No Depression My White Bitter Clinging Ass. . .

"Sitting on a cooler, waiting for the sun. . ."

Not only is my family one of the half, we are also one of the one in five.

This Friday marks 27 months that I've been on this Odyssey.

The unemployment ran out in June. The last of the savings and IRA in October.

So this family is existing on my wife's salary. Which in gross is 1/3 the amount we used to bring home in 2007.

We are essentially trying to get by at a level we lived at in the very early 90s.

I've got my first grandson I cannot buy gifts for for his first Christmas. Let alone any for my own children and wife.

Some of the creditors are less than amused by my situation.

But hell, they've been downgraded, too.

Still, I've been able to keep a roof over our head and food on the table.

So we're fortunate.

At least for now.

If you want to know where my head is at these days listen to D'Angelo and his wife at about the 8:00 minute mark in the video.

And I still have my home.

But you'll begin to understand the worry and fear I feel.

Every minute of every day.

It has been, and continues to be, one helluva challenge.

Maybe I should change my name to Ulysses. Or Job. . .

Be sure to WATCH THE VIDEO at the end. I talked about this a bit a while back.

The Daily Mail:

Recession hits families hard as half of Americans fear they won't be able to do their holiday shopping
One in five families lack any disposable income
By Meghan Keneally

One in five Americans lost a sizeable amount of their disposable income during the recession, leaving them financially vulnerable and without many options.

The number of Americans considered 'economically insecure' reached a new high during the period from 2008 to 2010 which spanned what is now called the Great Recession.

This news comes just as businesses hope to increase profits amid holiday sales and Christmas shopping, but half of the U.S. population is now worried that they won't be able to buy the presents on their list because of their financial situation.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Worried: Financial troubles are dampening people's expectations this season

Deemed economically insecure by the Economic Security Index, 20 per cent of the county have considerably less spending money now as compared to previous years.

By comparison, only 14.3 per cent of the country's population was in the same position in 1986.

The report, compiled by Yale professor Jacob Hacker's Index team, evaluates census data and looks at a family's income, savings, and medical bills when determining who is considered economically insecure.

Unemployment rates are clearly linked to the figures, and are similarly grim. The national unemployment rate is currently 9.1 per cent.

Repercussions: As the unemployment rate remains at 9.1 per cent, the number of homeless continues to rise, now counting 16 million children among their ranks

Not the holiday spirit: Half of Americans now fear they won't be able to buy the holiday gifts that they want because of financial trouble

While the deals in stores and online on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are meant to encourage shoppers, many people's bank statements are having the opposite effect.

As a result of the difficult financial times and the diminishing disposable cash in many American households, half of the country is concerned that they will not be able to buy the gifts they want for family and friends this holiday season.

A CBS poll reports that 33 per cent of those polled will not have enough money for holiday shopping.

The poll also asked respondents to describe how concerned they were about meeting their spending needs this season- asking them to self-identify as very concerned, somewhat concerned, not very concerned, or not at all concerned.

The categories were split relatively evenly- all ranging between 21 and 29 per cent.

OUT OF OPTIONS, MORE FAMILIES LIVING IN THEIR CARS

As time passes and unemployment continues to hover at 9.1 per cent, benefit payments dry up and homeless shelters face constant capacity.

A 60 Minutes segment dedicated time to telling the stories of the growing group of Florida children who now live in their family's cars as they run out of options.

There are now 16 million children now living in poverty nationally, and one third of those children are in Florida.

Though the efforts of food banks and shelter do help, they are not enough as many are now forced to adopt a new alternative.

One of the families profiled was the Metzgers, led by father Tom who lost his job as a carpenter. Mr Metzger and his two children- Arielle, 15, and Austin, 13- live together in a small truck. The children's mother died when they were young.

'It's an adventure,' Arielle told CBS' Scott Pelley.

'It's not really that much of an embarrassment. I mean, it's only life. You do what you need to do, right?' she said.

Other families told stories of the fear they had during the night, afraid that people would rob them in their cars for the little money they have.

Some have worked out partnerships with motels that allow them to stay even though they have run out of cash, using their labour to repaint rooms as payment instead.