Private firms are starting to lay off staff and cut pay.

ECONOMIST: A cornered Russia could pose greater risks

If they lay people off, they pay less.

ECONOMIST: Salesforce.com: Crème de la CRM | The

In the 1990s Truman Bewley of Yale University interviewed hundreds of employers and discovered that, faced with a slump in demand, they would rather lay some workers off than cut the pay or hours of everybody.

ECONOMIST: The recession and pay

Prosecutors allege that while Watkins strove to rescue the now-defunct firm, Lay was selling off millions of dollars of Enron stock to pay off loans.

FORBES: Enron's Watkins Tells Of Warning Lay In 2001 Meeting

In many cases, the heirs cannot afford to pay the tax and are forced to downsize, lay off employees or even sell their business or farm.

FORBES: Estate Tax Cliffhanger

He finds it extremely improbable that residential or commercial buyers would, in this economy, lay out cash for a solar system that won't pay off for a decade.

FORBES: Storm Clouds