Summertime blues

Although I am an avid newspaper reader, it is hard to embrace much of what I am reading on the front page these days, especially when it comes to news regarding 400 point stock market declines.

Some days, of course, the headlines have pointed to gains of similar amounts, too. But with these ups and downs, the only consistent thing we are seeing is just how inconsistent things are. This, of course, does not pertain to just what the market is doing; it also has to do with the big picture.

This, as we all know, is a picture that is getting messier all the time. I am not sure how else to describe what is going on, nor all people that have been following the economy far longer than I have.

One consistent theme when it comes to figuring out the economy is that we have not seen this level of uneasiness perhaps ever. One can easily make the case we are living in unprecedented times in terms of what we are witnessing and have the displeasure of dealing with to a large degree.

Look at unemployment. I am sure we all know someone that is out of work and struggling to make ends meet. These people are likely qualified and would be an asset to the companies they are sending resumes to, but more often than not they are getting turned away for myriad reasons.

These reasons vary from economic malaise to companies keeping their money on the sidelines to not knowing what is coming around the corner.

Again, more signs of unprecedented times.

What we are seeing today is a tough story to tell, whether you are working or not. It seems like we all know what the problems are. But when it comes to fixing them, the solutions are either not doing enough to jumpstart things or they are lacking in scale and delivery.

Chances are, you know this already, but in my opinion it bears repeating. At the same time, I don’t want to be a “downer,” because I know how great our nation has been in the past and have every confidence we will return to greatness once again.

Until then, all we can do is continue to work hard and take things one day at a time.