I have heard people talking about Social Security and how it just might not be there when it's time for me to retire. Imagine paying money into something your entire working life...only to have it go......well we just don't know where.

I've always listened to this rhetoric with a deaf ear, so to speak. I mean, come on, our government is big and in control, right? THAT would never happen.

But last night I saw a story on the news that really shook my sense of security in this regard. I live in Northern Arizona and I was watching the Phoenix news last night...and I saw a story about unemployment in the Phoenix area. I'm not sure of the exact numbers...but in the span of one month it went from around 3000 claims/month....to somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 claims. That's in one month!!! The story featured a couple of individuals who have been trying since November to receive their unemployment benefits. They are calling the Arizona Department of Economic Security and getting a busy signal...ALL DAY!!!! This woman who was a mid-level manager can't even get a job at McDonald's....because she is over-qualified!! Her and her family have just about run out of any funds they had saved up and desparately needed to tap into her unemployment benefits that she's been paying into all these years. And as they are interviewing this woman, the tears are coming...and she's talking about how she feels like she is worth nothing. It was very sad....

I dunno. I just have always felt the security of knowing the safety net was there. I have a great job and at this time, am very confident that my position is secure. I've felt strongly that things will change. It will just take time and we just need to hold fast until the tide changes. But now...things just seem to be getting worse for people and I'm just not so secure in that safety net.....

Welcome to another depression. And guess what this has been happening in michigan far longer than most places in the United States. The person that watches my son on thursday evenings, just got laid off. But lay-offs have been happening in michigan for a while. We have the highest unemployment rate!

You are just catching up with the rest of us! Welcome to the club!

Here in Michigan the unemployment rate is almost 11% according to the state agency that tracks unemployment benefits.

These numbers however do not reflect the true number of people who are out of work since it only accounts for those collecting benefits.

Those who have exhausted benefits and are still out of work are not counted.

The system is so stressed here that the computers that tracking benefits crashed.

Welcome to scary times we here in Michigan have been there for a couple years already.

Slavery never ended, it just got turned on everyone.

I would like to add that it's not just the ones that have exhausted benefits that are not not counted.

There are also consultants, companies owned by one person - like general contractors, temp. workers, and more.