Posted on 10/25/2008 3:13:58 PM PDT by klimeckg
What would another great depression look like anyway?
The great depression was way before my time and whenever I hear the words "great depression" the black and white documentary photographs by Walker Evens run through my mind. I can't relate to it, it's a thing of the past in history books. Unemployment, agriculture, industry & labor were all affected and this brought in the New Deal.
Ok, so today I was with my family in our 5 mile radius subdivision which ranged from incomes of 40K - 350K. We sat in a fast food chain for breakfast. Just 1 mile west of us, were mansions with 5 car garages and just 2 miles south of us were what some people would consider the white trash area. The cars that came through the drive through were minivans, Lexus', Nissans', Chevy Colbalt's and Escalades. It was a big mixture. Observing my surroundings, I asked myself, "If we were in another "great depression", what would it look like? How would I recognize it? How could the banks reposes all the cars that people can't pay on? What would happen to all the stuff on the shelves at Wal-Mart and Target? What happens to public safety if the citizens can't pay city taxes? Will the police and fireman and hospitals only protect and serve the wealthy? Will the public school teachers continue to teach, or will they only teach the children who pay for it? And what about energy, yea, energy, if we all are unemployed, who pays to keep the lights on?
If it's on the horizon like the socialists in Washington are screaming, where are the signs, because I just don't see people batting down the hatches! I mean, if the radio warned us of a category 5 hurricane coming our way, people would be boarding up their homes and evacuating the area. Aren't we in a crisis now, unemployment is high and we are just starting read about the major businesses reducing their forces (RIF). Yet, we seem complacent and untouched by it, as we reach for our wallets and pay the bill at our local restaurant. I just got home with $150.00 less in my wallet because I had to buy clothes for my kids. Maybe I should return them and tell my family that we are going to have to learn to live a little bit differently for awhile until things improve. If something does happen, or if it's already happening, it has a different face on it and the majority of us are not paying attention. We are Americans and we come out of things stronger, that's our nature, our culture.
This financial crisis happened because of the socialists in power, i.e. Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dodd, and Schumer, and Obama (unfortunately, Ted Kennedy is missing out and fighting for his life with our money). This financial collapse was inevitable and I don't think any politician can fix it, McCain or Obama. I do feel in my gut, that Obama will only make it worse, seeing that it was brought into fruition by his party and they seem to want another "Great Depression" .
The Great Depression came during an analog time with hardly any innovation. In today's digital world, in THE Country of Innovation, whatever comes on us due to the financial crisis we are facing, it will not be recognized until we are deep into it and I can't fathom what the environment around me will be like.
A friend just put chickens in the backyard. I didn’t want to mention biowarfare or bird flu but that’s what crossed my mind when I read the email and looked at the Rhode Island Reds or whatever breed they are.
Im just thinking about chow.
I came along at the tail end of the depression. My parents had work, here in the midwest- and we had two huge gardens. Alot of canning- chickens, ducks, geese and guinias- I remember one of the “had been prominent” and “later again prominent” businessmen bumming nickles and quarters from my dad til my mom put the kabosh on that. I remember my folks were not able to have a cow, we were by a few feet in the city limits. I also remember pheasant hunting. My mother sewed- bought chicken feed in 50 pound bags, buying several at a time that matched- used for clothing as well as the plain white feed sacks. They turned into sheets, and as they wore out, became pillow cases, then hankies, and finally clean white clothes for cuts etc.
No I don’t think people have what it takes to do that today.
I just heard or read in the last few days that McDonald’s had a profitable quarter. Their final numbers aren’t up on Yahoo Finance, though. I just looked. Numbers this year didn’t look bad, all things considering.
My parents lived through it too. My eighty-eighty year old mother-in-law did as well. Her second child was born on Dec. 7, 1941. Her late husband survived that and Iwo Jima as well. That was then. This is now. You’d better hope and pray to God America never sees anything like that again. This is not the same nation it was seventy-five years ago. This country would never survive another “Great Depression’’.
Wow. Just... wow.
Although — to be depressing — if it comes to the US, I think we won’t make it like Argentina has. All over the article, you can see that the “goods” leak down to Argentina by means of production from the rest of the world. Argentina can collapse, but if the US goes, the world and all its production will go as well with the possible exception of Asia.
The economy in the Greenville area is doing well actually. No worries as of now. Have a good day at church tomorrow.
Yeah, Greenville is nice little growing city.
If there's a will there's a way. Great story CS.
I know that the Catholic population has grown in this area the last 10 years, I should have taken that into consideration. I had a coworker friend of mine who used to love talking over the different ways God would bless him through the prayers he had learned as a Catholic. It was truly uplifting to hear his sincere appreciation of God's work in his life. God bless you.
They say a recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours.
My dad's family was not so well off before the depression. I think his father got some kind of job with the WPA. My father has hammer toes from wearing shoes too small as a child.
The thing is, back then everyone around you was pretty much in the same boat and there was no TV to tell you what you didn't have.
What about the next week?
From my Grandparents and parents era...
"Use it up; wear it out. Make it do or do without."
bump
“It would look like a Mad Max movie only with less leather and more guns.”
As long as it still has 100% MEL GIBSON, I could live through it. :)
The stock market would need to lose 50% of it’s value in like 2 days to equal losses of The Great Depression.
No matter WHAT the fear-mongers are pushing, it’s not going to happen.
Do you know why? If it did, I, a contrarian investor, would be able to buy and sell the lot of you about 100X over, LOL! And I’m not THAT lucky or savvy.
However, cutting back on expenses is NEVER a bad idea in ANY economy. When you HAVE money, you need to save it for a Rainy Day. Because there will ALWAYS be a Rainy Day at some point in your life.
$150 for clothes for your kids? Shop Goodwill, Garage Sales and regular sales. You can outfit each of them for $150 A YEAR that way. Also...buy them the basics. If they want “designer this and that” tell them to get a job and pay for it themselves. (I raised three boys. Cheaply. It can be done.) :)
I’ve always lived on less than I’ve earned. I don’t think my life would change a whole lot if we really were to go into a true depression. If so, me and mine will be fine. Any of us living in The Heartland who still have a lick of common sense will survive.
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