The nation's financial crisis has taken a great toll on our lives. With headlines about bankruptcies, stock plunges, and company cutbacks, it seems as if there's no end in sight.

Now that the government has declared that our country is in a deep recession, many are going to their banks, taking out money and leaving less money to be circulated. That impacts how much can be "lent" to businesses and individuals.

We should continue to spend money so that we can "re-stimulate" the economy. You can still set aside an amount each paycheck to save for a rainy day, but we should continue spending. If we fail to spend, businesses will see less revenue and will have to cut employees' hours. They may even be forced to close — eliminating those jobs completely.

Our local economy also depends on the global market. Since many of our tourists come from the financial capitals of the world, we are more affected than ever by the global decline.

We need to continue to work, earn, save, and spend to help keep our economic cycle going.

Yes, a recession is a normal phase for the economic cycle, but not to the extreme as we see today. Let's continue spending.

Reach Fernando Corrales at (Unknown address).