The economy is actually quite good if you have a marketable skill.
If you have a marketable skill that commands more than $50K per year, there are forces behind the scenes scrambling furiously to either 1) bring foreigners here to do it for less, or 2) find a way to send the work overseas.
THAT is why this economy is in the tank, and I don’t know how it can be fixed unless India and Red China have a long, destructive war. “Globalization” has resulted in economic insecurity in this country that is preventing many people from buying homes, starting families, etc.