Take a look at Arizona and compare to other states
Arizona is among the states second hardest hit and adjacent to states hit either harder or just as hard.
Source: Infographic from Wall Street Cheat Street
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/breaking-news/economy/where-and-why-are-businesses-closing-infographic/?p=14425/
Where I live, one small business after another, either for sale or out of business. It seems to be compounding, you drive down the street and the empty building fronts are piling up. I can't understand how Wall Street keep coming up with their profitable earnings? Some are still making money because they are invested in China, but China is starting to slow now too.
ReplyDeleteThe White House stated today, they expect unemployment to remain at 9% or higher for the next few years, not months - years! And of course we know that the real unemployment numbers are higher than that. Not good, not at all good. *shakes head in disgust*
Maryann,
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street. Although I'm not into conspiracy theories (I generally think that even power brokers aren't that smart), at the minimum I think there is benign neglect by the NY-DC crowd and more likely, an unstated understanding to not upset the status quo.
In a huge western city, built on a grid system (street plan in miles of square blocks), like Phoenix...you can travel on a primary street straight for 50-60 miles from one end of the metro to the other. You see the same thing, empty business buildings, for sale or lease or going out of business, mile after mile. Phoenix is now going through a second wave of large layoffs and it's hard to imagine what will happen next. We've already started the second wave of foreclosures with now Alt-A and ARM loans because those rates are being reset higher. Additionally commercial real estate is about to completely crash. Arizona is in bad condition but we're not the worst, California is a wasteland.
So...in my mind there is no way that the delusion can continue for much longer. How it plays out, I'm not sure or would rather not speculate. I do know we're in for some difficult times for a minimum of five years. We probably won't get a decent President until 2016 because neither party will have a worthy candidate until then. That's an entirely different blog.
I DO have faith in the American people to ultimately rise above but this time, there are no quick fixes. This is going to be hard work all the way and hard work never hurt anyone. People may not like that but it does "build character" and we've lost that with the sense of entitlement that so many people have now.
Thanks for commenting.
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ReplyDeleteI think I'm reasonably intelligent (I might be wrong) but I can never get a handle on what a group of pie charts or color-coded states are supposed to be showing me. I look at them and try to figure out what causes something to happen here and not happen there, and I never know enough of the underlying stuff to understand it or make sense of any of it.
ReplyDeleteI do seem to be able to look at all of it and see what's coming if things don't change in a big way.
I sense big trouble either way, or whatever way. I think you're right about 2016 being the soonest anyone's going to step up and want to lead anything; if there was ever a time for someone to poke their head up and truly "go rogue" it would be right now, and no one's doing it...I hope that people surprise me and really DO vote as many of these congressional criminals (it's "representation", and they don't do that) in 2010, but I have the feeling that the people on the dole will vote for the incumbents and the people working will pretend they're too busy to care.
Even in the best case (whatever that might be) I see a lot of pain and suffering and empty buildings and things going on and on and on.
Once the idea of entitlement has been introduced it's nearly impossible to erase it. I think some people absolutely deserve to be helped but I don't think anyone is entitled to anything more than they can accomplish.
Then again, I'm still trying to figure out why Colorado looks an almost-immune color blue in that one graphic, so what do I know? :)
It's cool to be thinking. Thank you for making it happen more often than it normally would.
PS-Your last paragraph to Maryann (unless "thanks for commenting" counts as a paragraph)pretty well sums up almost everything I think and hope for.
...and yes, I hope they are voted OUT.
ReplyDeleteI need to hire a proofreader. :)
Look at the colors as dark means very bad and as they get lighter, things are better. Which brings up Colorado...for some reason they have escaped the worst part of this downturn so far but that is about to change. They are now suffering the loss of two major companies and industries and a third important company is being merged and out of there. So it does not bode well for them.
ReplyDeleteSo what is coming, since I don't see big change coming imminently, will hit them as well. I don’t think Big Government will go away for the duration and I think a good tactic if you’re honest, creative, free and independent thinking is to lay low and roam with the best of minds as fellow travelers.
I think of Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck a lot these days. This time it's going to be different, the sense of entitlement is entrenched, people entering into this had a lot more before than they do now and will and people are relatively healthier. The photos from the thirties don't fit.
The pictures will be of a relatively well dressed populace, somewhat fed but many banging their spoons on the table to no avail. The rest of us have been survivalists of all this consumerism nonsense for years and will figure a way.
I’m glad you appreciate the “last” comment paragraph to Maryann and thank you for commenting!