BAD OLD DAYS REVISITED?

How goes the cliche 'So many of us are but one paycheck away from life on the streets'. In this land of plenty it doesn't seem possible in the 21st century, but evidence seems to be springing up around the country in these small (so far) Hoovervilles. See this slideshow. One of the slides, slides #6 of 13 show a picture of one of two men living in a tool shed the replica of one which I have in my back yard for tools and seasonal equipment.

I was born in the last depression, and I never thought seriously that I would come any closer to those times again than watching THE GRAPES OF WRATH. but darn if it doesn't, day by day, show evidence that Tom Joad's ghost is walking our land again.

The impression I get from Washington is that President Obama and his army of economists on the government payroll are starting to implement patches here and there that seem to be taking hold, we can only hope and pray that is so. My evidence which really may be more hope than fact is based on the stock markets stabilization. It hasn't regained it's loses, but at least it is back to it's normal win some, lose some up and down days. I'll take that on a wishful scale as good news. The classic depression and classic depression movies documenting it are far in the past and I for one hope it stays right there. I am buoyed by optimism that Obama and his steady demeanor will prevail and kill the beast before it re-emerges too much further out of it's 'been there, don't want to revisit,' place in the past.

Slideshow courtesy of the New York Times.