Replies

"the economy sucks right now... ... as much as I might have disliked Clinton EVERYBODY I knew not only had a job then but could get another one in a time frame measured in hours."

That statement, plus the fact that you don't care about what the stats say about everyone else, tells us that you and your friends were either working for the New York Times or the Democratic National Committee.

When y'all say to each other that it's the worst economy since Hoover, that's one thing. When you try and pull that line on a forum like this one you've got to know that you're sounding like a full blown looney-toon.

Well, it's the worst economy *I* remember. I'm 44 and so my basis for comparison goes from about 1970 to the present. The last few years are the only time besides 1977-1981 that I couldn't find a decent paying job quickly. Currently employed precisely because I have kept my job skills up, but have watched everybody who hasn't fall by the wayside, and I don't like it. The ratio of what a person can earn, be they high skilled or just starting out, to what it costs to LIVE is lousy.
Maybe it always has been and the bubble is just starting to burst where I live.
Fairview - Virginia/DC seems like an interesting idea, thanks for the tip Fairview. Sorry to whine but out of six friends who were working at the beginning of this year, in four different fields, I'm the last one employed, and only because I've been taking classes for five of the last six years. It'd be nice to have a life outside of continuous studying - running to stay in place.