The Great Recession affected people in millions of ways. Today we present six.
One retired businessman made millions with no more than the equivalent of a high school diploma, lives comfortably and says that anyone can do the same if he or she is motivated.
Another who had a good job in government saw his world fall apart after a job loss and divorce. A felony drug conviction from his youth hurts his job chances. He has no fondness for the “creamy rich.”
In the second installment of the America Today project, Beacon Journal reporter Dave Scott talks to six individuals who have experienced the recession in different ways, have different views as to what went wrong and in some cases how to fix the country.
They agreed to reveal financial details, emotions and thoughts provided their names remain confidential.
Previous stories explaining the issues that divide us can be found on Ohio.com under the special projects category, America Today.
You also can comment on these stories on Ohio.com.
America Today project seeks citizen input
This project opens journalism to a two-way street. In the hope of learning what you’re thinking and getting citizens more involved in our stories, we’ve added an interactive experiment: We are offering you an opportunity to answer some of the same tough questions we are posing to citizens in the America Today series.
In addition to the traditional Ohio.com comment page, the newspaper is partnering with the Civic Commons, an online organization that encourages respectful and informed debate of tough issues from a variety of perspectives and experiences. Below are the two opportunities to express yourself on these questions:
How did we as a nation get in trouble economically?
Whom do you blame?
How do we as a nation solve our economic problems?
What are you doing differently to get through the downturn?
