“We are heading toward a recession!” The first time hearing this quote was about a year ago. I was a freshman attending Emporia State University. I remember thinking, “This isn’t something I need to worry about. I know that I’ll be successful in my future.” I happened to be wrong. Little did I know that this is predicted to be the biggest decline in our economy since the Great Depression in the 1930s. I have found that is affecting me more and more as we begin to get closer and closer to a deeper recession; we need to act fast before it is too late.

So in my early stages of denial about this so called “Recession”, I was beginning to imagine what it really would be like. It started to scare me knowing that someday I could wake up and realize that I have no money. But how could this possibly happen to me? I am working hard to becoming an elementary teaching and earning my masters to someday become a principal. Then it hit me! The only way I am able to somewhat survive now is by my student loans. It never hit me this hard knowing that someday I would have to pay those back! Each year I take out thousands of dollars to get me food and shelter. What will I do when that runs out or I will not be able to pay them back? If something is not done about the recession and if it somehow gets worse by the time I graduate, I will find myself struggling to survive.

Not only has the recession scared me, but my family is starting to struggle now. Every summer I look forward to being with my brothers and sisters for a nice family vacation. Now, my family is struggling to even pay the bills or help my sister and me out for college. I know that my family will be fine. As long as we all stick together as a family, I know we will make it. However, there are other families that are struggling more than we are. Many major companies are making cutbacks in order to save money. This then leads to families without income. An example of this would be just last year when Tyson of Emporia, Kansas laid off many of their employees to have some extra money in the business. This influenced many families of Emporia. Many had to find new jobs and even worse, move their home to another town. According to Bruce Jackson at Yahoofinance.com, “Unemployment will continue to rise. There are currently 1.825 million people unemployed, and this number will keep rising throughout the whole of 2009 and probably into 2010, ultimately peaking at close to 3 million.” This is scary for all families. We need to come up with a solution to help employment rise and get us out of a recession.

Many US citizens are worried about the crime rates increasing due to the recession, including myself. Some individuals who are struggling will often find a second job or cut down on their spending, but some take the easy way out and commit a crime. To be more specific, identity thief had increased by 50 percent in 2008 according to David Weliver from Moneyunder30.com. I could not believe it when I received a letter in the mail just a few weeks ago encouraging me to get a new debit card due to identity thief. This rise has made identity thief the fastest growing crime rate in the nation (David Weliver)! Some advice may help some to prevent them from being a victim of identity thief. First, it is smart to keep an eye on your bank statement. If you notice any unusual spending or spending you did not do, contact your local police department to get it taken care of right away! Second, be careful where you type in your full name as well as purchasing things on the internet.

These are just a few ways this recession has affected my life. I do not have the slightest clue as to how to get us out of it or help us become a more stable nation. I trust that our president and his members will try their best to help their country. This recession has only affected me little, but we need to do something fast to help out our other members of this country before it is too late.