For half a household? Sure. The article doesn't mention the missus. If she can pull down 23K they will be right where they were. Or, if she already works, then times aren't as desparate as the article suggests. I wonder how many cars they own, what models, what size TV, what sort of cable/dish subscription, and other niceties they still maintain.
But my point is simply this: His employer isn't responsible for his finances. It's his mortgage and his bills. Live within your means and quit WHINING.
If the missus takes a job, then the kids may need daycare, they may need to pay higher auto insurance costs, etc. And it really isn't that easy to find basic low-skilled jobs anymore. I'm sure they can cut back to save money. It sounds like they are trying to cut their utility costs. But it often costs money to cancel things like a cell-phone contract, dish service, or car lease, so that's not always a great option.
Having been laid off in the economy that lost George, Sr. his job (twice, actually) and having been laid off once in this economy (my wife wais laid off in both, too), I can definitely say that it is much harder to find a job this time around. There are so many resumes that it is difficult even to get a recruiter to call you back and a temp agency laughed at the minimum amount that my wife wanted (her unemployment would pay more below that rate), which was not a laughable figure in the early 1990s. Things are worse than they were.
But my point is simply this: His employer isn't responsible for his finances. It's his mortgage and his bills. Live within your means and quit WHINING.
Whining is human nature. I'd stop reading human interest pieces like this if you don't want to hear it.