into office. We don't win."
OK -- she is trying to build her life up which is admirable but...
She is 25, has a ten year old son (and two other children) and is working for a fast-food business (the article didn't mention her position there).
If you want to escape poverty:
#1) - finish high school and place a large value on education and training
#2) - don't get married before age 20 at least and
#3) - don't have kids out of wedlock.
It is just that simple. Instead, Shanika is saying: "We don't win"
It is not and has never been a matter of "winning". The people who pick themselves up and get to work are the people who will get ahead. It is just that simple... And of course, CNN has the obligatory President Bush quote:
President Bush, speaking Monday in Cincinnati, Ohio, said, "I believe in the long run this economy is going to be just fine.
"It's a resilient economy; it's a productive economy with good workers. This is a reminder that we have been through tough times before, and we're going to come through this just fine."
I will look at some numbers in the next post...
