Jan. 27, 2008
Andy On The Recession
Andy Rooney On Economic Tough Times And Memories Of The Depression
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Rooney: New Depression?
Andy Rooney remembers what it was like growing up during the Great Depression. He was the rich kid on the block with a live-in maid.
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(AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)
I get five or six newspapers every day and I've been reading a lot of stories about what they're calling the recession we're having. They don't want to scare us, so they don't call it a Depression, they call it a recession.
Talk of a Depression, spelled with a capital D, probably means more to me than it does to you because I grew up during the worst Depression we ever had in this country.
There were pictures of bread lines and soup kitchens in the paper every day when I was a kid. Big bakeries gave away their bread when it was three or four days old and people who were out of work and hungry, lined up to get it. We don't have anything like that now.
My family was lucky because my father always had his job. He made $8,000 during the years I was in grade school in the 1930s and $12,000 when I was in high school. I was one of the rich kids on our block.
We had a live-in maid my mother paid $16 a week. She had her own room upstairs next to mine and while I forget how old I was, I couldn't have been real young because I remember how pretty I thought she was.
I don't know anything about economics but I don't think what we're in is a Depression - or even a recession - whatever the difference is. I'm as ready to blame President Bush for things as anyone else but I don't think this recession is his fault.
I look at The Wall Street Journal every day. I don't understand it but I look at it because it's all about money and I know how important money is.
Do you know what these headlines mean?
"DEAL FEES UNDER FIRE AMID MORTGAGE CRISIS," "DEFAULT FEARS UNNERVE MARKETS," "BOND INSURERS WEATHER HIT TO RATINGS," "WORLD RIDES TO WALL STREET'S RESCUE."
Oh, I don't think that's where the world is riding to.
I'm going to keep reading The Wall Street Journal though even when I don't understand it because if the world comes to an end, I know they'll have a story about it - on page six.
Written By Andy Rooney
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Given your depression comments tonight (1/27/08) about how you grew up with a maid, your father making big bucks during those ''difficult'' economic times and how the WSJ is inane to you just leads me to believe you''re totally out of touch with middle class America, who indirectly support your blue-blood lifestyle. Obviously, you have no clue, understanding or empathy about hard times or the current recession we are in. While I grew up in the post-depression, my father was in that bread line and he told me he was lucky if he had work of any kind just to keep our family fed and clothed. I suggest you look in the morror and see how old and tired you look. Then, go to your typewriter and prepare a long overdue letter of resignation. You''ll give those departed souls in that bread line, like my father, the ''break'' they deserve.
Sincerely, Bob in CT.
"there was a depression but it didn''t affect me, we had a maid, the current econmic uncernity is not Bush''s fault and wall street writes about money."
hopefully the writers will get back to work soon.
My parents lived through the great depression. It affected them for the rest of their lives. Mr Rooney, you are a disgusting old man. PLEASE, go home AND JUST SHUT UP!!!
To say you don''t hold Pres. Bush responsible for the current economic woes is, I believe, a bit naive. The Bush administration, like the complicit Congress and Senate, have sat on their hands for years making sure we have a laissez faire, free swinging government which will let "the markets do their work". They have and now we see the results. The war profiteers, the lobbyists, our own politicians, the Wall St. CEOs have all made theirs while the country sinks even lower. We can''t buy anything made in this country except Boeing jets and even then many of their parts are made in Asia and elsewhere. The chickens are coming home to roost and everyone is going to suffer when all is said and done.
Andy Rooney, I have always loved your program. But your description of the Depression is sickening, and you are a snob. And your pissing off the very real depression that we could be headed for is just too bad. I hope when you are in the nursing home and need your depends changed that the person doing it cannot speak English, and that they feed you beenie weenies for every meal, disgusting old man!
Andy, look in the mirror.
Retire.
You''re old and have NOTHING to contribute anymore to 60 Minutes.
This piece you wrote is as bad as it gets.
You have been isolated from common people waaay too long.
I watch with sadness at the fact that CBS doesn''t have the guts to wheel you out.
So sad.
At least get that thing hanging from your upper lip fixed, it looks grose.
Posted by frnk1231
Give it alittle while longer, when he is out of a job and his 401k desintergrate. He going to feel real stupid.
Posted by commonsence1 at 09:18 AM
I would think that frnk1231 is not happy with the old faarrt Andy joking about this not even being a recession.
This may be all funny to Andy but to many the reality is they are losing houses, jobs, cutting back on ESSENTIALS, and more.
Guess to some like Andy and the CBS 60 minute crew it is all funny.
No Andy it isn''t a recession and it isn''t the president''s fault so let''s just step over it all.
Hurry and roll the windows up in the car, here comes another homeless beggar looking for a handout.
It is just a different kind of depression today as the gap between the haves and the have nots is widening. It is the silent depression as it isn''t quite as in your face but try to tell the losers in this econonomy that they are not experiencing a depression.
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by be_thechange
January 29, 2008 5:06 PM EST
- Andy, you''ve missed this one. In my region (central NY) the food banks can''t keep up, the unemployment figures are double what is reported because so many legit cases are refused or remain unemployed after their 26 weeks of benefits, the typical adult male or female head of household earns $10/hr, healthcare is a joke, education sends two messages: drop out now and enjoy life while you''re young or graduate and run for your life with that diploma. This is status quo for the region and NOW we''re entering a recession... and that will tear a thin socio-economic fabric even more. Americans knew they were electing another elitist politician in GW, but they allowed fear to run over rational thinking. Now we are no closer to settling the terrorism issue and are sinking into a period of economic lows unseen for a long time. You say GW is not to blame. Perhaps not personally to blame. But his kind of smug, rich, power loving businessmen have pushed this country to the brink. Thank God the common people know how to survive. I hope the greed-machine grinds to a full stop and we re-evaluate the rules for the distribution of wealth, and logic to live within our means.
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