At our annual New Year’s Party with couples we have known for decades, one of the moderate liberals brought up the new great depression.
She got my favorite question, “Who do you know, who has lost their job or is making significantly less money or is losing their home due to factors beyond their own actions or failure of actions.”
After a couple of rambling minutes, she and the other moderate liberal couple admitted that they knew no one who fit into that category. The people losing their homes got themselves into the mess by 2nds and home equity mortgages.
One couple known by everyone, had invested big time with Madoff and had leveraged their home based on their expectations on Madoff. Now they have no income and will probably lose their MacMansion.
One of our major shopping centers had traffic jams for the entire week before Christmas. Cops were on hand, giving out tickets for blocking the interesection.
One of the ladies in semi retirement works a couple of days per week for a decades old Kitchen Appliance and goodies store with products ranging from medium price to high $ value. She said their sales were the best in decades if not for ever. They have hundreds of back orders where the customers paid 25-50% as a deposit for the future orders.
Our Walmart and two Targets were busy everytime we went in from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.
Some stores are closing and most will not be missed. A very crummy Mervyn’s is closing and several excellent national and regional replacements want that building. Many of us want to see a Kohl’s move in.
There are what appears to be increasing numbers of poor, many are apparently illegals not able to find work due to ICE crackdowns on employers. The food bank has run out of food twice due to the ICE crackdowns. The Salvation Army had so many volunteers for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, they were turning down volunteers. As usual they can use more money. A friend who is very involved with the Salvation Army and local charities, said that ICE crackdowns and illegals not going home for the winter is impacting all of the food and temp lodging charities. Also, our lack of Gorebull warming (really cold and wet weather) has driven the hard core homeless from the bridges, empty house, and buildings into the agencies for food and shelter.
Of course the Mediots only focuse on the failure of America to keep the illegals and perpetual homeless housed and fed.
Can you tell me what evidence there is for a strong economy and why, if it is not nearly as bad as some are saying, a conservative like Glenn Beck keeps talking apocalyptically about a coming economic implosion?