Community Forums

RedneckExpress · 02-09-2009, 02:30 PM

What Recession? The one that came around and bit me in the rear on the 30th of January when Intel dumped our whole lab without any prior notification.

Roam America · 02-09-2009, 03:10 PM

the better part of the entire 1st page of this thread is about the news sensationlizing, people are out buying, RV's are selling so What Recession?

Well I'll tell ya what recession. I am seeing a lot of businesses of all type around me closing. I've seen many of RV dealers close. I've seen RV parks close.

Vette Racer · 02-09-2009, 03:12 PM

Layoff's coming every day, stock market in the tank and going lower, You'd better hang on, the end is not here yet, even though some others would have you believe that. If you are still employed you are lucky, don't count your chickens yet. Get your bills paid off and be ready. No new things for me, not until this turkey tuns around. I'm still employed but this could turn any day as the economy still continues to come to a halt. The end is not in sight!

GaryKD · 02-09-2009, 03:51 PM

Each of us posts what we are seeing. Each of these views is a micro view of the entire picture. I see CGs that are full. I see stores that don't have stock because they are sold out and even the sales floor demos have been purchased (big ticket items like large screen HDTVs). I can't get what I want at a medium priced restaurant because they are having an increase in business and ran out of many of the foods they usually serve. I talk with RV dealerships I have done business with for years. While business is not at a record setting pace, there is no threat of them going out of business. These are not isolated incidents. For me they are trends over the last few months when all I hear is the sky is falling.

There are usually more than two views to every picture. It's nice to see posts that when reading the entire thread, provide additional information that balances the subject.

**NLOVNIT** · 02-09-2009, 05:27 PM

Yes, it's hard times out there. I've been out of work for 2 years. Then, I was one of a dozen or so applicants for an open position. Now, I'm one of a hundred, if not more, applying for a position. I've watched the company I worked for cut employee benefits, close offices, lay off thousands of employees & slash or eliminate retiree benefits. I've watched local car dealerships, retail stores, plants & other businesses close. The city of Columbus announced, just today, devistating cuts to services & jobs across the city to save $100 million. If not for a bailout from the government, Ohio's unemployment funds would be out of money.

Yet, there's no lack of cars parked at the malls or waiting lines at restaurants. I have noticed the upscale restaurants in our area seem to be light on the crowds but the fast-food & casual dining places (especially those with the "lower priced/smaller portion" menus) are quite busy. I have also seen an increase in 2 for 1 restaurant coupons on-line or in the papers - no doubt trying to entice consumers to eat out.

We didn't get into this mess overnight & it's not going to be an overnight fix either. We can only try to concentrate on the positive we do have & to turn the TV/media off when we're tired of hearing all the negativity.

Lori-

chasfm11 · 02-09-2009, 06:00 PM

Sorry, I didn't mean to be the turning point for Gary's observations. Every where I look, there are plenty of "half empty" versus "half full" situations to describe. Regardless of what anyone else believes, I think that core of the problem resides in the lack of capitol and all of the other problems that we see are a trickle down from there. Our free market economy has bounced back before and, without intervention, will bounce back again, however painful things will get in the interim.

We've been doing our level best to stimulate the economy. We have a new toad, even if it was used before it was ours. We've spent money on a base plate and lots of parts to go with it. We are in the middle of a sticks and bricks remodel and, just tonight, I bought 7 new interior locksets to replace worn out ones. I could listen to the "catastrophy is pending" rhetoric or continue to live and do the things that we've had in the works. I consider myself fortunate to have survived a layoff late last year that took half of my department. I figure that trying to put off our plans helps no one so, while we are being somewhat cautious, we are doing what needs to be done. I'm hoping that the money that we are spending it going to help with jobs all along the line.

tmar10 · 02-09-2009, 06:12 PM

Community college classes are filling all of their seats as many displaced workers, like my brother, seek new skills to get them back into the workforce. All of my classes are full and we now have tons of economic material to discuss on both the micro and macro level. We are in a recession and people are suffering but life will go on. Is this the worst we have ever seen as a nation? No. We have seen worse and recovered.

jeepfreak · 02-10-2009, 02:25 PM

I got blind sided on last friday afternoon. Signed up for unemployment yesterday. Never saw it coming!

BookIIRoadtrash · 02-10-2009, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jeepfreak:
I got blind sided on last friday afternoon. Signed up for unemployment yesterday. Never saw it coming!

Every seven seconds someone in the USA is being laid off.......Book2

motojavaphil · 02-11-2009, 06:55 AM

This mess is just beginning. We are seeing the trappings of more affluent times now but we are in a downward spiral. China has major problems because we are not buying. Japan and Europe are also in economic chaos. I have seen banks fail in other times, a few. I have never seen the big boys drop along with major retailers and companies. This is a time in my limited Boomer life that I have never seen before. Has anyone else?

tmar10 · 02-11-2009, 09:54 AM

I can not agree with the downward spiral and expect a recovery from this recession. Losses on the market are at the expected range of retraction, around 40%, based on historical trends and we still have around 92% of the available workers in the workforce even though some may be under employed. As many of the workers return to school, I see us getting smarter and more efficient as a nation. Things are tough but the firms who are properly capitalized with innovative products will survive.

I am more concerned with Uncle Sam cranking up the money machine which will potentially lead to double-digit inflation coming out of the recovery.

dirko · 02-17-2009, 09:51 AM

Hi Ho: Since we are retired unemployment is not an issue. Actually I worked from Nov. 2008 to May 2009 (not because I planned it but because something came along that was fun and challenging). Anyway what bothers me most is not the ups and downs of the economy but seeing the mentality of the American people change.

I am an electrical engineer with lots of degrees and lots of experience. If you visit most American universities these days and check out the graduate schools you will find almost no caucasian people in the technical fields. Why? Too much work. There are easier ways to make a living.

What this means is that the technological edge that this country has always had is gone and is being replaced with engineers and scientists from places like India, Japan, China etc. etc.

How can we expect to be prosperous and rebuild when we have become so soft and lazy that we don't have technical leadership and are not able to have a balanced trade with the rest of the world because we have nothing special to offer.

Only doctors and $20 million/yr. CEO's have any respect, and the latter is not very popular these days. I hope that this economic downturn will result in young people realizing that hard work and preparation is the key to making things happen in the future. (It worked that way after the great depression)

Dirk

GaryKD · 02-17-2009, 10:24 AM

Hi Dirk,
What is mentioned in your post has been going on for 20 years. If you get a chance, read the book The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. Tom has written several books (at a macro level) on various world trends. I like this book the best.

For me, I have little to no respect for primary care physicans (PCP), in the USA. Try to find a PCP who will work with a dietician/nutritionist or homopathic doctor to cure a patient's ills. I have never found an MD who wanted to do anything but write prescriptions.

dirko · 02-17-2009, 01:28 PM

Hi Ho Gary: What you say is really true. We are fortunate to have a PC physician (an internist) who was our neighbor and is a 30-year friend. My wife is an RN and normally very sensible. He respects her and they work well together.

It is too bad that you don't live in McCall, Idaho. My brother is a family doc (PC physician) who decided just what you have said. They have a hospital with about 8 doctors (he is the oldest at about 51 years). Several yers ago he decided that the AMA doesn't have a corner on knowledge and became certifified in accupuncture and other holistic medicine stuff including diet, exercise, and drugs that are not ordinarily perscribed.

In order to offer an alternative he opened an office that is separate from the hospital where he also does normal MD stuff like surgery.

He is one of the few doctors I have met that will use any approach that the patient and doctor together think is best.

Oh well, we can't all live in Idaho.

Thanks for the book referral; I will for sure look it up.

Dirk