The government says unemployment is at 9.6% but fairy tales are more believable. It's just to calm to public when they downplay the facts.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=real+unemployment+rate

Mainstream Media, Harbinger of Misinformation and Instillations of Criticism to the True Economic Situation

I'm going to start this out with saying: if you follow mainstream news for your source of information - stop.  It's an agenda pusher and disillusioner to quell public fears on real situations and to instill them in places undeserved to go with the interests of those who control them. It is a myth pusher and distractor of big issues, and it does a damn good job at it to the majority of americans.

The Bank Bailouts in America and Why They Fuck Us

For those who are unsure of what derivatives are here is a simple explanation:  it is a gamble on debts.  It is the betting between entities on if lent loans will be paid back.  It is like gambling on a horse race in the fact that you don't earn any of the racing money, but you can make bets on it.  The lack of regulations against these loans led them to be widely traded on the loans of houses, and combined with overloaning to people who shouldn't have been taking them out on houses that they couldn't afford.  Then the housing bubble popped and of course with wall street so far up government they got bailed out by us borrowing money from them, and then paying them with it, leaving the government with incredible debt because, of course, the government once again did not do what was in the interests of the people.

The Derivatives Bubble and The Greatest Depression

I give you:  The Economy