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The Great Depression - The 2008 Version

Dear Diary,

I am down to my last 4 cases of bottled evian water, and the nutrasystem diet shipment doesnt arrive until next week. I may be forced tout of necesssity to cook for myself using canned vegetables.

I am in despair. My extensive Itunes account has now been terminated. I may be forced to listen to the radio. We await the government help that was promised to provide us funding for out itunes accounts to help us survive against Apples predatory purchasing schemes that scammed into buying more music than we could afford.

Yesterday a group of us at the hobo jungle, which we call "Bushville", discovered that the government has established a sort of "free bookstore" where you can get books for nothing. Its like Borders and Barnes and Noble, except that there is no Starbucks and instead of using a credit card, you just give them your name and address and you can take anything they have for free, which is a pretty good deal. Other people have already read the books, but thats to be expected in times like these. Everyone must sacrifice a little in these sad times.

They say its called a "Library" which is a new word for me. The trick is, you have to return the book after they give it to you, which is a bit problem for me since the first 20 books I got there I sold on ebay the next day for a hefty profit.

The wife gave sad news to the family yesterday. She announced that the vacation to Disneyworld is off this year, since there would be little chance of staying "on the park" and the indignity of staying at a property outside the park would simply be too much for the little ones to bear. She then announced to us that it might be fun to go one of the many National Parks that are nearby and the kids broke down into tears over the indignity of sleeping in something less than the suite at the Grand Californian or the Maui Hyatt, which until this damned depression arrived was our normal annual destination. I never thought I would feel the shame of telling my kids they would have to camp outside in tents like vagabonds as part of a vacation, but thats the world that George W. Bush has brought us to. What kind of vacation would it be for kids to suffer like that?

I have had to endure the unendurable in the past eight years. Last week I told my son that I would not be able to buy him a new car for his 16th birthday, that due to the depression, I would have to buy a used car. It just tore out his heart. "But Dad, how will I face the other kids?" he said and broke down crying in my arms. I think I will have to sell another T-bill just to get him a car of any sort at all. I feel lucky to be able to do that, I know some parents who are forced out of necessity to have their kids ride a bike to school. Its shameful, when you see it, teenagers riding on bikes, you just turn your head and try not to look out of embarrasment for them.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that because of depression, he may have to go to a State College. I may soften the blow by telling him he just doesnt have the grades to go to University.

Its terrible what this economy makes you do.

Posted @ April 01, 2008 07:51 AM | Current Affairs

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