Even before the job fair opens, the line snakes into the parking lot of the state fairground, a muted parade of lives derailed by layoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt kills me, it eats me up inside,\u201d\u009d said Raymond Vaughn, who has been out of work for seven months, since he lost his job as a window installer. His fianc\u00c3\u00a9e now pays the bills. \u201cI go into this fantasy world where I\u2019m like, I\u2019m in the wrong life and I\u2019m actually a millionaire. It really bothers me I can\u2019t do the things I\u2019d like for her. Sometimes you get where you feel less than a man.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
As the American economy sinks deeper into one of the more punishing recessions since the Depression, frustration and fear color the national conversation.<\/p>\n
This city in the center of South Carolina is an ideal listening post. According to a range of indicators assembled by Moody\u2019s Economy.com \u201d\u201d from job growth to change in household worth \u201d\u201d this metropolitan area came closer than any other to being a microcosm of the nation over the last decade.<\/p>\n