Those who have lacked dollars over the past months and year may not have been paying attention to the global currency markets. Having been paying attention makes me an exception, I guess.

In case you had not heard, the dollar has been plummeting in value of late. This is a natural response to the massive debt the federal government has run up in the past year -- a trillion or so for war, a trillion-plus for the financial bailouts, $350 billion for the stimulus package. Pretty soon you're talking about real money... and printing essentially fake money.

What does this mean for us unemployed people and for those of us trying to move to self-employment?

The most immediate thing you will notice is inflation. No matter what the government reports about inflation, we have all probably noticed rising prices at the grocery store and at the gas station. That's because a lot of our food is imported, believe it or not. (The U.S. became a net importer of food back in 2002.) A lot of our oil is imported, too, 65 percent give or take. When our currency falls relative to the countries we're trading with, the things we import become more expensive.

The few things we make for ourselves become more expensive as well. Manufacturers use imported inputs like raw materials and energy. Shipping costs go up, adding heartbreak to pain.

So things have been getting more expensive, and they are probably going to get much more expensive.

In the longer term, this might actually be good for the unemployed. That's why surviving unemployment is so important; once we get through this, things just might turn around.

When the dollar becomes cheaper relative to other currencies, U.S. goods become cheaper to overseas buyers. This could be really good for American manufacturing. (Now if only we could get those solar factories (affiliate link) humming because that's what the world wants!) Manufacturing creates jobs, and the world is a big place so if America (by which I mean the U.S. -- no offense to readers in other parts of North and South America) can once again produce the things the world demands, it could put us in a great position for the future.

I'll tell you, if I were Ritchie Rich, I'd be looking at investing some serious dollars in American manufacturing enterprises. We have the engineers and tradespeople. We have the marketers. Now all we need is the investment. Where did those bailout dollars go, again?

Anyway, back to unemployed people right now...

Here is your takeaway:

• Produce as much of what you need as you can. Plant a garden. Sew. Make soap (affiliate link).
• Sell to overseas markets. "Huh?" I can hear you saying. There's this thing called the Internet, and it is used by people all over the world. A friend of mine makes good money selling stupid people's "garbage" on E-bay. He tells me that most of his sales these days are coming from Japan and Europe. Some of the things gathering dust in you closets or garage are probably collector's items somewhere in the world. Sell them! Also sell the things you make. It costs little more than your time to get into a business like that, and you have plenty of time if you're unemployed.

That's really all I have to say about that. It boils down to this: Bring in more and spend less. Good luck in riding out the tough stuff.
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(DISCLAIMER: While I did minor in Econ and do have an MA in International Relations, including training in cross-cultural business, international trade law, and the economics of global trade, nothing I said above should be construed as professional advice. Do your own research. I accept no liability for any losses you might incur.)