This always is an amazing topic for me to talk about. I'm self employed, have been for the last five years... with a seasonal business that relies on the EXTRA cash laying around that people will spend on something they can often do without... Landscaping. Every fall (I live in Minnesota) I have to go look for work. I work as a carpenter all winter long. When everyone else in the union is sitting on the bench, I'm putting in overtime. Why? Because I'm willing to do what I need to do to stay busy.
I've also been in the military for the last 16 years, 11 of them on active duty. I've been all over the world (and always stationed on land - Seabees don't float) I've seen "bad" economies.
I was asked, in Iraq, a question that changed my view of my own circumstances, and maybe my view of life in general.
A young Ugandan man and I were enjoying a couple of neer beers and a smoke outside the exchange in Al Taqaddam Air Base. We talked about family, our homes, our music, and friends back home. He asked me this question after 10 minutes of a jovial conversation: "So, just how bad is the famine where you come from?" He didn't ask IF we had a famine, he assumed we had one. He believed the entire planet has a famine.
I didn't have the heart to tell him the biggest problem amongst our poor people was not famine, but obesity.
Every time I hear someone complain about the bad economy, I suggest they take a vacation to any 3rd world country of their choice, Mexico is ok as long as you are the only American in the town and the nearest telephone is a two hour walk away.
As for me, My ability to make money in any economy in the best and most free country on the planet is only limited to my imagination and determination.
If you think everything I said is B.S. Realize that you are looking at a computer with internet access connected to a website dedicated to a hobby and then tell me I'm full of bull. But I'll bet your worries are pretty minimal. I bet they are smaller than our boys' holding the line in the middle east, and I'm pretty sure my buddy in Uganda has bigger fish to fry just looking for a fish to fry.