Economy Blues

It’s impossible to listen to/watch/read the news these days without hearing/seeing/reading some depressing story about the current state of our economy. There’s no way around it, our current economic is bleak. Damn bleak. Sometime I wonder where the line is between staying informed and letting myself get overly stressed out. I feel like it’s important to keep on top of what’s going on in the world. But I don’t want to stay so on top of things that I end up curled up in the fetal position, depressed as all hell about the future.

I usually cheer myself up with a quick reminder that I have a fairly recession-proof job. I’ve traded the pay that I could have made in the private sector for the assurance that Universities rarely, if ever, lay people off. Things will probably get tight around here, but if Tufts starts letting people go we’ll know that the shit has really hit the fan. As my Dad puts it, “If Tufts lays people off, I’m buying a gun. Scratch that, if Tufts lays people off I’m stealing a gun.”

I’m further reassured by the fact that I am literally the only person on our campus who does what I do. And, judging by the number of professors who will cancel their classes if the A/V system doesn’t work, I think that the powers that be are pretty keen to make sure that our classrooms remain supported. Plus, I know how to take down a good 10-20 classrooms on my way out if they try anything.

Kidding. 

I swear.

They’ll probably take away our free coffee and our crappy raises, but they’ll continue to help me keep a roof over my head and food in my belly and that’s good enough for me.

Kristian is not in a position quite as stable as mine, but working in IT is one of the safest sectors to be in these days. Somebody has to keep those computers in line lest they rise up and attack us Cylon style. Damn toasters (sorry, had to get my geek on for a moment to lighten the mood). I’m not worried that either of us will lose our job. And we bought a house well within our means, so I’m not worried about losing the house either.

Still, it’s a scary prospect to realize that your economy is circling the drain and there’s not really a damn thing that you can do about it. I do my part to stimulate consumer spending (aka, I just bought a new purse. Isn’t it great to be able to justify impulse buys with allegedly altruistic motivation?), but there’s only so much that one person can do. I worry. I worry a lot.

It would probably be easier if I had a “got mine, up yours” attitude. But I don’t, and I won’t. 

I can’t sit in my house and enjoy my dinner when I know that I have friends and family that could be laid off or lose their savings. Hell, I have friends who have been laid off. And, beyond offering up a place to crash if they need it (seriously, we have more bedrooms than we know what to do with) and a shoulder to cry on, there’s not a damn thing I can do. We’re back to that whole feeling of helplessness.

I can debate all I want about the merits of bailing out the Big Three Auto Companies (My take on it? Offer them help in exchange for a real commitment towards building green, fuel efficient cars. Workers in Detroit will keep their jobs and the car manufacturers will start making cars that are less harmful for the environment/more attractive to consumers who are worried about gas prices. Everybody wins). But, really, the choice is not mine. I can let my voice be heard by my Representative and Senators, but I am not in that room calling the shots.

I don’t know what the answer is, I really don’t. For now, I’ll continue to pay attention to the news and it will probably continue to freak me out. I’ll distract myself with all of the things that I usually do when I am upset or stressed out. And I’ll do my damnedest to help out anyone I know who is struggling. At this point, that’s pretty much all I can do.

Do you worry about the economy? How do you handle it?