How bad is it in your part of the Country ?

[Gilbert Scales2]

We are starting to feel the crunch here in Louisiana. Is it bad in your neck of the woods?? Is there hope that it might change anytime soon?? I am a contractor, have a little work, but not very much.



Bubby

 

[Bruce Freeman]

It's real slow here in MD and I don't think we have hit bottom yet. What money people have they are holding on to. The auto repair shop is slower than I have ever seen it. Our only saving grace is people are starting to cut there own lawns again and dropping the mowing service they used to use. Selling good numbers of mowers, trimmers and chainsaws (cutting instead of buying firewood). Of course this hurts us also because our comercial repairs have dropped because of lack of bussiness. If it was not for the ethanol (spelling?) in the gas and killing off all the older tools and equipment that sit around, I think I would be out of a job now also.



BF

 

[Ben Spears]

Here in Southern Kentucky it is slow, Timber is very slow however timbermen are telling me they expect prices to increase this fall, kind of surprised me they said timber will go up. Everyone is hanging on to their money, most people are growing gardens and putting away anything they can preserve in cans. Quite a few tourists this 4th which will help gas stations but that is about it.

 

[Bill McElroy]

We have the highest unemployment rate in the country!! @ 15% now and that's not even the worst part yet.......I bet it'll be closer to 20% by the end of the year!! I hope the country is happy with all this CHANGE they wanted!!:unsure::angry:

 

[Tim Koepp]

it doesnt get any worse than kokomo indiana and elkhart indiana.

 

[Randy Walls]

Tim you are right! Here in LaPorte, IN they have lost more jobs within the last two weeks! Happy 4th of July to those folks. Some friends are actually doing quite well. One owns his own tool shop and is making replacement parts for all sorts of machines instead of the current owners replacing the machines all together. Helps him right now but when it does/if turns around he will be needing a new niche!



People do seem to be vacationing closer to home and helping the local businesses.



Randy!

 

[Mini]

Just STARTING to get bad? I wish....



And yes Michigan stinks right now with all the people out of work.



BUT for the people in Michigan: www.usajobs.com, click the Detroit Job Fair....

 

[Rich Eder2]

I've been building houses for over 30 years.I have never seen it this slow.You can give a house away in the St.louis area. It would be alot better if my GF would get 2 more jobs. This are getting just a little better than the winter.I'm just trying to make another 2 years so I can draw my pension if it doesn't go in the dumpster.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

I believe the part of Maryland I'm from, the Annapolis area, is quite different than from where Bruce is from because the state government is here in Anne Arundel County and thus more jobs.

I don't know what the unemployment rate is here but you can't get into a restaurant without an hour or so wait. And if you go into a place that is more children friendly, like T.G.I.F. or Friendly's, you'll see a families of four or five at every table?

The contractors who have been working on my house have said if it wasn't for the insurance work they were getting they'd be in serious trouble. Of course the drywall/painting sub-contractor has had to come back to fix so many things they messed up I think they're just trying to have vocational stability..

I hope the country is happy with all this CHANGE they wanted!!

I'm right with you Mac though if you say anything to any of them, they get hysterical

and start yelling..:lol:



Uncle Billy

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Let me tell you, I get the #'s on potential bank failures and if my numbers are correct (and they are), hold on to your hats because it's just starting. Now banks lag a little from the general economy but I can tell you, I won't be seeing home for a long while. Just got back from IL and head out to the West Coast next week.



TOXIC

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Like I said way back when..." this is only the beginning of the end of what we know as the US".

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

No, not that bad TEE, some hard times ahead but we will pull through it. I was around and closing banks back in the mid 80's when we were doing 3-4 a week and I was with the RTC doing S&L's at a breakneck pace. We'll get through it (would be a lot quicker without all of the idiot government "stimulus") but there is a lot of dark before the dawn.



TOXIC

 

[Scott Allen]

The unemployment rate here in Washington County, MD is over 10%. I just returned to work in mid-February after being off for 7 months and that's in the defense industry! Luckily, defense communications is a small world and I was able to network back into a job. I've been noticing a lot more homeless on the streets in Hagerstown and more people crowding into the "day-labor" pickup sites.



Scott

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Not that bad?...what do you think will happen when we hit 20%?

And we will.

Our guvment is in shambles!

I know...I work for them

Our building here at the base is under MAJOR reconstruction for millions of $'s but, yet they don't even know what the future holds for financial management. They're trying to "transform" FM BUT, it's been stuck in personel for two years because of MAJOR Union issues.

All I can say is, "Hold onto your hats"!

BTW...Ohio is right behind Michigan as far as unemployment and is going up every day at an alarming rate.

I was laid off in the 80's for a year and depleted all my extensions...didn't think I would ever get back on my feet. It's gonna be a lot worse than that!

NO jobs are safe anymore.

 

[eric nichols]

Here in West Virginia it's pretty bad. One of our largest companies, Ravenswood Aluminum, shut it's doors and damn near wiped out the whole county. I've been fortunate the plant is steadily picking up and my wifes field is in high demand. The biggest problem in West Virginia is our state government makes it too easy for able bodied people to sit around collect welfare instead of going to work.



Eric

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Like I said way back when..." this is only the beginning of the end of what we know as the US".

I tend to agree with Tee, for a number of reasons but don't want to get into all of them here! We might get through this bank and unemployment problem but there are plenty more issues that are going to come up.



Uncle Billy

 

[Bill McElroy]

Just heard on the radio this a.m. that 700 more engineers will be "seperated" from the campus where I work, by Oct.1st.....that leaves 3300 more salaried people from the rest of the country that will lose their jobs also.....all by Oct.1



I love this atmosphere!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

See my point....

It's all the DOMINO effect and they haven't even really started to fall yet.