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I have a background in finance. I know about the current methodologies for counting unemployment and any other economic indicator.

I think you can only safely say we are in Great Depression territory when you start to see food lines.

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actually it's already happening:

Southwest Florida food pantries in need as supplies run low http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jul/02/southwest-florida...

Sacramento police are shutting down a new homeless tent city http://www.capradio.org/articles/articledetail.aspx?articlei...

There's always evidence to support a view if you are willing to look hard enough, but one or two instances are not enough to support the claim that we are in a situation similar to the Great Depression. For those who take things a little too literally, perhaps I should have wrote: "... when you start to see food lines all over the country/world."

Google 'food bank shortage' and 'tent city' yourself; there are many mentions in many different parts of countries. Los Angeles, Texas, New York, etc etc.

They didn't have Google in the 1930s.

Seattle ran out a tent city a few years ago, in the midst of the economic boom. There's always going to be homeless people.

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