Unofficial Economic Poll

[Big Daddy]

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.

Cash all the way. I had 5 cards. Each one sent me a letter saying they wre jacking my rates. I declined and all the cards are now closed with all terms the same as what I signed up for. I have one card that is still active and it is zeroed each month. This recession is funny in that it was mostly psychological. The media says were in a recession so everyone stops buying and then we really do have a recession. Sure houses dropped in value and a lot of people that had 2nd mortgages or just plain bad mortgages got in trouble. That should not have brought our system to it's knees. The unemployment figures have been getting better, not worse. I don't understand the fascination with doom and gloom.At least not if you have a job. If you're unemployed then I fully understand.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I say, yes.
People that used to buy our produce don't anymore. I have never looked for a job for more than 4 weeks. I have been searching for 6 months. There are very few jobs listed.
The interest rates on the credit cards keep going up and I am cancelling them. Can't afford to buy anything anyway - no income - no spending. If it breaks down, too bad, we'll have to do without, unless someone gives us a replacement or fixes it for free or for produce.
The line at the soup kitchen has gotten longer too. FIL has worked (volunteered) there for years and never saw it this bad. He says there are so many kids, it's sad to see.
I am hunkering down, hanging onto what I've got, putting my own food by and generally making do. I've been poor much of my life, I'm used to it.

 

[Wifezilla]

Unemployment at the height of the depression was 24.75% Haven't seen that yet.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm
We're getting there. You need to look at the U-6 for the REAL number. "The states with the highest underemployment rates through the third quarter of this year were Michigan (20.9 percent), Oregon (20.1 percent), California (19.6 percent) and South Carolina (18.4 percent).

And the numbers threaten to go higher with some economists predicting a 13% unemployment rate -- a post-World War II high -- in the aftermath of the recession.

"This is going to be the mother of all jobless recoveries," David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates told Bloomberg Radio on Monday morning.

Another major factor in the index's increase was a rise in the number of households receiving food stamps, which soared 24% percent compared to the previous year."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/09/huffposts-real-misery-ind_n_351097.html

When bread lines become a common sight with tent cities all over the place then I will say " Yes. we are in a depression".

See above. There weren't food stamps during the depression.

I donate large qtys of bread to a church organization. Last year they actually had some times when I was bringing too much. Some had to be diverted to a hog farm because it was going bad before it was taken by the needy. This year the sales at the company where I get the bread from have tanked and they have way too many returns from stores (The bread co has to pull it when it starts to get close to the ex date). I have taken more loads than ever to the food bank and they are getting rid of all of it. Food baskets it used to take them 2 weeks to give away are now disappearing in 2 days.

 

[DeafMomof4]

I agree...there is alot of families that are struggling. Most of them have been laid off and unable to regain a new one and yet they loose everything. It only takes overnight to go for stable to zip.

I was just at a foodbank the other day to pick up for some of the people who dont have transportation in my area. They are not getting enough now. Alot of times, now, they have to shorten their time to allow pick up of foods because they run out before it hits NOON!

Bread banks are getting "Expired" donations from local grocery stores. Food that cannot be sold after a sertain date, are sent to the bread bank and even then they dont last long.

 

[FarmerChick]

There is now way in hell I am letting my wife read THIS thread, after is went CHOCOLATE!


Back to the original question......Yes, I believe we ARE in a depression, but I am not getting worried......yet.
We have guns, ammo and food. Oh, and lots of canning supplies.

You're gonna need that gun and ammo to provide chocolate for your wife!

I have been deer hunting, and I have been rabbit hunting........I have even been VARMINT hunting...........but I have NEVER been CHOCOLATE HUNTING! WTH does a CHOCOLATE look like anyway? What caliber do you recommend I use? Shotgun ? Rifle? Pistol? Or do you TRAP it?
Help me out here ladies....

Trap it....don't want your wife biting down on some buckshot...can't afford a cracked tooth at this stage of the game!

 

[FarmerChick]

WZ is right the real U6 number has to be seen....I believe an article I read a few weeks ago put us close to 17% unemployment right now.

quote--Based on that research, he was able to generate a mathematical formula to calculate U3 and U6 unemployment for the entire period since 1900. He found that at the peak of the Great Depression, U3 was 25.2%. U6 was 37.6%.

quote---
A frequent meme propounded in the economic blogosphere is that U6 unemployment, running near 17% now, is a truer measure (and there are good reasons to believe it is), so that means we have unemployment already approaching Great Depression levels of 25%.



and only to get worse to see all those companies that ARE struggling along only to find they can't handle a new year. How many more will close due to the ripple effect that hasn't hit its peak yet?

 

[2dream]

There is now way in hell I am letting my wife read THIS thread, after is went CHOCOLATE!


Back to the original question......Yes, I believe we ARE in a depression, but I am not getting worried......yet.
We have guns, ammo and food. Oh, and lots of canning supplies.

You're gonna need that gun and ammo to provide chocolate for your wife!

I have been deer hunting, and I have been rabbit hunting........I have even been VARMINT hunting...........but I have NEVER been CHOCOLATE HUNTING! WTH does a CHOCOLATE look like anyway? What caliber do you recommend I use? Shotgun ? Rifle? Pistol? Or do you TRAP it?
Help me out here ladies....

You obviously have not been paying attention - You send a little old lady to hunt it for you.

The guns and ammo come in when you have to get it away from that same little old lady.

I can see the headlines now. Great hunter and Greatgranny draw weapons and shoot it out over chocolate.

 

[UnsophisticatedFarmGirl]

My heart goes out to those that have lost their jobs and yet still lived with in their means and didnt live life lavishly out of greed...

What I struggle with is those that racked up crap load of debt and and splurged beyond what they knew they could afford and then cry foul because they have no money or food and then expect the rest of us to bail them out.


I just hope that with all that is happening it will help people wake up that nothing in life is a gurentee and we should all live simple(hard work yes) and not extravegant so if we ever find our selves in a situation such as now then it will be easier to digest then to freak out like some folks are doing...

I also find it the most beautiful thing though, is the ones who have the least are also the ones who charity to others the most....

JEANNIE

 

[Up-the-Creek]

My heart goes out to those that have lost their jobs and yet still lived with in their means and didnt live life lavishly out of greed...

What I struggle with is those that racked up crap load of debt and and splurged beyond what they knew they could afford and then cry foul because they have no money or food and then expect the rest of us to bail them out.


I just hope that with all that is happening it will help people wake up that nothing in life is a gurentee and we should all live simple(hard work yes) and not extravegant so if we ever find our selves in a situation such as now then it will be easier to digest then to freak out like some folks are doing...

I also find it the most beautiful thing though, is the ones who have the least are also the ones who charity to others the most....

JEANNIE

Well put!

 

[Ldychef2k]

October 2009 unemployment in Imperial Valley, California, was 30%. In the same month here in the Central Valley it ranged from 15 to 28%. The average in the State, by county, is 15.6%. On the west side of Fresno County, this summer it was 45% and truckloads of food were brought in by private companies to feed the people. The lines for government food last week were around the block in a local community with 28% unemployment.

ETA: Two weeks ago, the local sheriff had to evict a 250 people from a tent city which sprang up on private property.

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/ar...ess+camp+along+St.+Johns+River&theme=HOMELESS

Unemployment at the height of the depression was 24.75% Haven't seen that yet. When bread lines become a common sight with tent cities all over the place then I will say " Yes. we are in a depression".