Recession weighs heavy on student minds four years later
Written by Baylee Potter, Former Student on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
2008 was a big year for the United States. For the first time there was an African American was running for president, the possibility of a female vice president and then the downfall of the United States Economy. The most impacting event of 2008 was the economic crash. Starting with the collapse of the Real Estate Market, the Economic Downfall changed the lives of millions of Americans.
Even those who don’t remember the beginning of the recession remember the affects of it. Sophomore Kristin Knudson speaks from a seventh grader’s perspective. “I guess [at the time] I didn’t really know what was going on and I didn’t have to think about plans.” She doesn't know how the recession will affect her future plans. “I just decided what I wanted to do this year and I hadn’t really thought about money.” Knudson is one among many that didn’t understand what began in 2008. Knudson understood what was going on, on some level, “I remember my dad got laid off and we couldn’t buy a lot of stuff that we used to be able to.”
As a Senior, Shannon Harris says the economy is still affecting her plans for the future, “I want to go to school for the next six years and possibly become a lawyer. [But it’s] really expensive to pay for school, even though I have applied for lots of scholarships.” The after-effects of the recession are still hitting students. “The way I’ve grown up and my views have been shaped because of it,” says Harris. “It may have happened before I was involved in the world really but it’s taught me to be careful with money and to always have a backup plan.” Senior Matt Brigham wishes to go to University of Utah; the economy has made him consider money more than before. “[I’m] definitely planning on getting residency in Utah within my first year at U of U [in order to save money].” In fact, the economy has changed more than the college aspect of Brigham. “I had always imagined having a job by my senior year but the job market is pretty dismal.”
But the recession doesn’t just affect a single person or just teenagers, they also affect adults. “In January of 2011 my Mom got laid off,” Agricultural science teacher, Stacy Lischke states. “She’s now collecting unemployment. She can make more on unemployment than at her old ten dollars per hour job.” Many people feel the same way. “Honestly, I believe that part of the reason the economy isn’t getting better is because people can often make more off of the government than they can off of a minimum wage job." Many find themselves not working for long periods of time not only because it is hard to find work, but because the any American can make a better wage on Welfare and other government funded programs. Even those that do hold down steady jobs, find it harder and harder to make a living. “My dad is a mechanic and normally in the spring and summer, he makes most of his money because people bring in their summer vehicles to get fixed and tuned up before summer begins,” Lischke discusses. “But because people are trying to conserve money, no one is spending it on summer leisures.” Whether the economy is recovering or getting worse, it has had some sort of impact on all people. “It’s tough for everyone right now,” Brigham says. “But now is when people need to be smart about how they spent their money."
