1) The Great Depression didn't start overnight and the stock market
crash was only part of it. Even after the big one day crash (Black
Tuesday) that we all hear about, people still were investing and the
market went up and down for a while but finally left many people broke.
There was a drought simultaneously that combined with ignorant farming
practices based on knowledge of the time caused the Great Dust Bowl.
Where we will end up now is far from certain.
2) Hoover (a Republican) stood back and did nothing to stop the
progression into the Depression since pure Capitalism was believed to be
able to save the day, and government interference was taboo. By the time
that Roosevelt came to office the Depression was going full steam. Many
of his measures were opposed by the other party as being too Socialist.
Sound familiar?
3) We currently have a Socio-economic safety net in the form of
unemployment insurance, welfare, social security, medicare etc that
softens the blow, but every one of them was originally opposed as being
a step towards Socialism, and to this day many politicians advocate
their abolition or privatization. How long ago did we hear about
privatizing Social Security by allowing our SSI deductions to be
invested in the stock market instead of going into the SSI Trust Fund.
How many people would have lost their Social Security in the various
corporate bankruptcies of the last few years?
There was a saying "everything in moderation" and it applies to
economics and politics as much as to food, drinking etc. Pure Capitalism
is as bad as pure Socialism. A middle ground works best. Unfortunately
too many politicians don't really care about what works but just go by
slogans that sound good at election time. In my neighborhood there is a
sign up by a candidate for the Congress (a vacated seat by a retiring
democratic congressman in a district that is predominantly Democratic)
saying that the candidate is a Ronald Reagan conservative. Ronald Reagan
would not pass muster in the current Republican party. Imagine Nixon or
Goldwater trying to get nominated by today's party
Jim wrote:
> give it time...
>
>
> "Walt Jaquith" wrote in message
> news:6312608@discussion.autodesk.com...
> I've felt for you folks in civil/architectural. It's been rough enough in
> mechanical, but not like you guys have seen. I was freelancing and doing
> fine; now I'm drawing a salary. I'm blessed to be working at all, of
> course, but was doubly fortunate to get on with a green energy company
> that's stable and moving forward.
>
> As bad as this has been, I have to chuckle when the innelekshuals compare it
> to the Great Depression. I'm old enough to have talked to a few people who
> lived through that time, and this isn't anything close to what they
> described. I remember the man who told me about when he was a kid and his
> mom got hold of a crate of apricots. She canned them without sugar becasue
> there wasn't any, and that's what they ate for every meal one winter because
> that's all there was. Now? Well, we've had a couple living with us because
> he couldn't find work. Has it been a daily party? No, but we're fed,
> clothed, sheltered from the weather, and there's hope.
>
> Bring on 2010 indeed.
>
> Cheers,
> Walt
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