Unemployment Is A Bitch

Here in The United States we bemoan our 8% unemployment rate like it is the end of the world. While it is quite serious we find ourselves in much better shape than other countries that are suffering along with us.

Normally I would not give unemployment a second thought but with the possibility of Obama being re-elected and his penchant for making us into the Europe of The Western Hemisphere I am concerned where such a course would take us.

While in the United States Army I lived in Europe for two and a half years and loved it and its people but even back in the 70's I could see looming problems in some countries. I realize that Europeans do not understand us and most of us do not understand them but frictions between countries is a government to government issue not a person to person issue.

 I can easily sympathize with Europe's unemployment crises as I would never want to experience what they are going through. I hear talk about recessions but what I see in some of the unemployment rates depression may be a better word to describe their condition.

Unemployment Rates In Europe:

Ireland 14%
Lithuania 15%
Latvia 15%
Georgia 16%
Greece 17%
Croatia 18%
Spain 22%
Serbia 23%
Bosnia 45%
Kosovo 45%

These numbers are staggering and we should count our blessings when reading them. At its height The Great Depression hit 25% in 1933. I can not even begin to imagine how devastating that time must have been to those who lived through it. I can not imagine the pain of those in  these European countries today.

There are solutions to these problems but the unfortunate thing is that the solutions have to come from governments acting in unison with each other. Not an easy task indeed.

Some how if this was a problem that could be solved on a person to person basis we would all be the better for it.

Randy