When will we get back on our feet?

"They were left out of the latest unemployment rate, as they are every month: millions of hidden casualties of the Great Recession who are not counted in the rate because they have stopped looking for work."

As a result of the horribly frustrating job market, many have taken to being stay at home moms and dads, or going back to school until the job market improves. Disturbing as the unemployment numbers are, they don't even include those who have given up working or have been forced to retire early, and there are a lot of them. this article spotlights a few individual stories that are worth reading.

A skilled carpenter who once owned his own construction business is forced to apply to home-depot and small family-owned hardware stores. He even applies for overnight shifts at convenience stores, and never gets called back. His wife makes ten dollars an hour volunteering. He has stopped applying for jobs as often as he used to, and feels completely hopeless. Can you blame him?

His story and others like it are discouraging. We need something to boost this economy, and fast. Hardworking, skilled people are forced to scrounge for cash and food. Trickle-Down Economics isn't going to cut it. Cash 4 Clunkers isn't going to cut it. We need ideas, now.