Moore worked the third shift at General Electric as a maintenance worker. After 37 years, he was able to set up his retirement at the age of 57. He had pension plan benefits from G.E. and another paid into by himself.

He was able to obtain G.E. stock, international fund units, and separate stock. With these he had hoped to pay major bills like mortgage, insurance, and utlilities for the rest of his life.

Yet, he is still worried about the future. As of now, he is living off his pensions, but it will not last forever. The economy has hurt his other financial means, putting his family in a bind.

"The 401 K plan has gotten killed," Moore said. "It is down 75 percent, which I hadn’t planned on happening. I was planning on using that for an inflation fighter years down the road. Ten years from now my pension won’t be worth as much."

Denny Moore’s wife, Joanie, has helped with taking precautions to avoid possible future problems. She works for the government at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

She has helped pay for a car, groceries, clothes, and other bills. "With the economy being so iffy, it helps to know I have a job," Joanie said.

Although he has lost so many investments, Moore still shows optimism. "I think that we’re probably in a 7-to10-year cycle; I think the market will go back up. I really hope it does because by the time I need that money, it will be in that cycle," Moore said.

This idea of cycles is what has given people endurance. This local worker has done it before. "The market takes ups and dips and ups and dips," he said. "You know I’ve lived through a dip before and its gone back up, and hopefully it will do the same this time."

The stock market hits the bottom of the pan and big businesses are asking for bailout money, but who is ultimately hurt? It is your neighbor, your father, your uncle. It is the average Joe who worked for General Electric for all those years. It is Denny Moore.