First I judge industrial production by the number of semi trucks on interstates 71 and 70. Both run through my area of the USA (Central Ohio). A year and a half ago few trucks were on these highways compared to today. Weekdays one will often see 10 to 15 semi's running in a line in the right lane of the interstate. A year and a half ago a large number of semi tractors were parked in the grass of horse race track just south of Columbus, Ohio. None are there today.
My second measure is the number of cars in the fast food drive through lanes. A year ago I could pull into any McDonalds drive though and not have more than one or two cars ahead of me. Most of the time I was the only car going through the drive through. Now during meal times there are 6 to 8 cars in line at every Mickey Dees I pass.
The third measure is the number of checkout lines open and the number of people in each line at Wal Mart. I checked a Walmart in Circleville Ohio a week after a local Thompson RCA picture tube plant announced closing. Every isle was open and there were 3 to 4 customers in every isle. This Wal Mart does not have a supermarket in it. So the customers were not buying food.
These three measures scream the economy is booming. Working class people are the primary McDonalds customers. Working class people in fear of losing their jobs or out of work can't afford a lot of fast food. When they are working they eat fast food frequently.
When factory production is down, the semi trucks have little to haul. This spring every truck is no the road, hauling lots of stuff that someone is making and selling.
When times are tough people stop buying things they don't need. They can get by with out a new pair of jeans, or stuff for the car, entertainment gadgets, and playthings for the kids. This spring they are lined up at Walmarts to buy them.
One of the dumbest things a candidate can do is tell people things they know are not true.
Here is my take on what Kerry is doing wrong in his campaign
Democrats and Kerry are trying to tell the American people things they know are not true. That hurts the teller, not George W. Bush.
You can't make even uneducated people believe the economy is bad, when every week or so they get introduced to the new people just hired in their work place. When the boss is hiring they do not fear losing their job.
You can't tell people the economy is going south, when everywhere they go to buy stuff they have to wait in line.
Here is a thought on gasoline prices. When I was a boy minimum wage was 50 cents an hour. Gasoline as 25 cents a gallon. Today minimum wage is $5.15. By the standards of the 1950s gasoline should be $2.57 cents a gallon.
Gasoline at $1.89 a gallon is better buy than it was in the 1940s and 1950s. Perhaps that explains why SUV sales are at an all time high. Camper sales are also up and those babies really drink the gas.
All of this says the economy is booming. And lying about it to the people is a dumb thing to do.
And that thought puts a smile on my face...
Therefore their only hope is for a disaster, foreign or domestic.
Thankfully Edwards is not the candidate as his message was more positive, a 'We can do it better' type of message rather than a 'this idiot is screwing everything up' message that Kerry is using.
It's really a shame when one party wishes ill for the Country.
Even in our distain for Pres. Clinton we never wished that.
The Dim's hatred for Pres. Bush is so strong as to cause them to be illogical.