Out of curiosity, I searched the internet to find out how much average adult workers in the U.S. were earning. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the average adult full-time worker in 2005 earned $39,336. (That number is four years old, but I felt it would serve my purpose.)

In some ways, that $39,336 was higher than I thought it would be; in others, it was lower.

I don’t know what made me think about it, but I wanted to know the total impact to all those who are currently unemployed.

So I multiplied $39,336 by 14,500,000 jobless people. The grand total was a staggering $570,372,000,000. Yes, $570 billion dollars missing out of the pockets of families like yours and mine.

Well, I took a step back. Statistics are sometimes deceiving.

This, of course, was total annual income. On the one had, it was obvious that not everyone would be unemployed for an entire year. On the other, it didn’t take into consideration that when people are reemployed, they often tend to accept a lower salary.

Then, as I was reasoning through this, another question came to me. How much does the economy need to turn around in order for businesses large and small to afford to add $570,372,000,000 in annual payroll dollars?

I didn’t know where to start in order to compute that. So the answer I’m using (not statistical) is “too much.”

When I hear reports of the economy getting better – which, of course, I hope it does sooner than later – I’m glad to hear those reports.

But I’m always reminded that the people who are earning an average of $39,336 a year are the last in our capitalistic society to rebound. In our trickle down economy, people who need the jobs the most… the ones who need money now… are the last ones in line.

The New York Times: Unemployment in California at 12%, Highest in Nearly 70 Years

Forbes.com: NC jobless rate remains near 11 percent in August

Associated Press: 42 states lose jobs in August, up from 29 in July

CNBC: State Unemployment Keeps Rising; Three Hit Record Highs

The Progressive Pulse: NC unemployment dips slightly…to a still alarming rate of 10.8%

And then I came across this blog posting by Mark Lacter at LAObserved.

Kind of a misery loves company thing when it comes to the August jobs picture. Three states had rates higher than California’s 12.2 percent: Rhode Island (12.8 percent), Nevada (13.2 percent), and the grand-daddy of them all, Michigan (15. 2 percent). Perhaps more revealing: 14 states have an unemployment rate in the double digits and 27 states posted increases. By the way, California’s 12.2 percent is a postwar high (that’s World War II for the youngins’). All these numbers, of course, are only starting points for assessing the true employment picture. Within portions of L.A. County, for instance, unemployment is way higher than the county’s 12.3 percent overall. The City of Commerce had the highest unemployment rate in the county, at 22 percent.

While the government and the Fed continue to report that things are getting better and that the economy is returning to normalcy, I again remind everyone that ours is a trickle-down economy.

Prosperity returns first to those on the mountaintop. The lower you are in the pecking order, the longer it takes to find any sense of normalcy.

Don’t take my word for it. Read accounts of the years following the Great Depression. Employment started to grow again in 1944-1945 – 15 years after the crash in 1929. It was a long haul for many.

Waiting and hoping that things will get better is not an action step. Seek out alternatives that leverage your skills, experience, and aptitudes.

According to the report, the number of Americans who have fallen at least 30 days behind on their home loan payments jumped 44% in the second quarter from a year ago.

That puts delinquencies at a record 9.24% of mortgages, according to the National Delinquency Report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

Then, today, at the Kansas City Fed’s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the global economy is beginning to emerge from recession after “aggressive” action by central banks and governments.

“Economic activity appears to be leveling out, both in the United States and abroad, and the prospects for a return to growth in the near term appear good,” he said. “The economy is on the verge [emphasis mine] of growing again.”

I am now, always have been and always will be an optimist. But I’m also a realist.

The optimist in me knows that ultimately everything will be fine. The realist in me reminds me that being on the “verge” of growing again means that it will be a long time before many ordinary people like you and I are “back to normal.”

I spoke with an unemployed marketing executive here in New York last week. He’s been out of work for six months. He has high hopes that something will break in the near future. And words like Bernanke’s are encouraging to him.

But Tom (not his real name) realistically shared with me the he expects that when he finally is employed, he will be making less than he was before.

In addition, he realizes that not only will he need to learn to live on less, but he will also have less money coming in with which to replace his now dwindled savings and depleted cash reserves.

Now, here’s what disturbs me the most. Tom is a really bright guy. He’s talented. He’s smart. He’s ambitious. In his last job, he was managing a department of four people. And they produced outstanding work.

When I think about this, I wonder why it is so difficult for Tom to picture himself in his own business, operating his own marketing company, or becoming a marketing agency.

The skills required are exactly the same.