Hard Times: Lost on Long Island (2012) - full transcript

I could think of a lot worse

things that could happen

to someone

than being unemployed.

I have a lot of things that

happened to me in my life

that helped me

put this unemployment

into perspective.

I was struck by lightning

when I was 15.

I had heart trouble

when I was 21.

Reporter:

There's been an explosion

deep below...

I was at the world trade center.

I just started a new job

when it was bombed

the first time,

and a few months

after that, I was on

the long island railroad

when Colin Ferguson shot all

those people on the railroad.

And most recently,

I was in the world trade center

when it collapsed.

So you know, you put all

this stuff into perspective,

being unemployed is

something that I can

deal with very easily,

and it's-- you know,

could be a lot worse.

It's not the end

of the world.

* why does the sun

* go on shining?

* why does the sea

rush to shore? *

two days ago,

it was a year I'm out of work.

Everybody says the same thing--

"I'll get back to you.

I'll get back to you."

And they never get back.

There's no jobs.

If there is a job,

there's 70 people

that they're talking to.

No, he said, "well,

thanks very much for coming.

You know,

you impressed everybody.

They were really--

they liked what

you had to say."

And then the big "h" word.

Yeah, "however."

No, I don't know

what I'm gonna do.

I don't know.

I don't have anything

right now to fall back on.

No, I came from that networking

meeting this morning.

Nobody's gotten jobs.

Everybody's the same thing.

Boy:

Want any lemonade?

50 cents.

Oh, good idea.

Very entrepreneurial.

* I wake up

in the morning *

* and I wonder

* why everything's

the same *

* as it was

* I can't understand

* no,

I can't understand *

* how life goes on

* the way it does.

I was on the phone

with another company.

- They called me this morning.

- Linda Davis: Good.

Fromm:

So things are picking up,

but picking up

isn't good unless

there's an offer, but...

- I'm sure you're getting

daily alerts.

- Mm-hmm.

- From hot jobs.

- Yeah. Indeed.

- LinkedIn.

- You get any responses?

Fromm:

Yeah, "thank you very

much for your note.

- You'll hear from us."

- And that's it?

Waitress:

Because of the economy,

people come in

and just want a cup of coffee.

We don't bother them.

They hook up and try

to help each other with

jobs and stuff.

I was there when I was

15 years old and you

booted me out.

Let's connect 'cause I still

know quite a few people.

Waitress:

I see them look at the

newspaper, looking for a job,

asking me if I know anyone.

You know, you see it

all day long.

Fromm:

I got turned down

from fedex

to drive a fedex truck

to help deliver

holiday packages.

They told me

I was overqualified.

I just want

to drive a truck.

When does it stop?

So you're overqualified.

You're 50.

So what do you do

with these people that

want to pay their bills?

They don't want to foreclose

on their house.

Because they're 49

and overqualified,

we still have to eat.

- We still have children.

So what do you do with us?

- Mm-hmm.

Steve kubic:

We're in levittown,

New York.

It used to be

an old war community.

The boys used to come home

from war and these houses

were made cheap for them.

Kevin gleason:

When my dad came home

from world war ii,

he paid about $7,000

for the house.

Kubic:

Back then, it was a lot

cheaper to live here.

Jim garthwaite:

I was born and raised

in levittown.

My father was a veteran

in world war ii

who bought one of the original

homes in levittown.

Howard garthwaite:

1947-- there was no place

else to go.

I was living in

a furnished room,

but I saw a house,

and I went to a bank

to get a mortgage on it

and they told me I wasn't

making enough money.

But levitt, who was renting

for the first year--

and then you could

either rent or buy.

* oh, we ain't got

a barrel of money... *

when you moved

into a levitt house,

you got everything

you needed.

You got a refrigerator.

You got the stove.

You got a washing machine.

And this was

the 530th house

to be built.

My father always did what it

took to make ends meet.

I never wanted

for anything.

I had a great home.

I had a nice warm

place to sleep.

We had television.

We had a car.

It was a fantastic place

to grow up-- in levittown.

I've been here

in the same house for 63 years.

Over the years,

people added on.

They made changes

to the house.

What started out

as an $8,000 house

is now a $318,000 house.

And that's down

from the $400,000

it was worth

a couple years ago.

Jim:

The economy changed,

and I know when people

are struggling.

I recognize

the unemployment checks,

and I recognize the certified

letters from the banks.

I live paycheck

to paycheck.

I don't even know if I can

make my next mortgage payment.

Kevin:

I worked here

for many, many years

and always made money

to provide for my family,

and now I just can't do it

no more. There's no jobs.

Chris foley:

This is the seventh month

anniversary

of my getting fired.

You know who's really evil

are human resources, though.

They're like double agents.

There was this woman

Ashley in h.R.

I'm dancing with her

at our Christmas party,

and she knows

I'm getting fired.

It was like... ,

and I'm going...

And she's like,

"you're such a good dancer."

And I'm like, "I know."

Meanwhile, she's going,

"you're so fucked."

Newscaster:

A big day of gains

for the markets.

Newscaster #2:

...Out of the recession.

You're starting to see growth.

Newscaster #3:

The economy's looking

much stronger.

Newscaster #4:

The economy has recovered.

Newscaster #5:

The system in place right now

is creating lazy American.

Newscaster #6:

The moocher class out there.

Newscaster #7:

When people start to look,

they start getting jobs.

Go out and get a job!

Work at McDonald's.

Work two jobs.

Man:

Good luck.

Thank you.

James d'ambrosio:

Ever since the crash, we're

in a period of what I call,

"prolonged economic

uncertainty."

The game has changed.

Instead of getting 20

or 30 years at a company,

hopefully, you can get

two or three.

Ryan einis:

It's been weird times.

Weird going to college

and having expectations

and assuming that things

would go one way, and then

the next thing you know,

you're looking

for a job at whole foods.

Ralph Morrison:

The middle class is

not in the middle anymore.

I think it's more

of a lower class now.

I mean, when I first started,

if you had a job

making $30,000--

I'm now 20-some odd

years later,

applying for jobs

that are paying $30,000 now.

Randolph leidl:

When I read the paper

and I read articles about

the recession being over

and things are getting better

and there's job growth

and whatnot,

I just don't believe it.

It's laughable.

I've always been

self-sustaining,

self-sufficient

financially,

and now we're just

in a situation where

we've been looking

for a real job

for a couple years

now already.

Leidl:

We're kind of at our wits' ends

and we have the three children

to take care of.

I've always made

a good income.

- $100,000 is a lot of money.

It is a lot of money.

- It is.

But a third of it goes

toward your taxes--

federal, state,

city, whatnot.

So you're left

with $65,000.

Food has gotta cost you,

I know, with us, right,

what is it?

$800 a month, probably,

to feed everybody

breakfast, lunch

and dinner.

So that's another $10,000.

You got your mortgage

and everything else.

You know what I mean?

So you're chipping away,

you know?

I can't fathom that

people can survive

in this environment.

I'm just calling to find

out if any new decisions

have been made

or how we're gonna

go forward.

If you can give me a call,

please, I would appreciate it.

It's 4:00 on Tuesday.

Thanks much. Bye.

Dang.

I never imagined that I would

be in a position,

being out of work

for a year

and think that

we could lose the house.

We moved here for a reason.

Long island's been very good

to us and the kids,

and we have friends

out here.

I love it out here.

* this magic moment...

Fromm:

Grew up in Brooklyn.

Born and raised in Brooklyn.

I went to Brooklyn college.

I met Susan at Brooklyn

college.

We lived there

for five years

before moving out

to long island.

Long island is a great place

to raise a family.

The highways

are right near us,

to ride to the beach,

Jones beach,

tobay beach.

We joined the pool.

The more time

we spent out here,

the more we liked it.

That's why the prospect

of losing this house

is very upsetting,

and I'll do

what I have to do.

My last job was

at a company called l.R.N.,

which was a leader

in the field of compliance

and ethics training.

You never really think

it's going to happen to you.

They would call people

into the office

and, you know,

they would come out in tears.

Everybody thinks

their job is important,

so I felt that,

like a lot of other people,

"my job is safe."

I was able to work from home.

I didn't spend much time

in the office,

so when you're asked to come

into the city,

and you're watching

your colleagues getting

laid off left and right...

You know, I guess

the writing was on the wall.

I was laid off.

And, okay, you know,

"tell me what my benefits are

and everything else."

I mean, what am I gonna do?

I'm not gonna let them know

that they really upset me,

but on the trip home,

you know, it hit me.

"I'm unemployed."

I know how you feel

when people tell you that.

People that

aren't unemployed

and people that

aren't going through this.

"Yeah, I know how you feel."

"No, you don't know

how I feel.

You're not out of work

for a year.

You're not trying to support--

you're working.

You have a job.

You don't know

how I feel."

- Fromm: You think like

you're the only one.

- Woman: Totally.

Fromm:

I was talking to one

of my neighbors,

and they're pretty much

in the same boat.

You live next door

to someone for so long,

you don't even know it

and then all of a sudden,

you start talking

about it. "You, too?"

Heather harstein:

Exactly. For a couple months,

- haven't paid the mortgage.

- Right.

Struggling to decide

to pay it or to not

because if you don't pay it

for a couple of months,

then you go

into the foreclosure.

And then you have to

pay more money.

Then you have to

pay more.

We are at the end

of the modification process.

The second time.

For the second time.

- Did you say we're

at the end of it?

- We're at the end of it.

- So we think.

- Fromm: So you hope.

Anne Strauss:

Two years ago I lost my job,

so we put our house

on the market.

It's our only asset.

It's all we've got.

But our property taxes

are very high,

- and we have no money

to retire on.

- Woman: Right.

- So we just have

to work forever...

But we can't get jobs,

- so it's kind of

a vicious circle.

- Woman: Right, yes.

Very difficult to figure out,

- but we all did

what we're supposed to do.

- Right.

And this has been

the result for us.

Strauss:

I remember the day

I lost my job

as if it were yesterday.

It was June, 2008.

The h.R. Manager came

into my office.

I followed him

into a conference room.

The two of them sat down

and I said,

"let's just

get this over with."

Being unemployed

for two years

is not just

a financial loss.

It's an emotional loss.

It's loss of friendships.

People disappear.

You can't socialize.

It changes your--

every facet

of your life.

I'm panic-stricken.

I'm feeling as if

I have absolutely nothing.

I don't wanna be helped.

I wanna just help myself,

but what we want are jobs.

What we need are jobs.

In my next job,

and I will have

a next job,

I will thank god

every morning

and every night

for that job.

Newscaster:

The phrase that job seekers

are seeing more

and more often now--

"the unemployed

need not apply."

Only employed people

need apply, if you

can believe this.

Man:

Is that legal?

Woman:

These folks have created

giant holes for themselves

financially and emotionally.

Man: It affects

their mental health.

It affects their views

of themselves

and their self-worth.

Newscaster:

So could you possibly end up

with a whole class of

permanently unemployed people?

Nick puccio: I've been

on LinkedIn for two years.

I've been

on 20, 30 interviews.

I must have applied

for thousands

of jobs over--

I mean, you know--

nothing.

Different fields--

home depot,

you know,

back to wall street.

I started on wall street.

I'm a wall street guy,

not one of the high-end,

top percenters.

I was a regular guy

that got hired off the street.

I started out

as a messenger.

I was a sophomore

in high school.

* 'cause I'm sitting

on top of the world... *

Nick:

Back then, you got hired

off the street,

get you a job.

They needed people.

There were girls

everywhere,

and I said to myself,

"I'm not gonna fall

for the first one,"

and I met Regina right away,

and it was like, "she's

too damn good."

She's the one

that I'd end up marrying.

* I'm sitting

on top of the world... *

Regina:

I remember being so happy

without a care in the world.

Worked my way

up to vice president

in 2000.

You know, I was making

a decent salary.

I made it to the hundred

grand club, man.

I was there.

I was on the move.

But in 2008,

that's when

it all hit the fan.

Newscaster:

The worst financial crisis

in decades today.

Newscaster #2:

This is just absolutely

stunning that lehman brothers

and merrill lynch would

actually fall on the same day.

Nick:

I went to work that morning.

I spoke

to the guy above me.

"What's going on

with the layoffs?"

And he looked at me,

and he was just real pale.

And I was like,

"you gotta be kidding.

It's me?"

It was just doom.

It was just

doom and gloom, you know,

and I couldn't

do a thing about it.

I said goodbye

to everybody, you know,

I was pretty emotional.

I knew everybody.

I'd get on the elevator,

I knew everybody.

Regina's first words

were like,

"wow, you're home early."

I said, "yeah, I'm home

for today and tomorrow."

Within, like, five minutes,

I was like, "it can't be."

You know,

"it just can't be."

Like,

"how could this happen?"

Not ever knowing

what I was gonna be in for,

not ever

in a million years.

Heather:

I saw it, baby.

Come on. Oh, man.

Dave, you know she's

gonna run right in, right?

Oh, my god!

- David: One more, whoa!

- Wow!

Heather:

The idea that we had spent

so much money on schooling

and we were

so highly educated

and we certainly

did not expect to have

financial difficulties.

That is true.

Dave-- doctor.

Me-- teacher.

You know,

all this education. Please.

Of course,

we're gonna be fine.

Where are you,

baby girl?

We both had jobs.

We got a mortgage

in this tiny little house

that we had purchased.

We could pay

for the mortgage.

I lost my job.

I had three years

of great teaching.

You can write about

anything.

There's no limitations here.

Anything you want.

Use the words, make up

a silly sentence.

I got called

into the office,

and I sat down.

You know,

we were like this.

She said,

"I'm sure you'll do

a good job somewhere else."

I looked her right

in the eye.

I said,

"thank you very much."

And I walked out

of the office,

and I was just

in utter disbelief.

In utter disbelief.

We knew then

that we were in trouble.

David:

I'm a chiropractor.

I have noticed

a big decrease

in business

over the last two years,

probably about 25%.

Our financial situation

is pretty dire

at the moment.

We've recently

filed for bankruptcy.

Heather:

Not a day passes

where we don't,

in some way,

discuss our finances.

David:

Yeah, think about it.

Talk about it.

It's constant.

It's constant.

Heather:

We've been together

16 years,

and I would say

for about 13 years,

we were kind of

like that couple

where everything

was just kind of,

sort of picture-perfect.

David:

We both grew up

on long island.

- We lived

a fairy-tale life...

- Heather: Fairy tale.

...from the very beginning.

I mean literally.

Right down to the

white picket fence.

David:

We went to college--

both:

Suny geneseo.

And we met up there.

- Met right away.

- Yeah, freshman year.

My freshman year,

- and we've

been together since.

- Yeah, long time.

16 years.

First people married

out of college.

- David: Yeah.

- Immediately went

to our graduate degrees.

- We were all, you know...

- David: Wanted to

live out here.

Came out here immediately.

Hi.

- Hi.

- Mommy!

Heather:

We made it through

about 13 years.

David:

Yeah, it just worked.

Heather:

And then you know,

our struggle came later.

* I love you even more

* than I did before

* but, darling,

what can I do? *

Newscaster:

There are a whole lot

of people in this country

that are unemployed,

and if ever there was a need

to extend unemployment

insurance, it is now.

Newscaster #2:

The senate is expected to vote

to extend

unemployment benefits,

but that is little comfort

to the long-term unemployed

who have passed the maximum

time to receive benefits.

Where are the jobs?

Where are the jobs?

Where are the jobs?

Strauss:

Unemployment doesn't seem

to have a face on it.

It's hard

to organize people

who don't have the means

of physically getting together

- in a place.

- 99ers.

Help us now!

People are literally

killing themselves

because they

can't feed themselves

and their family.

Help us now!

Newscaster:

If you've been out of work

for two years or more,

if you're a 99er,

there's no hope in

sight right now.

- Coffee?

- Woman: Yes.

Strauss:

Because we're looking

at the last month

of our unemployment

benefits,

we're terrified,

and if it stops

at 99 weeks,

we just have

no other resources.

Man:

Who can live

off even the maximum?

$430 a week?

Winston Roberts:

When I told my daughter,

I said I lost my job,

she went into

an hysterical crying.

"What are we gonna do?

Where are we gonna live?

What's gonna happen?"

I worked as

a systems manager.

Most of those jobs

went to India.

I was involved

with a lot of the training.

It's scary, working

and training someone

and knowing that you're

actually training someone

to take your job.

Mel Strauss:

I've been told it's one

of two things.

One is it's

age discrimination,

which officially

doesn't exist,

but all of us know

it's out there in force

and that really annoys me.

Or they tell me

I'm overqualified.

I don't know why I went

to college, at this point.

I don't know

why I spent nights

getting a graduate degree.

I should have become

a plumber.

Paula sargent:

I'm doing all I can

to even network

and it's still not working

in my favor.

You would think that

your family and friends

would be proactive

in helping you get there,

but it's like you're

on your own,

- and that's very

disheartening for me...

- Alan: Yeah.

Because I have

to go to bed every night

thinking about that.

Mel:

You know, people say,

"be tough, be strong,"

but how do we get up

every day

and face the abyss?

It sounds weird,

but there's good

in every bad.

And there's good

that comes out of cancer

if you survive it.

Anne:

Mel had lung cancer in 1999.

In 2000,

that lung cancer

metastasized to his brain.

He experienced

horrific surgeries,

radiation, chemotherapy.

There's such support

when there's physical illness,

but when you've got

this scary, no money,

going-down-the-tube

situation,

people, I think, are

more afraid--

"this could happen to me."

Having cancer was easier

than being unemployed.

Anne:

I grew up in a completely

artificial world,

but I had no idea.

It was the '60s.

I graduated

from high school in 1970.

* and your shoes

get so hot... *

when I was a teenager,

we had a cabana

at point lookout,

and during the summer,

we would go there all the time

and have barbecues.

It was carefree.

There were no worries.

* on a blanket

with my baby *

* is where I'll be...

I went to college,

probably because

I wasn't engaged, frankly,

but I'm very glad

I did go to college.

I was a bit of a rebel.

The little hippie type,

marching in

anti-Vietnam rallies.

I like a good rally.

I really do.

* under the boardwalk,

boardwalk. *

Mel:

We met on the long island

rail road.

You become a creature

of habit,

and when you're

on the rail road,

you tend to go to the same car,

the same section.

I used to sit

with four other people

in this five-seater.

One guy and I

would always trade jokes.

So one day we're sitting

there telling jokes

and there's this very

pretty girl across the aisle,

obviously

trying not to laugh.

Probably a year or two

after that, we got married.

* boardwalk.

And that's how

it all started.

We were a product

of the long island rail road.

Fromm:

For a couple of days,

I had severe headaches

that wouldn't go away.

I had muscle aches.

My neck was stiff,

and I decided

to go see my doctor,

but the checkup

showed nothing

and, quite honestly,

he attributed all

the symptoms to stress

and anxiety,

possible depression.

Maybe it was finally

catching up to me.

It's been 14 months.

I recently gave blood.

I give platelets

every other week,

and they test the blood

before they give

to anybody,

and it tested positive

for west nile virus.

At least I knew I had

something and I wasn't crazy.

You know,

I'll keep plugging away,

keep looking for the jobs

and making the phone calls,

doing what I'm doing.

Anne:

Right now I'm pretty nervous.

I've got my rosary beads

and my St. Anthony medal.

St. Anthony finds things,

like jobs.

Hello, this is Anne.

Woman:

Hi, Anne. I'd love

to hear more about you--

what you're doing now,

what you've been doing,

what you want to do.

Anne:

I was involved

with media relations.

P.r.

And I left there because

they had a management change.

A new director

of marketing came in

and brought his own team in.

So since that time,

in the last two years,

I've been working 20 hours

a week.

How do you feel about diving

into a situation, you know,

60-hours-a-week job,

BlackBerry on the weekends?

That kind of thing.

Are you prepared to dive

into that kind of environment?

I'll be quite frank

and say that's really

what it is here.

Anne: Yes.

I wouldn't expect it

to be any less.

Well, I had an interview.

I had a follow-up.

It wasn't offered. I thought

I was offered the job.

I kind of assumed

that I would get it.

Coming home

and saying, you know,

"I didn't get the job,

once again."

That's tough.

That's the blow.

Newscaster:

The problem with

unemployment benefits

is they encourage people

not to take jobs.

Newscaster #2:

You're taking money

from employers

and you're giving

them, by definition,

unproductive people.

Newscaster #3:

Doing nothing

but collecting a check.

Rush limbaugh:

The longer you pay

people not to work,

the longer they're not

gonna try to work.

Fromm:

I'm not sitting home

and doing nothing.

A day does not go by

that I am not looking for work.

I had a series of six

or seven different interviews

with the same company,

different people.

"We're gonna make a decision

within the next week,

and you'll hear

from us next week."

A week goes by

and two weeks go by,

then all of a sudden,

the company disappears from

the face of the earth.

The first plane

had already hit,

and I was

the fire warden

for the building,

so I took the firemen

with me and we went

into the building,

checked floor by floor.

We got back down,

and I turned to go out,

and it was at that

time that just the force

of the building coming down

basically pushed me out

of the doors.

I ended up

under an ambulance

and the rubble just piled

around the ambulance.

Right before

I lost consciousness,

I remember thinking

that my son's bar mitzvah

was coming up.

I had to make it

to his bar mitzvah.

I wasn't gonna let him

do this on his own.

When I finally

did come home,

I remember pulling up

in the driveway

and my son heard the alarm

on the car when I locked it.

And he just stood there

at the front door,

"well, it's about time

you got home."

Nick:

I've gotten a couple

of notices in the mail

telling me

I'm a year behind.

You're now 620-some odd

days, whatever.

But I'm hoping to hold

onto it for the kids.

My boys love the house.

You know, I'd be more

than happy to move down

to the basement

and give them upstairs

to be a part of their life.

If I had the funds,

I would have sent them

to a private school,

somewhere where they had

a good basketball program

or a good athletic program.

He could play any sport,

but basketball,

he'd be a stud.

When the kids were small,

it was great.

You'd have a catch.

You could throw the football.

You know, if I was here

when they were younger,

I would have had

a batting cage over here.

I would have put

the net over.

A little younger

and things worked out right,

this place would

have been unbelievable,

but it would hurt.

It would just hurt

'cause it's mine.

My piece of land,

you know?

When they give me

that foreclosure notice,

I got, I guess,

from what I understand,

18 months or so.

When I see something

certified or whatever,

then I know.

Then I know.

It could be any day.

Sgt. David sheehan:

Do you know why we're here?

It's to complete

a warrant to remove.

Your house

was foreclosed on.

We have a moving truck,

and about 10 guys to come

and move everything

to the curb.

Man #2:

We are definitely seeing

an increase in the evictions.

We're busier now than

we have ever been

in the 23 years-plus

I've been here.

That tells you something

about the economy.

When we're that busy,

it's never good.

Jose Suarez:

The people in the middle class

didn't have to worry about

having their goods

put out on the street.

I always kind of felt

you had a certain level

of protection

to fall back on.

Wolf:

How do you recover from this?

Machine:

You've reached

Wells Fargo home mortgage.

If you will,

leave a message with your name,

loan number and phone number.

Thanks.

Have a great day

and thank you for choosing

Wells Fargo home mortgage.

Hi, Laura.

This is David hartstein.

I'm calling to check

on the status of my

loan modification.

So if you could please

give me a call back,

I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you.

David:

In the fall,

we went for the modification

- on our own.

- And we just had way

too much debt.

- They said no.

- No.

Actually, they said no

the day he was born.

Oh, that was fun.

Did you say hi to Logan,

shay-shay larue?

Yes!

- He's touching you, LAN.

- He's licking me.

He loves you.

He's trying to

give you kisses.

We got home on a Friday night,

and on Monday afternoon,

I got the call.

We got a call in the morning

that he tested positive

for downs.

- And that we

needed to come in.

- We needed to come in.

It was the most

stressful time, as you

can imagine, of our lives,

- yeah.

- Which has created all

this magic and beauty

for which we are

very grateful, but...

That's when we decided

to file for bankruptcy.

And that was

when we decided.

We were like,

"we're done with all this."

Richard Jacoby:

So you did the chapter 7.

All your unsecured debt

is eliminated.

- Yes.

- And you're delinquent

on this mortgage?

- Heather: Yes.

- How far back?

- Heather: Four months.

- Three, four months.

You just weren't able

to make the payments?

Heather:

We can't make the payments.

We're also in the middle

of a modification.

It probably has helped you

that you're now delinquent,

because if one is current,

it's unlikely that they're

going to modify.

- Heather: Right.

- It does not help that there's

equity in the property.

Of course, the bank

is fully protected,

and if they

were to foreclose,

they would be made whole,

and when it's time

to go, you go.

Fromm:

We're behind now four,

five months on the house.

Truthfully, you know,

it's embarrassing.

There have been times when

I questioned whether it's me.

What am I doing wrong?

It's the same things over

and over again.

You get close. You think

you find a good opportunity

and then it disappears.

The more trouble,

the more I turn to the religion

and turn to god

for, you know,

for comfort.

I mean, I'm here.

It's time to talk to god

and find out.

You know, here I am.

Can you help me?

David:

Things between Heather and I

became really difficult.

The financial hardship

that we were experiencing.

Heather:

It was killing him.

- He would get major,

major rage.

- I would pop.

- David: I didn't

know how to...

- Handle emotion.

...deal and handle

and feel emotions.

Heather:

That created

a huge detachment

from each other.

A complete removal

of affection on my part.

- David: Right.

- Like a deadness.

Heather:

We discussed him leaving.

I was pretty serious

and I think you didn't

really believe me,

and then,

"you threatening me?

You threatening me?

This is my house."

And then, you know,

the lawn mower gets thrown.

And then there's gasoline

all over the floor,

and the kids are there,

and i'm--

everything is a mess

and a wreck and I just said,

"you are hurting me.

I'm in pain."

It seems on the outside,

with everybody

looking in,

like because we've got

the cute house

and the cute kids

and we do have

a great relationship,

it seems like

everything's so easy,

but we know we work

really hard.

- Yeah.

- At not letting

all the stress that has

been our life for years

- to drown us, you know?

- Yeah.

Anne:

My husband has moved up

to Albany

and is living with my son

and his family,

and he's working probably

at least 12 hours a day

as a mortgage broker.

It's something I never

imagined we would need to do,

in my wildest dreams.

Mel:

I'm 65

and I'm not going to

be running around

for another

30 or 40 years.

This is not right.

If there was one thing

I could do tonight,

all it would be would be

to sit at home

with my dogs on my lap

and Anne pounding away

on her computer.

That's all I need.

That's my American dream.

What politician is gonna work

for me on that one?

I don't have much more time.

I don't want to die on route 78

going to saratoga Springs.

Nick:

I have a bulging disc

in my neck.

My hands are numb--

and anxiety, depression.

Anxiety, I guess.

I'm on medication

for that, too.

I can't go without insurance,

especially now.

It's just not right.

Like, I've been working

since I'm 15, straight

through all the years.

I never used

those benefits.

Like, I worked hard

for those benefits.

Now I'm 50 years old

and I can't get them.

You know, I'm broke.

I'm freakin' poor.

I'm bankrupt.

I'm done.

You know,

I'm in the lower half.

I don't make any money.

Regina:

Food should not be an issue.

That's like going

into a supermarket

and fearing that

I don't have enough money.

How am I gonna feed

my kids next week?

How am I gonna

feed my kids this week?

How am I supposed

to do this?

So I've been

selling jewelry

to get some

extra food money

and pay some bills

with that,

but, um...

I did ask them...

About my engagement ring.

They told me that

approximately maybe $2,000.

They would really have to

look up to see what I would get,

but my husband

was completely shattered

when he--

he said, "I hope it

doesn't come to that

'cause I worked very hard

to get you that ring

and it was such

sentimental value."

Regina:

I'll take the milk.

I'll take something

like this.

I don't keep it

a secret anymore

because it just is

what it is.

And if it's a matter

of getting

a couple of cans of corn

or whatever to supplement,

so what?

It just gives me more money

to be able to pay my

electric bill.

This is for Thanksgiving

and here's your Turkey.

We'll get from people

remarks like,

"what did you do

with all your money?

What did you do

with all your money, you know,

that you should

have to use a pantry?"

It's tough.

It's tough walking in there.

'Cause that's kind of

a big reminder

of where you're at.

That is the reminder

of where you're at.

Fromm:

Yesterday I came home

from a support group

where people said to me,

"oh, you're always smiling.

You're always happy.

That's why

we love coming here.

We love spending time

with you."

And I got home,

and I actually said to Susan,

"you know what? I don't think

I've ever felt this depressed."

There are days where

I just feel like, you know,

it's not even worth

getting up in the morning.

I actually took out

the life insurance policies

to see how the family

would be taken care of

if I were no longer here.

My daughter had

written me a note

when she knew I was

in one of my deep funks.

And she said, "dad, you're

the best at what you do.

You're good people.

We don't know why bad things

happen to good people."

She says,

"but just remember,

what doesn't kill you

will always make you stronger."

And...

When I get--

sorry.

When I get into my moods,

I take that piece of paper out,

and I read it,

and it turns everything

around for me.

* just imagine a life

with us together *

* just imagine...

* all of our dreams

coming true *

* just imagine...

Anne:

With the holidays

coming up, it's just--

- Uh...

- I hope the kids aren't

expecting lots of gifts.

When they were younger,

hanukkah would come,

they'd get a gift

every night.

Right, right.

We're gonna take it.

We're gonna re-wrap it

and give it to them again.

Nick:

You see the roof on the house?

That's your gift this year.

That's my gift, yeah.

Regina:

Everybody goes through

hard times.

- You know, but why so long?

- Fromm: Yeah.

Regina:

Like two years.

There's gotta

be some damage.

- You've disappeared.

You've fallen into a hole.

- Mm-hmm.

There's nothing left.

Quit spending money

we don't have.

The question still remains--

where are the jobs?

Politician:

Government does not

create jobs.

Save whatever actually works.

Investment in education.

Politician #2:

Many schools have been

forced to lay off teachers.

They're the first to go.

These are real human beings

who are out here struggling.

Politician #3:

We need to pay attention

to these people

who have at times

had to choose

between baby food

and diapers

and heating fuel.

"We only eat two meals

a day to conserve.

I have no oil

for hot water.

We boil our water on the stove

and pour it into the tub.

I am making $10 an hour.

I don't go to church

many sundays

because the gasoline is

too expensive to drive there."

The house was put

into foreclosure.

We didn't tell anybody yet.

Heather:

It's like, you look around,

we don't seem like people

who just went bankrupt,

who are in foreclosure.

David:

I don't want people

to pity us.

You know,

the feelings of failure.

Heather:

I definitely feel

anxious a lot.

Regina:

I take the holy water

and I bless the house

with it.

They say that it cleanses

the evil away.

I pray for strength.

I just ask god

to please don't leave us.

You know,

please don't abandon us.

Nick:

Basically, this is

the first step

in the foreclosure process.

I guess it's gonna

take a little time.

I guess I got a year,

18 months.

If I'm lucky, more.

If not,

we'll find a place to live.

So time to go.

Find a place to stay.

Maybe I'll go back to queens,

if they'll go for it.

We're not

in a cardboard box yet.

Not just yet.

I don't think

it'll never be the same.

The American dream

is gone.

Heather:

I'd like to welcome everyone

to Dave's funeral

and celebration.

Heather:

Dave's death

has opened the hearts

of many people

in our community.

'Cause they know we're

in these dire straits

financially.

I mean,

we had the dream.

The dream was lived.

The dream ended.

* I've got dreams

* dreams

* to remember

* many, many dreams

* hard dreams

and bad dreams *

* to remember

* I dreamed one day

* I wanted to be

with you *

* but you were

so far away *

* an airplane

couldn't reach you *

* that's why I got dreams

* dreams to remember...

You know the interview,

the first one was towards

the end of December.

I interviewed again

a week ago Tuesday,

and the offer was made

to me yesterday,

and I accepted.

* dreams

* to remember

* dreams, yeah

* to remember

* good dreams, bad dreams,

sweet dreams *

* yeah,

I got to remember *

* long dreams,

tall dreams *

* oh, lord,

I got to remember *

* I been tired

all night *

* sleep in the morning,

girl *

* yeah, help me

to remember *

* sweet, sweet dreams

* sweet dreams,

yeah, girl *

* I got to remember

* take me away

* take me away,

take me away *

* I'm gonna wanna

remember *

* take me all the way

* take me home...