Unofficial Economic Poll

[DrakeMaiden]

Old fashioned -- have you considered moving, or do you like where you are settled down right now? Are people in your neighborhood interested in gardening or keeping chickens? If a group of neighbors got together, I think you could get a lot more done than if you moved and did it all yourself . . . but the problem is finding like-minded neighbors, and then there are potential zoning issues too.

Being prepared for the worst is always the best policy . . . but we can't always forsee what the worst problems are going to be. :/

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Ducks4You . . . what makes your area "recession-proof?" I think the Seattle area has higher unemployment than that. I looked it up -- 9.3% is the official number.

 

[Wildsky]

I agree obviously with everyone else. I am just hoping things start looking up soon and that it doesn't get worse.

Right now we live pay check to pay check, its been like that for a little while now and I can't imagine being able to hold it together if things go further downhill. :/

 

[modern_pioneer]

Yes, to say were not is a cover up by the US government as not to spread panic. I did not see this coming, but once it happened, I continued to keep driving towards being SS. As of a matter of fact, it pushed me harder to get more done sooner rather than later.

I see things getting worse before they get better, and I am planning on it to continue to go south even further.

My businesses are mixed right now.... One business has done just 53% of what it did last year and previous years. While the other has holiday sales booming ten fold of what they were last year. The second business has hit a milestone in sales this year.

While in better times one business kept us a float, in hard pressed times the other business keeps us going.

I am blessed and I am thankful everyday....

However, truth be told, if the first of the year doesn't pick up I will lay off.....

 

[ducks4you]

It's not MY label--this kinda "snobby" community of Champaign-Urbana" likes to believe that we're recession-proof. This is supposedly because of the University of Illinois, the biggest employer here, that doesn't seem to have enough money to cover everything THIS recession, ironically. This was NOT A BRAG, just a post.

 

[Ldychef2k]

Absolutely.

I agree with Modern Pioneer.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

LOL, Ducks4You, I know what you meant, which is why I put it in quotations too. I just wondered why, is all.

Modern_Pioneer -- that is cool about your two businesses. Seems you have a good balance going for you. Sorry that you will still have to lay off some people. :/

Wildsky -- I hear ya! There are a few expenses I could cut yet, but I really don't want to. :/

 

[2dream]

Even though I agree that we are in a depression I will also have to say that I don't really see much different happening in my area.

The malls are full this holiday season and traffic is awful. All the resturants around the malls are full and seem to be booming.

While thousands are unemployed thousands are not. And the ones who are not unemployed seem to be spending like crazy.

Crime in my area of Mississippi has always been way up there. For the last several years we have been in the top 10 of the nations worst violent crime stats. (And people say Mississippi is always last).

I know that some sections of the country are a lot worse than others. I also know that around here what we consider normal is considered poor by most US standards. So I guess it will have to get a lot worse before we even notice that the economy has tanked.

I did read a few weeks back that the local sweet potato crop was ruined. To much rain. I am sure those farmers are in tears. I also drove through an area (about a 10 mile stretch) of soybeans as far as the eye could see on both sides of the road. As far as you could see there was nothing being harvested. Looked like they were just sitting there well past harvest age -

 

[nop169]

But there is still a large portion of the population who thinks that the government is actually Santa Claus and Oprah all in one. Until they realize the government is not the answer to their problems, nothing's going to change. It will just get worse. As long as a majority of the population thinks success needs to be punished, things will get worse. As long as people think that the best way to solve a problem is to pass more regulations, things will get worse. As long as people think it is any of their business how their neighbor lives their lives (as long as it isn't impinging on them), what religion they are, how they dress, who they marry, what car they drive, etc... things will get worse.

Wifezilla I agree!!!
Here in my upstate SC area - yeah we are still having a depressed economy... unemployment now at 14%. BUT I think most of us have gotten over the PANIC MODE... money is tighter & as Wifezilla said, too many people wanting a handout & thinking they no longer have to pay their bills.... but the majority of decent people have simply cut back. My wife & I recently were laughing because so many people cut back luxeries that they thought were necessities - we were not laughing at them cutting back - but because we have always maintained a frugal (not destitute) lifestyle & we do not have much we can cut back! It appears that the strangle hold has eased this past month here but we are not holding our breath. The good news is that our local paper claims the local economy will be back to normal in 2010!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Even though I agree that we are in a depression I will also have to say that I don't really see much different happening in my area.

The malls are full this holiday season and traffic is awful. All the resturants around the malls are full and seem to be booming.

While thousands are unemployed thousands are not. And the ones who are not unemployed seem to be spending like crazy.

I'll bet those who are employed, though, are doing a lot of shopping on plastic, not with cash.