I think we're in an economic downturn when i see all my friends selling their belongings on ebay just to get by, never mind paying the bills.

p.s. i love your show, but that incessant computer bleeping sound is REALLY starting to annoy me and "takes away" from my enjoyment of listening. The first few times I heard it I thought it was something in my apt., smoke alarm needing a battery etc. it's horrible - could be a deal breaker for me....

public radio stations resort to chatty breakfast show formats with annoying Fox-like dings between stories. It's bad enough that I hear a constant barrage of advertisements on what used to be a public station — now I feel like I'm listening to the View on the radio, but worse. I suppose it is a sign of the times that the Takeaway was cooked up to grab the Ipod crowd. Your outreach will hopefully fail. Please take away the Takeaway.

John Veit

Rockaway Beach

When the subway musicians are really good, you know economic times are really bad.

I think we're in an economic downturn when I see _______

recent engineering grads making movies and posting them on Youtube criticizing Milton Friedman and our foreign policy and supporting immigrants rights because they realize its not theforeigner it's our government and it's corporate friendly policy...and now they are effected and going to do something about it!

when I see many churches begining to start advocating and preaching on social justice and solidarity among disparte groups within the lower and (vanishing) middle class.

I know we're in an economic downturn when I see Mike Bloomberg eating at a soup kitchen.

I think we're in an economic downturn when I see that stores have endless clearance sales, and even then, merchandise doesn't seem to be moving. Most people I know plan to use the "stimulus" check to pay their bills.

Also - what's up with the labor underutilization? There is a significant group of "engineers flipping burgers" - that is, people who are qualified/educated but cannot get a decent job in their chosen field. These people are not counted as unemployed, but surely this is a negative weight on the economy as a whole.

Furthermore, another commenter posted, and I agree, that there is statistical manipulation going on in terms of the official unemployment numbers. After people are no longer claiming benefits, they're dropped, because it's assumed they no longer want a job, even if they do.

And - what is up with the "Birth/Death" model that is used to calculate unemployment? Is there any hard evidence to back it up? Or is it just political/statistical manipulation?

Fewer people coming to the Farmer's Market.

I have stopped buying bagels.

In Northern NJ bagels were $.45-$.55 now they are $.75 to $1.00 sans butter or a smeer.

No bagels for our houslhold

I found a video that really demonstrates the economic downturn. It's by a hilarious vlogger I recently ran across on YouTube.

Once someone sets this to music - watch out! It will be a new hit single. :D