Lilo, It's heartbreaking to read such stories. Since real estate is so slow, I've been sending out resumes for the last year. I've had only three interviews. I've only been offered one of those jobs, and it paid $12 an hour. As a former VP, I felt a tad overqualified for that one. Luckily, I still make some money in real estate, although my income has easily been cut by 40%, but at least I have an income. Also, I'm not the only one in my family working, thank goodness.

I don't what to tell people when they can't find work. One of my clients pointed out his fork lift operator. He told me that the guy was the husband of their bookkeeper and a former bigwig from Bear Sterns. Since the Wall Street Meltdown, he has been unable to find a full-time job.