Economic Crisis

What happened in the US some 12 months ago appears to be at our door as we speak. Even though the economic situation in Croatia has always been hard (I can remember late 70s raging inflation when I was just a little kid), it's been getting worse each year at an increasingly faster pace since the war. Well, it's getting ready to hit rock bottom it seems. Pay cuts have been announced for the second time this year. This time retirement checks will not be spared either. Retirement checks roughly amount to $250 to $600 per month. A few days ago it was announced that school books will no longer be provided free of charge. It's just weeks from school year starting back up and parents are starting to break into cold sweat over expensive books. Only unemployment and prices are predicted to keep going up in the foreseeable future. Gas is still at some $5.6 per gallon.