The end of the earth as we know it

The end of the world as we know it - do I feel fine?

Lately I have been wondering if the world is coming to an end. I don’t mean in an “asteroid colliding with the planet in a fiery inferno” kind of way, though.

This is all about economics.

People are getting laid off left and right, literally, and these aren’t just people I’m hearing about on the radio but folks I actually know and call friends. This economy is scary.

I was laid off myself almost 9 months ago, at a time when the economy wasn’t nearly in as bad as shape as it was now. And I worked hard and was productive. Given my experience and salary rate, I wouldn’t have thought of myself as the low hanging fruit in the company but obviously the writing was on the wall.

Now, doom and gloom is everywhere. People are spending less, which then leads to companies laying off staff or making severe cuts, which of course leads to more unemployed folks who don’t have the money to spend — a vicious cycle.

It makes me wonder what Obama can possibly do to help turn this all around. It isn’t like he is going to be alone, he will have Congress to help, but still. Things right now are as bad as I can ever remember them being economically in our country.

And here, I have been saving money each week, stashing it in a sock (not really, but close) so I can afford a new TV. How irresponsible would it be to buy one, knowing that the week after I took it home I myself could be a casualty of these crazy economic times.

I titled this blog “The End of the World.”

Maybe it is a tad dramatic, but it certainly is the end of the world as we knew it only a few years ago. How long will it take to get this mess sorted out?