Depressed Much?

So, you think the economy is bad today? Think this generation can "feel the pain" of their grandparents/great grandparents suffering during The Great Depression?

Think again.

According to a recent article in The News & Observer, Not Your Grandfather's Depression,

"it is at this point dangerous to link [today with the Great Depression] too quickly or too closely, for today's economic problems, however serious, pale in comparison to those the U.S. experienced in the 1930s."

Take a look at this chart gleaned from the data in that article:

Measure	Now	Then
Duration	17 months to date	12 years
Gross Domestic Product	Slight fall	30% drop between 1929 and 1933
Unemployment	8.5%	25%
Living Beneath Poverty Line	>13%	51%
Bank Failures	50	5,755
Mortgages in default or one month behind	10%	43%-54%

Still think we've got it rough?

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POWERBALL LUMP SUM!

Wow! With the economy as it is today, I think I'll spend nearly all my extra money buying Powerball tickets! Now, if I win, should I take the Lump Sum, or Annual Payments??

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