White House Advisor, Larry Summers, recently said that  the American economy is experiencing "a statistical recovery and human recession".

In other words, the data may point to a rebounding economy - even if it is ever so slightly.

But the fact remains that the turning of the dial is not translating into jobs.

Nearly 15 million Americans are out of work.

Earlier today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down in part to a report showing that 500,0000 of us filed first time unemployment benefits last month.

When looked at it through another lens, Americans may be wondering, "Who Moved My Cheese?".

Spencer Johnson's book by that same title was released over a decade ago. But the words may be more true today.

That best-selling book - written in the style of a parable - sought to get people's attention that the workplace was changing.

And if that was true then, then it is even much more true now.

The story featured two mice and two "little people" during their hunt for cheese each day.

But one day, someone or something moved their cheese - the same cheese that the mice had found in the same place - for as long as they could remember.

The cheese for middle-class Americans may yet exist for those who still have work, but it looks a lot smaller to many who worry that the pink slip is coming.

The cheese also looks smaller for many private or public employees who are increasingly being asked to accept reduced wages, or take unpaid leave.

Insult may be added to injury by flipping on TV only to find Congress and the White House holding a smoke screen summit to address health care, jobs, the deficit, etc.

Many Americans believe it is simply a forum to jockey for position for the upcoming midterm elections.

The only numbers worse than the economy are Congress' approval ratings.

Did we really demand that we watch oall this on C-SPAN?

Americans are growing weary of such partisanship and skeptical that government can - or even should - be involved.

The more tinkering they do with the economy, the worse things seem  get - as evidenced by staggering deficit, unfunded and costly entitlement programs and shortages in Social Security.

Clearly, Americans shoudn't abdicate to anyone the responsibility to work, or expect that government will advance their career.

If we are not careful, we may overlook that individually we are still the major drives for our own success - or failure.

And so the real test may be whether Americans have the skills to compete in fiercely competitive economy.

We may like the cheap prices at Walmart from goods we import overseas, but do we connect the dots in recognizing that their neighbor down the street is probably losing his manufacturing job as a result? Too many have experienced the tap on the shoulder at work only to be escorted out of the building.

The competitor is no longer the man down the street, but a high-tech business in India or a manufacturing plant in Malaysia.

Sorry, this article doesn't have any easy solutions, in part because "quick fixes" have got us into this mess in the first place. 

But a dose of reality can be a good thing. And it begins if we recognize that we are certainly in for tough times.

So let's not hold our breath waiting for the next jobs report, or gasp if when the Dow Jones goes up or down. Those signs may bring a quick sigh of relief, which wears of quickly when the numbers are in the opposite direction the next day.

We may not find or be able to eat the cheese, but waking up to smell the coffee is probably a good thing.

The worse thing we can do is to deny that the cheese has actually moved.