Reply #47: I posted this in another thread, but it sums up my feelings about what's happening.

[Pale Blue Dot]

First of all, this is the Economy forum, not the Investment forum. Those of us who are "doom and gloom" are concerned mainly with the economy as a whole, NOT with the Stock Market. The Stock Market can be useful to talk about because it is one of the most "visible" aspects of our economy. However, for the majority of Americans who, like myself, do not have enough money to invest in the Stock Market, the economy is already in the crapper. What "Wall Street types" need to realize is that the average American is losing their buying power, and that effect is starting to finally "trickle up".

We are losing jobs at a fantastic pace right now, and unlike the past few recessions, there is NO mechanism in place to get those jobs back. In the 90's, the tech boom created jobs. When that bubble burst, the real estate bubble created jobs. Currently, there's not even a phony-baloney bubble to save us. Small businesses, which used to be the big job engine in our economy, are now almost non-existent thanks to consolidation and impossible startup costs (and good luck trying to get a loan in this economy). Federal, state and local governments are all in debt and are actually cutting jobs rather than creating them. Jobs are disappearing quickly and none are being created to replace them.

People are gloating that they are still making money in this economy. Well, good for them. I hope they enjoy it while it lasts. But they need to understand that the pain and the fear we're feeling, and the reasons for them, are very real, and for you to come in here and rub this in our faces is distasteful at best, downright ignorant and cruel at worst.