Americans are adjusting to the economic crisis

Denise Honeycutt, Columnist
Published On: 09/30/2008

By now we all know that the United States is in the middle of an economic crisis. It is hard to turn on the television without hearing about it. There have been problems with rising gas prices, the housing market, and now the financial fiasco on Wall Street.

While government officials continue to debate over what is the best solution to the economic crisis, the American people have had to make some changes in order to survive.

The price of gas has been rising for a few years now. Initially, it seemed as if Americans were making few adjustments in their lives in order to decrease the use of gas, but the higher gas prices got, the more people began to talk about finding alternative fuel sources and/or lowering their gas consumption.

A few weeks ago, gas reached an all time high due to Hurricane Ike. Many people complained about how, in some areas, gas prices had risen $0.30 or more overnight.

In anticipation of a gas shortage, many drivers flocked to their local gas stations to fill up before Ike arrived, causing some gas stations to run out of gas.

Even now, states like the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia have a gas shortage. Some gas stations in Alabama are also dealing with a gas shortage. According to news broadcasts, it could take two to four weeks before things get back to normal.

I was watching a news channel the other day, and they talked about the increasing sales of smaller motorized vehicles. They said that there was a 66% rise in the sale of scooters.

There had also been a significant rise in the sale of motorcycles. Of course, there has been a decrease in the sales of larger vehicles — such as SUVs — since the gas price increases, so some automobile companies have either come out with, or are working on, hybrid SUVs.

I also heard that GM has been working on a car that is completely electric. I’ve seen an increasing number of hybrid cars, scooters, and motorcycles in the Birmingham area. I’ve also noticed that there are more people carpooling to work or school.

Last week, a local television station reported on the fact that many people in Alabama were looking for second, and in some instances, third jobs in order to sustain themselves during the economic crisis. This is something that many people around the country are doing.

Some local retailers said that there are plenty of jobs available, particularly with the holidays nearing.

The problem that many would-be employers are having, though, is that so many applicants are only looking for part-time work, since they already have full time jobs.

It’s hard to tell when this economic crisis will pass. Many Americans are looking toward government officials to help solve the problem, but right now, it seems as if they don’t exactly know what to do, either.

I’ve heard many people talk about how urgent it is that we solve this economic crisis, President Bush even mentioned the urgency of the situation in his speech on September 24. The problem is that a quick, but bad solution could leave the United States and the American people in an even worse situation.

During the past year, small efforts have been made to stimulate the economy, but nothing has really worked.

President Bush has asked Congress to approve of the Treasury Department spending $700 billion to help stimulate the U.S. financial system.

There are many people that have a problem with the President’s request, including members of his own party. Even though I recognize that immediate action is required in this situation, I hope that everyone involved takes the time to really try and come up with something that works.

Meanwhile, I think most Americans are doing a good job of cutting back in order to survive these tough times.

Email: honey_deni@hotmail.com