When things get really tough and you are scrambling to pay your bills, it’s not usual to seize onto a terrible idea because there doesn’t seem to be a viable alternative.

Do you put your groceries on your credit card that will accrue interest, knowing that your next paycheck isn’t coming for a while?

What about that radio ad promising debt relief for the loan you’ve been carrying for so long — now even more urgent without a steady paycheck?

These are the dilemmas facing furloughed federal workers, contractors and private-sector employees — people hit not just by the federal government shutdown but also by the wave of corporate layoffs accelerated by AI. As the most recent case in point, Amazon announced on Tuesday that it was downsizing its corporate workforce, cutting around 14,000 job

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