I'm with summer... there is no reason to accept a sub-par IT job right now unless you're in SERIOUS financial problems. The economy may be bad right now, but isn't the "Great Depression 2.0" that CNN is making it out to be. There ARE still jobs out there, especially in the IT and medical fields. You just need to look for them, and potentially be willing to move if a good offer out of state comes up.
If I can find a better technology job in 2009, so can the rest of you! Stop letting your bosses use the economy as an excuse to give you low opening salaries, lousy raises and crummy bonuses.