Recession Briefing: Now, We’re in a Phase of Ambiguity

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

If the Great Recession has indeed relaxed its grip on American life, it has been replaced by something that might be called the Great Ambiguity — a time of considerable debate over the clarity of economic indicators and the staying power of apparent improvements. (New York Times)

92 percent of the top managers and directors at the top 17 companies that received TARP funds are still in their same positions. (The Big Picture)

Heather MacDonald writes that the recession of 2008-09 has undercut one of the most destructive social theories that came out of the 1960s: the idea that the root cause of crime lies in income inequality and social injustice. (Wall Street Journal)…

Screwed: 678 at Virginia Dept. of Transportation

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s total: 825

Nearly 700 workers at the Virginia Department of Transportation will be laid off this week. … The Longaberger Company in Newark, Ohio has plans to cut 125 of its staff. …

The Recession Movie

A long, long time ago–okay, back in March–we wrote about a couple of enterprising brothers who responded to job loss by loading up a van and driving through all 50 states, chronicling Americans’ experience with the recession. Well, now their movie, The Recess Ends, is done…

How to Get Prescription Drugs on the Cheap

Too bad sickness doesn’t notice when your health coverage runs out. When you’ve got a stubborn cough or an illness that just won’t go away, it doesn’t matter if you’re having financial trouble or if you’ve been out of work for the past year. You’ll still need medication if you hope to get better, and that medication doesn’t come cheap.

The average cost to fill a single prescription was $69.91 in 2007, according to a report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, an amount that adds up quickly for families with multiple children getting sick at multiple times throughout the year. And in 2008 alone, the average increase in manufacturer price for brand name prescription medications went up 8.7 percent.

Since the recession began, however, a number of programs have begun to fill the void for cash-strapped families and individuals—offering free or reduced prescription medications to those in need. With so many programs available, it’s not so much a matter of finding a program as it is finding the program that is right for you…

Recession Briefing: Take the Foreclosure Tour!

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Cape Coral, Fla., is a reluctant symbol for the excesses of the great American real estate bubble: foreclosed homes served up as tourist attraction. A shiny green tour bus takes speculators around the town looking for deals. Nearly a third of the houses in the area have been touched by foreclosure in the past three years. (New York Times)

With food-stamp use at a record high and surging by the day, an overlooked subgroup is growing: recipients with no cash income who live solely off of the government food subsidies. (New York Times)

As a result of the glut of foreclosures, agents and homebuilders across the country are complaining too many appraisals are coming in low, scuttling deals. The National Association of Realtors says nearly one in four of its members has reported clients losing a sale due to botched appraisals. (USA Today)

Screwed: Up to 126 in Lynchburg

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 226

Up to 126 positions may be cut in the city of Lynchburg, Va. … Plymouth, Mass. schools are looking at eliminating eight to 10 positions. …