how's the economy in your area?

[musclehead]

still pretty frightful in my town (which really doen't have any industry anyway) the next big town west is still getting kicked. there is a mall there, sears closed, FYE closed (video store) Claires (fashion) closed. there are more vacant store fronts then tennents. the food court used ot have two chinese fast food restaurants, a subway, a pizza place and an ice cream vendor.  down to just subway and the pizza place.


on the way back home we were bad and ate at Quiznos in a strip mall that was brand new a few years ago. the place is still 50% vacant.

jobs on craigslist are picking up, but its still pretty slow.

[grandpaweaver]

We're in the rubber industry making molded industrial parts. 4 years ago we laid off all 6 of our employees because we had no orders and no money coming in. My wife and I quite taking pay checks and went on social security. We and the business survived but it was tough going in that we gave up a lot.

The last 2 years we have made a gradual return. Last year I hired one new person and called one back that hadn’t found a job yet. In the last couple months we’ve hired 2 more people as business continues to improve. We now have 2 full time employees and 5 part time (their choice) and just completed our best month in the last 6 or 7 years.

Every customer and supplier I talk to says about the same thing for their business.

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

[Gear Jammer]

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

amen

[The Anvil]

Pretty good actually. There's not a lot of work for my chosen field but I kinda knew that going in. I can pretty much have my pick of jobs in various fields but I'm well rounded and experienced. I'm also adaptable. Not everyone has that going for them.

But it also helps that the Northeast is traditionally one of the last places to be hit hard by recession.

[The Anvil]

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

amen

It's actually this kind of conjecture that pushes me closer to voting for Obama. I figure that if that kind of mentality is against Obama then I want no part of that.

Your best month in the last six or seven years huh? Refresh my memory... who was in power seven years ago? Maybe Obama SHOULD get some credit for it.

[ricoman]

Pretty good actually. There's not a lot of work for my chosen field but I kinda knew that going in. I can pretty much have my pick of jobs in various fields but I'm well rounded and experienced. I'm also adaptable. Not everyone has that going for them.

But it also helps that the Northeast is traditionally one of the last places to be hit hard by recession.

well rounded, experienced, adaptable?
you left out modest

[Jess Tolbirt]

I dont think Nashville, TN is doing to bad,, i am an electrician and the head hunters are calling all the time wanting me to go to work for them...we have lost a few stores in a few of the malls around here but looks like things aint to bad overall...

[BigAl]

I think I will open a business that handles going out of business.

That is the trend and I am getting in while the getting is good.

When Romney beats Obama of course I will be out of business, but I can handle my own gong out of business sale. With Pleasure.


WIn WIn

[Clark]

IT SUCKS... resort area  Sun Valley.. the money people aint spendin.. the only home sales are short sales and foreclosures.. the banks arent working with homeowners because they are being subcidized by the banks.. people are losin their homes right and left.

[The Anvil]

Pretty good actually. There's not a lot of work for my chosen field but I kinda knew that going in. I can pretty much have my pick of jobs in various fields but I'm well rounded and experienced. I'm also adaptable. Not everyone has that going for them.

But it also helps that the Northeast is traditionally one of the last places to be hit hard by recession.

well rounded, experienced, adaptable?
you left out modest

Why sell yourself short?

[Buda]

We worked monday,(been offered work every holiday this year) will work 10 hours tuesday thru friday, and 8 hours saturday.....been that way for what seems like forever....everybody I know who wants to work is now.  Seems to be getting better around here.

[Daniel Meyer]

My small business paid more in taxes than it grossed last year...

So I'd say business/economy is great...as long as you are in government.

[The Anvil]

We worked monday,(been offered work every holiday this year) will work 10 hours tuesday thru friday, and 8 hours saturday.....been that way for what seems like forever....everybody I know who wants to work is now.  Seems to be getting better around here.

I have my pick of work all over the country with major defense contractors. Not much here but I'm making so much money working part time with a friend contracting for rental car companies in the airports (Boston and Manchester) that I have no reason to leave here. Not that I really want to...

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Maybe better than a year ago but still not good by any means. We have a lot of vacant houses, not even for sale, just grown up in weeds and abandoned in the past year or so. I've got three within a 1 1/2 of me and I live in the country. I'm guessing they belong to distant mortgage company's now that the home buyers have gone belly up.

I'm seeing jobs advertised in my field, industrial maintenance but not many good factory jobs for the unskilled worker. My company has laid off 8 out of 28 people in the past 2 months. The company my wife works for is struggling too.

And, I don't see it getting any better soon.

We have politicians protecting big business, we have politicians protecting those who live off the government. We have politicians protecting illegals, but we don't have any protecting the blue collar workers who make and repair the material things in the real world.

One of these days, all of those who make a living by manipulating real objects in the real world need to take the day off. All the truck drivers, all the electricians, all the mechanics, all the builders and machinists, we all need to just take the day or the week off. Maybe then some of these cursed dishonest morons running/ruining this country will finally notice they can't really do anything important for themselves. We do it all.

[..]

I have my pick of work all over the country with major defense contractors. Not much here but I'm making so much money working part time with a friend contracting for rental car companies in the airports (Boston and Manchester) that I have no reason to leave here. Not that I really want to...

Where do the defense contractors get their $$$$ from??????

[Steve K (IA)]

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

amen

It's actually this kind of conjecture that pushes me closer to voting for Obama. I figure that if that kind of mentality is against Obama then I want no part of that.

Your best month in the last six or seven years huh? Refresh my memory... who was in power seven years ago? Maybe Obama SHOULD get some credit for it.

You know, I was wanting to say the same thing, but I try to stay out of the political circle jerks...just gets me in trouble.  Bush policies hurt this guy's business and because of Obama things are picking up.  But hey, lets blame the black man for the past 7 years bad luck even though he has only been on the scene 3 years.  
And just Why shouldn't Obama get credit for things picking up?  Huh?  All the baggers, birthers and wingers have been trying to hang Bush's recession around his neck since his second day in office and they bitch and whine that he hasn't improved the economy overnight.  Shrub spent 8 years putting us in this hole but certain people don't seem to remember that.

Oh...unemployment is 5.1% here and gas is going down.  Thanks Mr. President.

[musclehead]

I dont think Nashville, TN is doing to bad,, i am an electrician and the head hunters are calling all the time wanting me to go to work for them...we have lost a few stores in a few of the malls around here but looks like things aint to bad overall...

it doesn't seem (at least to my memory) that TN had as deep a problem as most of the country with the real estate, some markets rebounded rapidly and TN was one.

Florida on the other hand.... well.....

[The Anvil]

I have my pick of work all over the country with major defense contractors. Not much here but I'm making so much money working part time with a friend contracting for rental car companies in the airports (Boston and Manchester) that I have no reason to leave here. Not that I really want to...

Where do the defense contractors get their $$$$ from??????

Do you think the US is the only company that buys weapons from the aerospace industry? The last two contracts I worked were both for foreign (though allied) concerns. So no, it's not just the US government.

[musclehead]

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

amen

It's actually this kind of conjecture that pushes me closer to voting for Obama. I figure that if that kind of mentality is against Obama then I want no part of that.

Your best month in the last six or seven years huh? Refresh my memory... who was in power seven years ago? Maybe Obama SHOULD get some credit for it.

You know, I was wanting to say the same thing, but I try to stay out of the political circle jerks...just gets me in trouble.  Bush policies hurt this guy's business and because of Obama things are picking up.  But hey, lets blame the black man for the past 7 years bad luck even though he has only been on the scene 3 years.  
And just Why shouldn't Obama get credit for things picking up?  Huh?  All the baggers, birthers and wingers have been trying to hang Bush's recession around his neck since his second day in office and they bitch and whine that he hasn't improved the economy overnight.  Shrub spent 8 years putting us in this hole but certain people don't seem to remember that.

Oh...unemployment is 5.1% here and gas is going down.  Thanks Mr. President.

the original intent of the thread was only to see how you and your area are doing from a business stand point. folks will interject their political views in this and other non political discussions.    it happens. I've got all kinds of number to run by you but I'll just let you sip the cool aid

[The Anvil]

Boy that "KoolAid" line hasn't become just a little bit cliche, has it?

Anyone who buys into the concept that there's only one right way and that it's only the way they agree with is drinking the purple drink. It's just that someone else put the poison in. At least stir it well.

[ptgb]

Getting better... but then again it is Youngstown Ohio for goodness sake! We have been the bottom of the barrel for 40 years, so didn't have far to fall when the economy tanked. But then again, at least we aren't Steubenville 

This area of Ohio has great potential to be a HUGE player in natural gas as we sit on top of huge deposits of Marcellus and Utica shale. Fracking will bring huge amounts of money to the our local economy. Hope it all works out, but I am skeptical in that the government will probably screw it up somehow. But, it is already starting to pay much dividends to the local economy...

A month ago, BP came in and bought up the mineral rights to about 84,000 acres in Trumbull County Ohio alone. That was an influx of over $250 MILLION to landowners in just one county. That buys a lot of college educations and new cars. There are people that I personally know that got checks of $100,000+. One guy got $750,000!

A steel company, V&M Star, is in the process of building an almost 1 BILLION (yeah with a "B") dollar pipe plant in Youngstown to service the natural gas industry.

Locally in the township where I work, a Russian company, TMK put in a plant that threads pipe for the drilling industry... $25/hour jobs.

This has the real potential not seen here in 50 years.

[BF]

Where do the defense contractors get their $$$$ from??????

In my case, from the 46th Test Wing.  Draw your own conclusions from where they get their funds. 

Just keep paying your taxes so I can pay mine.   

[MP]

Getting better... but then again it is Youngstown Ohio for goodness sake! We have been the bottom of the barrel for 40 years, so didn't have far to fall when the economy tanked. But then again, at least we aren't Steubenville 

This area of Ohio has great potential to be a HUGE player in natural gas as we sit on top of huge deposits of Marcellus and Utica shale. Fracking will bring huge amounts of money to the our local economy. Hope it all works out, but I am skeptical in that the government will probably screw it up somehow. But, it is already starting to pay much dividends to the local economy...

A month ago, BP came in and bought up the mineral rights to about 84,000 acres in Trumbull County Ohio alone. That was an influx of over $250 MILLION to landowners in just one county. That buys a lot of college educations and new cars. There are people that I personally know that got checks of $100,000+. One guy got $750,000!

A steel company, V&M Star, is in the process of building an almost 1 BILLION (yeah with a "B") dollar pipe plant in Youngstown to service the natural gas industry.

Locally in the township where I work, a Russian company, TMK put in a plant that threads pipe for the drilling industry... $25/hour jobs.

This has the real potential not seen here in 50 years.

Agreed.  We have more natural gas and oil reserves than anyone thought possible, all recoverable with fraccing. 

So, of course, the oponents are doing their best to stop it!  Some areas have outlawed it altogether.  We could become fully energy independent within ten years, if we could be allowed to.

And, create millions of very well paid jobs in the process.

MP

[MNBill]

Living here in SE MN is kind of like living in our own economy that is seperate from the rest of the country. We have the Mayo Clinic a non-profit that is good at what it does. They get HUGE donations from rich folks that they kept alive and they spend that money. ALWAYS a new building going up for research or something. Even so some of my friends in the trades are not doing well, they are not building houses like they used to. Last report our local unemployment was below 5% but I do not know how many folks that counts that are not looking for work, see below.
We also have a huge influx of immigrants that are "refugees" so there is ALOT of federal goverment money coming in keeping our apartments full (read your dollars in SSI). I think we are up to 21% at last count. We also have people coming from all over the US to MN because of our generous welfare programs so they are spending our money in the local economy (yea, we are a state run by DEMS).
Local Sears is closing too but I do not contribute that to the local economy just poor business model. I always bought appliances from them, now I buy local. Try and get a part or service from Sears,,, call an 800 number and talk to some clown. Local shops have service and parts on hand like Sears used to do 15 years ago. Some businesses are going to fail, they do not have customer service like they used to.

[grandpaweaver]

The rubber industry was tanking way before Bush due to so much being produced over seas and Mexico. The return of business here has nothing to do with who's Pres but that wages in those countries have risen to a point that we here are more competive. I'm sorry for making thus thread political with my Obama coment in that I also would like to know how other areas' are doing.

Here in the "once rubber capital of the world" things are looking up.

[musclehead]

Boy that "KoolAid" line hasn't become just a little bit cliche, has it?

Anyone who buys into the concept that there's only one right way and that it's only the way they agree with is drinking the purple drink. It's just that someone else put the poison in. At least stir it well.

there is one way, get the freaking government red tape an bureaucracy out of the way of businesses making a profit and hiring people. it's not rocket science. the problem is SOME people don't have any trust that companies will do the right thing.

[old2soon]

Keeping in mind i have been retired for a little over 3 years looks like the lumber outfits have hired back most but not all the folks. The banks(2 here in town)have more vehicles than our used car lots do. The meth labs and the pot growers are doing rather well according to some of the Mo. State Highway Patrol people i know and the L E Os i know are in agreement. Still to many empty store fronts and way too many farm and ranch auctions happening. And my daughter informed me here a couple of days ago some of her friends parents have lost their homes and will be moving in with the parents and or grand parents. They SAY our unemployment rate has gone down. My take is people have run out of benefits. And reported thefts are way up as is the murder rate. Make of it what you will.

[The Anvil]

Boy that "KoolAid" line hasn't become just a little bit cliche, has it?

Anyone who buys into the concept that there's only one right way and that it's only the way they agree with is drinking the purple drink. It's just that someone else put the poison in. At least stir it well.

there is one way, get the freaking government red tape an bureaucracy out of the way of businesses making a profit and hiring people. it's not rocket science. the problem is SOME people don't have any trust that companies will do the right thing.

Count me among them.

As if it were the government in the way. Sorry, that dog don't hunt. As I said; I have my pick of jobs all over the country (the WORLD actually) and I work in a HEAVILY regulated industry. Maybe THE most heavily regulated. Aviation can't fill positions fast enough. Where's all the government interference there?

American industry's track record does not lend itself to confidence building exercises. So until they prove otherwise I'll be among those who are more than a little skeptical that increased business will result in more AMERICAN JOBS.

[musclehead]

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

amen

It's actually this kind of conjecture that pushes me closer to voting for Obama. I figure that if that kind of mentality is against Obama then I want no part of that.

Your best month in the last six or seven years huh? Refresh my memory... who was in power seven years ago? Maybe Obama SHOULD get some credit for it.

You know, I was wanting to say the same thing, but I try to stay out of the political circle jerks...just gets me in trouble.  Bush policies hurt this guy's business and because of Obama things are picking up.  But hey, lets blame the black man for the past 7 years bad luck even though he has only been on the scene 3 years.  
And just Why shouldn't Obama get credit for things picking up?  Huh?  All the baggers, birthers and wingers have been trying to hang Bush's recession around his neck since his second day in office and they bitch and whine that he hasn't improved the economy overnight.  Shrub spent 8 years putting us in this hole but certain people don't seem to remember that.

Oh...unemployment is 5.1% here and gas is going down.  Thanks Mr. President.

not all sectors of the economy do well when most are doing well. there are areas in the country that have not gotten above 5% throughout the entire recession.

in a recession people hang onto their cars and consequently manufacturers of parts do well, but the retailers of new car don't.

the "shrub" as you put it did spend too much, and "O" campaigned that he would fix the problem (he didn't/hasn't). he also campaigned that Bush was "unpatriotic" to spend so much money so does Obama get a pass in your mind for spending more then every president from Washington to Clinton???

but of course it's still Bush's fault.... talk about a cliche getting old

[G-Man]

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

amen

It's actually this kind of conjecture that pushes me closer to voting for Obama. I figure that if that kind of mentality is against Obama then I want no part of that.

Your best month in the last six or seven years huh? Refresh my memory... who was in power seven years ago? Maybe Obama SHOULD get some credit for it.

You know, I was wanting to say the same thing, but I try to stay out of the political circle jerks...just gets me in trouble.  Bush policies hurt this guy's business and because of Obama things are picking up.  But hey, lets blame the black man for the past 7 years bad luck even though he has only been on the scene 3 years.  
And just Why shouldn't Obama get credit for things picking up?  Huh?  All the baggers, birthers and wingers have been trying to hang Bush's recession around his neck since his second day in office and they bitch and whine that he hasn't improved the economy overnight.  Shrub spent 8 years putting us in this hole but certain people don't seem to remember that.

Oh...unemployment is 5.1% here and gas is going down.  Thanks Mr. President.

You are racist.  The only people who see race as an issue is YOU.  Not one other person in this thread mentioned anything about race except you.  Therefore, you are racist.

[The Anvil]

The only people who see race as an issue is YOU.

SURE he is 

[musclehead]

The only people who see race as an issue is YOU.

SURE he is 

pull it!

[Jess Tolbirt]

i said in another thread,,Nissan is hiring 1000 workers next week for the new production line,,here in murfreesboro, tn....

[The Anvil]

pull it!

I know it's overplayed, but it's still real. You can't tell me that race is not a factor in a lot of this. Internet forums are cross sections of regular society and I see and hear it every day.

[G-Man]

The only people who see race as an issue is YOU.

SURE he is 

pull it!

Sorry Granpaweaver and Gearjammer, I tried, but as you can see (and I can see because unfortunately replies to quotes of posts can't be ignored), you guys are the racists.  Regardless of who you are, how you live your lives, what your families may look like, etc., you will always be the racists because you disagree with Obama.  You will never be just disagreeing with the President's policies, you will just simply be maligning the black guy. 

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

The sad thing is if the economy picks up everywhere Obama will take the credit. We need to get rid of him.

amen

It's actually this kind of conjecture that pushes me closer to voting for Obama. I figure that if that kind of mentality is against Obama then I want no part of that.

Your best month in the last six or seven years huh? Refresh my memory... who was in power seven years ago? Maybe Obama SHOULD get some credit for it.

You know, I was wanting to say the same thing, but I try to stay out of the political circle jerks...just gets me in trouble.  Bush policies hurt this guy's business and because of Obama things are picking up.  But hey, lets blame the black man for the past 7 years bad luck even though he has only been on the scene 3 years.  
And just Why shouldn't Obama get credit for things picking up?  Huh?  All the baggers, birthers and wingers have been trying to hang Bush's recession around his neck since his second day in office and they bitch and whine that he hasn't improved the economy overnight.  Shrub spent 8 years putting us in this hole but certain people don't seem to remember that.

Oh...unemployment is 5.1% here and gas is going down.  Thanks Mr. President.

You are racist.  The only people who see race as an issue is YOU.  Not one other person in this thread mentioned anything about race except you.  Therefore, you are racist.

I'd have to agree. I don't think anyone cares much about race or thinks much about race in this country besides the liberals. They need racism to justify irrational policy.

Who supports quotas? (State sponsored racism) Liberals.
Who claims racism when someone disagrees with the current president? Liberals.
Who sees a racist behind every criticism of our sitting president? Perhaps it's those who secretly fear people of other races and try to overcompensate for it?

[sheets]

The only economy that is good (or "growing") in these parts is a false economy being stimulated by the clandestine marijuana growers, under the guise of medical marijuana justified by being in possession of "215" cards. It's rampant and out of control. Even the Mexican Mafia, and other foreigners are digging in and staking their claim on private timber lands and national forest land, and ruining it in the process. There is no other industry around these parts to speak of. Unemployment is way high, but the auto dealerships have no shortage of $30K - $50K trucks leaving the dealership after folks walk in with a brown bag full of cash. The ATV shops are doing a booming business too. The best business to have around here are those that supply the growers with "all" that they need.  Soil amendment being transported around this neck of the woods by the truck load. Folks who scratch out a living the old fashioned way barely scrape by. The unemployed folks living off of taxpayer supplied social services and public assistance of every type, and have an ailment that qualifies them for a "215" card are the ones eat'n good in the neighborhood, and driving new cars and trucks. The other clan-labs producing meth aren't doing too bad either, other than poisoning the brains and bodies of our area's youth, and the land where they dump their toxic byproduct from the process.         

[musclehead]

Getting better... but then again it is Youngstown Ohio for goodness sake! We have been the bottom of the barrel for 40 years, so didn't have far to fall when the economy tanked. But then again, at least we aren't Steubenville 

This area of Ohio has great potential to be a HUGE player in natural gas as we sit on top of huge deposits of Marcellus and Utica shale. Fracking will bring huge amounts of money to the our local economy. Hope it all works out, but I am skeptical in that the government will probably screw it up somehow. But, it is already starting to pay much dividends to the local economy...

A month ago, BP came in and bought up the mineral rights to about 84,000 acres in Trumbull County Ohio alone. That was an influx of over $250 MILLION to landowners in just one county. That buys a lot of college educations and new cars. There are people that I personally know that got checks of $100,000+. One guy got $750,000!

A steel company, V&M Star, is in the process of building an almost 1 BILLION (yeah with a "B") dollar pipe plant in Youngstown to service the natural gas industry.

Locally in the township where I work, a Russian company, TMK put in a plant that threads pipe for the drilling industry... $25/hour jobs.

This has the real potential not seen here in 50 years.

is Kasich still the governor? hmmm just checking.....

[musclehead]

pull it!

I know it's overplayed, but it's still real. You can't tell me that race is not a factor in a lot of this. Internet forums are cross sections of regular society and I see and hear it every day.

I don't like his white half either....    go ahead call me a racist

[musclehead]

Boy that "KoolAid" line hasn't become just a little bit cliche, has it?

Anyone who buys into the concept that there's only one right way and that it's only the way they agree with is drinking the purple drink. It's just that someone else put the poison in. At least stir it well.

there is one way, get the freaking government red tape an bureaucracy out of the way of businesses making a profit and hiring people. it's not rocket science. the problem is SOME people don't have any trust that companies will do the right thing.

Count me among them.

As if it were the government in the way. Sorry, that dog don't hunt. As I said; I have my pick of jobs all over the country (the WORLD actually) and I work in a HEAVILY regulated industry. Maybe THE most heavily regulated. Aviation can't fill positions fast enough. Where's all the government interference there?

American industry's track record does not lend itself to confidence building exercises. So until they prove otherwise I'll be among those who are more than a little skeptical that increased business will result in more AMERICAN JOBS.

you gotta be kidding, there is so much bureauracy that the bureaucrats can't penetrate the red tape. start a business and I guaruntee you will NOT be in compliance.