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Well according the Central Bank and Federal Reserve survey..manufacturing is improving across most of the country. well MOST is a big a FOUR letter word. Which country? are they talking about? Are you sure they are talking about the united States? And not the United Nations? Central Bank and Federal Reserve is nice pretty looking words but where do they came from? Where do they call home? Who owns the Central Bank and the Federal Reserve? All banks have people that have so much money in them that they give them a seat on a board cause they want to know where their money is going and have a say what is to be done with their money. So who are sitting on the boards of the Central Bank and Federal Reserve? And why would they spend their their hard earned money of taking a survey? When they don't really care about anyone else but how much money they are racking up. Do I think they are lying to us? What do you think would happen if they told us the survey told them that it's going to get worse. So worse that people are going to be killing each other for a loaf of breed and an egg? Have you been listening to the news? Have you been reading the messages about companies moving out of the United States so they could hire cheaper workers? Do you know of anything in the United States that is still processing the basic needs for a manufacturing company to use to build their products with? Where are the steel beams coming from now days? Where is tin sheets coming? Where is the plastic processing plants at? Now do you think, I think they are lying to us? Cause MOST is a very vague word to be using when so many people are out looking for jobs and worrying about putting food in their children's mouths.

Jorge, tienes razon.

I think you're right. I think things are getting better overall.

My anecdotal 'evidence' that leads me to feel that things are getting better, not worse, comes from my vocation--I go around to different companies in the upper Midwest and enroll employees in their 401(k) plans offered by their employers. This gives me the opportunity to talk with many different types of people (young, old, rich, poor, blue collar, professional, immigrants, owners, management, line workers, etc.) in various types of industries (mostly manufacturing, but also banking, health care, service, etc.). I always ask how workers are doing, how the company is doing, etc. Obviously, every company is different, and every industry is different. But in general, the trends I have seen lately are:

1) Companies that had to lay off this past year are starting to hire them back.

2) Manufacturing orders are finally back up (businesses finally starting to spend again).

3) More employees--especially blue collar workers--are starting to save for retirement and more are increasing the percentage they contribute to their 401(k) (workers now have discretionary income, feel more confident).

4) Compared to one year ago, more employers are offering a match on 401 contributions (increasing benefits) because they feel they are now able to do so--profitable again--and because they want to remain competetive and hang on to good workers, suggesting that they feel unemployment will decline as the economy gears up, and the labor market will get much tighter.

Sure, as I said, this is anecdotal evidence. And maybe it only applies to the upper Midwest; other regions/industries may be suffering more. But the sense of guarded optimism is palpable out there. More people see the light at the end of the tunnel.