These are indeed hard times

The government said recession is over. But it does not seem so. Unemployment is still up. All levels of government are deeply in debt. People dependent on food banks have increased. The price of gasoline keeps going up. Salaries have mostly remained stagnant and workers are worried about complaining. This is not a time when one can afford to lose a job; it would be difficult to find another. Look at the Canada Postal Workers who went on a rotating strike. They were locked out and then legislated back to work without gaining anything.
The downward slide in economy is worldwide. The most powerful country in the world, the United States of America, is in a worse condition than Canada, and was barely saved from the brink of a depression. The value of its currency has gone down, its housing market is still at its low ebb and unemployment is still extremely high. The stock market has slowly recovered but is still very volatile.
Many senior citizens had lost their retirement savings when the stock market fell in 2008. A great number went back to work and others have to be contented in a hand to mouth existence. The hope for a well-taken care of retirement is gone.
The life of well-being in milk and honey enjoyed in the last decades of the 20th century was swallowed up by the expenses and waste of dragging wars. Money that should have gone to food, shelter, clothing, health, education and recreation have been burned in bullets and all the costly armaments in warfare that have not really shown many concrete positive results as of recent days.
And Nature has not been very kind either. The first decade of the 21st century has been a witness to terrible earthquakes, tsunamis, thunderstorms, tornadoes and wildfires. We seem to be experiencing what it would be like when the world ends!
The rebellions in several countries in the Middle East are a part of the poverty and misery of people who could no longer stand the tyranny of despotic rulers who lavish themselves in luxuries and extravagance, while their subjects languish in want and hard labour.
But still, some trends continue. The rich are getting richer – getting their bonuses, accumulating oil profits, gaining in the rising prices of grains and other prime commodities and all those other ways by which power and wealth are gained. Well, except for those high and mighty rulers that had recently been overthrown, and a few more that would soon be gone.
Another trend, people from very poor places in the world tend to migrate to other countries known for a better life. Many try to escape not only from financial want but also from fear for their lives. Countries like the United States of America and Canada are favourite destinations of many political and economic refugees. Recently both countries have taken measures to tighten the laws for immigrants especially for those entering the countries illegally.
In the United States, the issue of illegal immigrants has been of prime interest to lawmakers and the public as well, in recent months. It is of course an open secret that there are millions of illegal immigrants in the United States who are source of cheap labour. Now with the poor economy and the tendency for more of them coming in the law and the law enforcers have turned on them relentlessly. Many of these illegal immigrants have lived in the country for many years, earning meagre wages but still having a better life than in their countries of origin. Now, together with the newcomers, they are all scared of being found and deported.
I was watching the CNN television channel last Sunday morning when I came across a man being interviewed by the host. He is a Pulitzer-awardee, a journalist from the Philippines. He confessed that he is in the United States as an illegal immigrant. He has lived in the country for about seven years and is working as a reporter in one of the newspapers. He was asked by the interviewer why he revealed his immigration status and he said, he felt he had to because he is one of many in the country affected by the recent steps to get rid of illegal immigrants. His employer did not know of his status when he was hired. He is now at risk of being deported.
I felt very sorry for this very talented man who is indeed an asset to the United States. I hope he is allowed to stay.
Of course, this journalist would also be an asset in the Philippines. But there was no decent place for his talents in his country of origin and he had to look elsewhere under the sun where his abilities will be appreciated.
The story of this journalist is similar to many Filipino situations when they left the Philippines. There was no market for their capabilities. They had to suffer difficulties in strange lands and often take jobs below their education and work experience and even be very insecure about their immigrant status. Often they claim refugee status but are rejected. They are indeed refugees, economic and social refugees.
Whatever are the economic difficulties that immigrants have to undergo, life in the United States and Canada can still be better for them who are willing to be patient and hard-working. These are indeed hard times right now but things will improve. As one Filipino I overheard said,”Ano, recession kamo ngayon dito? Sa Pilipinas, recession sa habang panahon!”