One issue that I’ve always taken throughout this entire ordeal with the economy that so much has been stressed on the plight of the middle class, but not enough about those with much lower earnings. Yes, the extension of unemployment benefits and other services like food stamps have been helpful, but that additional money comes on the heels of middle class workers needing the aid, not necessarily out of concern for poor people.

Moreover, for many – particularly among blacks in this country – the recession started long before December 2007.

So when the stimulus bill was passed many had hoped that the areas hit hardest by the recession would be aided most. In fact, the Associated Press noted earlier this year that the plan was "set to spend 50% more per person in areas with the lowest unemployment than it will in communities with the highest."

But in a new Times article, “Are Minorities Getting Enough out of The Stimulus?,” Tim Padgett uses the story of how the needs of Miami’s poorest residents have been neglected despite the state of Florida receiving $15 billion in stimulus aid.

Padgett reports:

Miami's poorer residents have long complained that the city's meager public-transit system makes it harder for them to get to work. So when the Obama Administration announced the $787 billion stimulus plan earlier this year, many hoped some of that money would help fund plans like an expansion of Miami's undersized Metrorail system — especially a 10-mile northern extension that would reach into predominantly African-American and other minority communities largely cut off from downtown and other employment centers. But the project, in part because it's not considered as shovel-ready as jobs like existing highway maintenance, isn't getting any of the $15 billion in stimulus aid for Florida, and has been shelved for the time being.

And it’s not just Miami. Padgett also noted that a Chicago Public Radio investigation this fall found that less than 10% of the Department of Transportation's stimulus contracts had gone to "disadvantaged business enterprises.”

In Florida, and most likely other states, the bulk of new construction work has gone to venues like airports and new highways that benefit the more affluent suburbs.

Have you noticed the same thing in your home state?

Has this become another instance of government blowing the opportunity to help minorities?

I’d love to hear from you. Leave your feedback below and send your own recession stories to therecessiondiaries@gmail.com.

Earlier this year, a reader sent in a letter about her experiences with identity theft. In her letter, she detailed how she missed out on her dream job opportunity after a background check revealed she failed to appear in courts over tickets she never knew she received. That was because someone stole her identity. By the time she settled her legal issues her dream offer was in limbo.

Months after that letter was published I myself discovered that I had been a victim of identity theft. Someone stole my social security number and used it to work at a roofing company in Oakland. The closet I’ve been to Oakland is a Keyshia Cole album and I probably haven’t used the word roof in a sentence since 1997 (when people used to “raise them”). As you can imagine, I was shocked to find out someone hijacked my social number and treated it like an item at Rent-A-Center.

Are others out there in danger of suffering each of our respective fates?

NPR wrote:

Crimes such as mortgage fraud, identity theft and, particularly, employee-related schemes appear to be on the rise, according to Orin Snyder, a former federal prosecutor who is now a litigation partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.

"There's no question that during the past year and a half, companies are reporting as a result of the financial contraction a spike in the kind of low-level, garden-variety frauds that in the aggregate can be very significant to companies: things like credit card fraud, insurance fraud and employee embezzlement," says Snyder. "We're also seeing an increase in data breaches and identity theft."

Some of argued against these claims, making the case that companies simply have more time to pay closer attention to fraud. You know, with them having their pick of the litter these days and all.

Not to play the paranoia game, but I can’t help but suspect more people are inclined to try their luck with white collar crime given the sheer desperation in light of the economy. Have you become wearier of being a victim of identity theft with rampant unemployment? Have you already been a victim?

I’d love to hear your stories. Leave feedback below and send your stories (no, I mean it…send them) about your own battles with the recession by writing therecessiondiaries@gmail.com. 

With unemployment among blacks topping 15 percent nationally and 20 percent in several states, the N.A.A.C.P. is reportedly ready to put pressure on President Obama to do more to create jobs.

The N.A.A.C.P. plans to join the A.F.L.-C.I.O. along with the National Council of La Raza to make the case that the president’s $787 billion stimulus program has not been effective enough in dealing with unemployment.

Just yesterday ABC News reported that the Obama administration slashed 60,000 jobs from its most recent report on the program because outlets submitted “unrealistic data.” Its effectiveness in creating private sector jobs overall has been questioned as well. There’s also debate over how many Americans may owe the IRS in their 2010 tax returns over a discrepancy in how many taxes were withheld from paychecks as a result of a credit imposed from stimulus legislation.

All of this has spurred the aforementioned groups to call for an increase in spending on schools and roads, in addition to billions of dollars in fiscal relief to state and local governments to forestall more layoffs and a direct government jobs program, “especially in distressed communities facing severe unemployment.”

Hilary O. Shelton, the N.A.A.C.P.’s senior vice president for advocacy and policy, told the New York Times:

“It’s time for us to really stoke this issue up. We’re not so much trying to convince him to do something he doesn’t want to do, but urging him to move forward on an issue we have agreement on.”

The groups also call for tax credits and loans to small and medium businesses to spur private-sector job growth.

Federal Reserve Chairman and killjoy Ben Bernanke gave a speech yesterday warning of a weak recovery with high unemployment for the foreseeable future. Bernanke blamed banks for slowing the recovery and keeping unemployment high by not opening lines of credit despite receiving hundreds of billions in taxpayer bailouts to open lines of credit.

How does corporate America respond? Executives at both GE and Bank of America Merrill Lynch both said yesterday that they expect Congress to approve a second economic-stimulus package to help what would otherwise be a slow economic recovery. So the answer to unemployment is déjà vu?

Hopefully that phrase comes to mind for Nancy Pelosi, who is said to be switching her focus to job creation as we reach the end of the year.

Whatever action she along with Congress and the administration take, hopefully it’s not simply throwing a bunch of money at large banks that need to be broken up anyway.

Leave your feedback below and send your own recession stories to therecessiondiaries@gmail.com.

Despite new claims from Warren Buffett that the worst is over, there’s still much to be miserable over.

There is rampant unemployment, foreclosures have declined slightly but they’re still higher than they were a year ago, men continue to struggle to find work, the deficit is soaring, gas may reach the price of $4.00 a gallon again, and there are ten new states on the verge of California-like budget disasters.

For parents, the stress is daunting. For children, it’s apparently even worse. The New York Times published a recent report on how high stress is increasingly being passed on from parent to child.

They report:

For many families across the country, the greatest damage inflicted by this recession has not necessarily been financial, but emotional and psychological. Children, especially, have become hidden casualties, often absorbing more than their parents are fully aware of. Several academic studies have linked parental job loss — especially that of fathers — to adverse impacts in areas like school performance and self-esteem.

“I’ve heard a lot of people who are out of work say it’s kind of been a blessing, that you have more time to spend with your family,” Mr. Bachmuth said. “I love my family and my family comes first, and my family means more than anything to me, but it hasn’t been that way for me.”

The article pointed to children yanking out their hair, failing in school, and having a strained relationship with one or both parents.

It would be easy to argue that people should simply stop giving into the superficial and place less emphasis on money and enjoy the added time with family. But when you have bills and you have no clue where your next dollar is coming from following the Huxtable’s guide to family life seems a lot less important. Moreover, for many a career defines who they are. Without anything to do you begin to feel hopeless and lose a sense of yourself and your purpose. All of these factors create a stressful climate that takes its toll on the entire family.

For those of you currently out of work, or at the very least, making less than you used to, how has it changed the climate in your home? Have the relationships with your children or spouse been strained?

And though you may have a right to be stressed, is it time for you to get out of your funk and speak candidly about your situation with your children?

I’d love to hear from you.

Leave your comments below and send your own recession story to therecessiondiaries@gmail.com.