John,

I too happen to live in the real world, and all of this hard work that created the excesses is making life difficult.  Even in good times, I really don't understand how most people make ends meet, and sympathize with their plight.  I live, farm and work in the heart of Alberta's energy industry.  And I assure you that no one is celebrating this glorious surplus of energy.  Not freezing to death this winter because we worked hard to store away all of this excess gas and oil just isn't exciting all of my unemployed neighbours.  They are more worried about how to pay for the cheap fuel without a paycheque. We all want the boom to return, everyone wants to go back to spending all night on a drilling rig at 40 below in the wind in the middle of nowhere far from their family.  No one is able to appreciate this utopia we have created by our over achievement in bringing all of this energy to market. But if you look at our society as the pioneer family would, we should be all enjoying the fruits of our labours right now.

The potential is amazing.  Judging what the market is willing to pay primary producers, the world is awash in cheap oil, nat gas, coal, grains, pork, ( soon to be beef), copper, iron ore, lumber, precious metals, on and on.  Now add lots of highly educated unemployed people.  Add technology that is growing exponentially while getting cheaper at the same rate.  Cheap interest.  This should be a recipe explosive growth.  Opportunities should be everywhere.

Instead, we have massive debt hanging over all of our heads. Massive taxes of every conceivable type, government regulations, anti progress groups like Greenpeace protesting every possible development.  Governments purposely making energy more expensive.  Doom and gloom everywhere you turn.  Who would want to invest into this environment?  

But when you look at the resources available, all of these recently unemployed should be more than capable of enjoying a well earned rest.  Spend 6 months on a tropical island.  After all, there is lots of fuel to get them there, food to feed them, material to build the infrastructure to support the trip,and unemployed people who would be happy to cater to their needs.  ( And if any of them had the foresight to not spend every dime they earned and then some, they would be doing that right now) Say the same thing for any other walk of life,including farmers.  When times are booming, no one has time to enjoy the fruits of their labors.  Then when we have time, we don't have the money.