What do you SEE in regards to the economy?

[IndependntLogic]

Let's try something rational and without the usual insults etc... I mean, I'm sure the usual whackjobs who can't address issues or topics won't be able to help themselves but I'm curious as to what the more rational members have to offer.

I'm in Arizona taking care of my mom for a couple weeks. It's been interesting to say the least. These people make John Boehner look like a flaming Liberal.

When I got here I was told their economy is doing horribly and of course, it's all Obama's fault. Then we went to a barbecue last night and a diehard Conservative corrected that. He's one of the few people here who still works - simply because he enjoys it. He told me the state netted over 40,000 jobs. He says he SEES it too. That's a big deal to me.

Lots of people claim the economy is getting better or worse. The Dems have number to back them up. But I actually SEE the economy getting better. I see it at home in Vegas and we've been doing all the shopping for mom and also took my daughter to the mall because she forgot to bring a bathing suit, here in AZ. Stores are PACKED nowadays!
As many of you know, I own an executive recruiting firm and I SEE evidence all over the country. We literally have ten times the number of contracts as we did a year ago. We've hired three new people and opened an office in Silicon Valley and we are still nowhere near meeting demand.

So what do you see? If you own a business, are orders up? Down? What kind of business do you have? Are you hiring? When you go shopping, are the stores deserted or crowded?
Cities I know are definitely improving include NYC, Silicon Valley, LA, San Diego, Houston, Dallas (although the tornadoes may hurt them), Austin, DC, Phoenix and Vegas.
I know Detroit is still hopelessly in decline.
What about where you are or where you travel?

 

[Katzndogz]

What I see, is an economy lurching along at the bottom. Grocery prices are atrocious. Gas prices are outrageous. People who are out of work can't find a job, and people who are working are terrified they will lose their jobs.

Personally, I've put the animals on half rations and myself too. I lost the business in obama's first year and now work for an international business attorney firm part time. The company my daughter in law worked for was forced to close in obama's first year and she hasn't been able to find a decent job since. She answers the phone for a piano teacher now for a couple of hours a day. My granddaughter, her husband and their little girl moved in with my son when the husband lost his job as a forklift driver and can't find anything. They are looking at out of state prospects. In my entire life, I've never seen things this bad for this long.

The mall nearest here is largely empty because so many stores have closed. They may lose JC Penney and Best Buy because of downsizing. The mall in Century City on the other hand is packed being close to Beverly Hills, West LA and Westwood. I can tell you from personal experience that Los Angeles is not improving, it is disintegrating. We have an 11.8 unemployment rate which may not get better since LA does not have an educated workforce. California has the largest share of workers with a less than 9th grade education out of 31 metropolitian areas. Los Angeles will continue to decline.

San Diego has an unemployment rate of 9.1% but have added a few net jobs mostly in education. Tourism is way down because people can't afford to travel much. I don't see that area booming much.

No. I don't see things getting better. I do see all the pieces in place for them to get much worse/

 

[Douger]

I see false hope and no change. The movie is almost over.

 

[IndependntLogic]

What I see, is an economy lurching along at the bottom. Grocery prices are atrocious. Gas prices are outrageous. People who are out of work can't find a job, and people who are working are terrified they will lose their jobs.

Personally, I've put the animals on half rations and myself too. I lost the business in obama's first year and now work for an international business attorney firm part time. The company my daughter in law worked for was forced to close in obama's first year and she hasn't been able to find a decent job since. She answers the phone for a piano teacher now for a couple of hours a day. My granddaughter, her husband and their little girl moved in with my son when the husband lost his job as a forklift driver and can't find anything. They are looking at out of state prospects. In my entire life, I've never seen things this bad for this long.

The mall nearest here is largely empty because so many stores have closed. They may lose JC Penney and Best Buy because of downsizing. The mall in Century City on the other hand is packed being close to Beverly Hills, West LA and Westwood. I can tell you from personal experience that Los Angeles is not improving, it is disintegrating. We have an 11.8 unemployment rate which may not get better since LA does not have an educated workforce. California has the largest share of workers with a less than 9th grade education out of 31 metropolitian areas. Los Angeles will continue to decline.

San Diego has an unemployment rate of 9.1% but have added a few net jobs mostly in education. Tourism is way down because people can't afford to travel much. I don't see that area booming much.

No. I don't see things getting better. I do see all the pieces in place for them to get much worse/

Hmmm. That's not what I've been getting from L.A. but my old stomping grounds were Marina del Rey so the West Side is where all my friends are. We've added a ton of jobs there recently.
What do you do? My recruiting firm specializes in the legal industry and we're booming. Maybe I could help you. No promises (too many people make those) but I'd be happy to see if there's something for you out there. Here's a link to our site:

Shelton_Steele

Let me know if you see something that might be interesting to you. Everything listed is a full time permanent job with full benefits, vacation etc...

 

[KissMy]

The economy is not getting better or worse. It has just been flat-lined over the past 3 years. Since government improperly handled the jobs crisis they have caused the temporary low workforce participation rate to become more permanent. Workers are losing critical job skills & this country will suffer as a result.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

The economy is no longer a disaster like 2009.
However it isn't even in the same planet as how well things felt in 2005.
I say felt, because the economy from the 1980's - 2006 was a false economy based on heavy consumer debt.

 

[Katzndogz]

What I see, is an economy lurching along at the bottom. Grocery prices are atrocious. Gas prices are outrageous. People who are out of work can't find a job, and people who are working are terrified they will lose their jobs.

Personally, I've put the animals on half rations and myself too. I lost the business in obama's first year and now work for an international business attorney firm part time. The company my daughter in law worked for was forced to close in obama's first year and she hasn't been able to find a decent job since. She answers the phone for a piano teacher now for a couple of hours a day. My granddaughter, her husband and their little girl moved in with my son when the husband lost his job as a forklift driver and can't find anything. They are looking at out of state prospects. In my entire life, I've never seen things this bad for this long.

The mall nearest here is largely empty because so many stores have closed. They may lose JC Penney and Best Buy because of downsizing. The mall in Century City on the other hand is packed being close to Beverly Hills, West LA and Westwood. I can tell you from personal experience that Los Angeles is not improving, it is disintegrating. We have an 11.8 unemployment rate which may not get better since LA does not have an educated workforce. California has the largest share of workers with a less than 9th grade education out of 31 metropolitian areas. Los Angeles will continue to decline.

San Diego has an unemployment rate of 9.1% but have added a few net jobs mostly in education. Tourism is way down because people can't afford to travel much. I don't see that area booming much.

No. I don't see things getting better. I do see all the pieces in place for them to get much worse/

Hmmm. That's not what I've been getting from L.A. but my old stomping grounds were Marina del Rey so the West Side is where all my friends are. We've added a ton of jobs there recently.
What do you do? My recruiting firm specializes in the legal industry and we're booming. Maybe I could help you. No promises (too many people make those) but I'd be happy to see if there's something for you out there. Here's a link to our site:

Shelton_Steele

Let me know if you see something that might be interesting to you. Everything listed is a full time permanent job with full benefits, vacation etc...

That's very nice of you. I am staying where I am though. Fortunately for me, my company pays all of my housing expenses and provides an apartment in Marina Del Rey. It is not likely that an employer will consider a new hire so far beyond retirement age.

As I said though, the west side, Westwood, Beverly Hills is doing quite well. The area is becoming heavily Iranian. If you know this area, it's Fox Hills mall that looks like it has a chance of going under if JCP and Best Buy go out. There are beggars on Lincoln Blvd, from Washington all the way up to the 90. One right after another. It's like Bangladesh. This is not a depressed area either.

 

[8537]

From my own window, the economy is doing quite well. My town has an unemployment rate below 4%, our state is below 5% and we had almost no decline in housing values over the past six years. We've weathered this storm very, very well.

Other parts of the country, not so much.

 

[IndependntLogic]

From my own window, the economy is doing quite well. My town has an unemployment rate below 4%, our state is below 5% and we had almost no decline in housing values over the past six years. We've weathered this storm very, very well.

Other parts of the country, not so much.

Ah. Something onbjective as opposed to the usual talking point parroting. I'm glad for you. I have friends and clients all over the country. Most seem to think things are gradually improving, based on what they SEE (crowded stores and movie theatres etc...).

 

[Katzndogz]

North Dakota is booming! Then it does have a republican governor.

 

[IndependntLogic]

North Dakota is booming! Then it does have a republican governor.

I always get a chuckle when I read this sort of thing. No insult intended but states tend to boom or bust, based on resources, population, demographics etc... much more than whether a Dem or Repub is in charge. There are LOTS of places with Dems in charge that are booming. I do not attribute this to Dem leadership.

 

[8537]

North Dakota is booming! Then it does have a republican governor.

So does Michigan. Somehow, I don't think it's the letter after the name that's driving ND growth - it's the oil.

My state is considered perhaps the most liberal in the nation and we're doing quite well relative to the rest of the country. There's more to a state's economy than partisanship.

 

[PredFan]

I see the private sector struggling to make gains despite this administration's efforts to thwart them.

 

[Katzndogz]

North Dakota is booming! Then it does have a republican governor.

So does Michigan. Somehow, I don't think it's the letter after the name that's driving ND growth - it's the oil.

My state is considered perhaps the most liberal in the nation and we're doing quite well relative to the rest of the country. There's more to a state's economy than partisanship.

True, it's the oil. But republicans are mucn less hostile to business interests than democrats are.

 

[Mr Natural]

I see somewhere around 10% unemplooyment as the new norm.

 

[docreflex]

. I see barter an trade coming back, mass production economy may collapse. This may be a good thing in the long run,, short run may be bumpy . People who are pay check workers may be in for a rude awakening. I just don't see an economy based on mass production, as a self sustaining system. At some point an time rescources will jus be depleted, then the realization that we have jus raped the earth, an we had an economy because we were jus taking from the earth. If energy is neither produced or destroyed, jus goes from one form to another. Gas energy goes into our cars and becomes kenitic energy. Where does the energy go after it is used in cars. Heat I think. Economies are based on energy, also wars .

 

[docreflex]

.PS Almost every person I know in the constuction trades is out of work. Furher proof that mass development can not self sustain.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Let's try something rational and without the usual insults etc... I mean, I'm sure the usual whackjobs who can't address issues or topics won't be able to help themselves but I'm curious as to what the more rational members have to offer.

I'm in Arizona taking care of my mom for a couple weeks. It's been interesting to say the least. These people make John Boehner look like a flaming Liberal.

When I got here I was told their economy is doing horribly and of course, it's all Obama's fault. Then we went to a barbecue last night and a diehard Conservative corrected that. He's one of the few people here who still works - simply because he enjoys it. He told me the state netted over 40,000 jobs. He says he SEES it too. That's a big deal to me.

Lots of people claim the economy is getting better or worse. The Dems have number to back them up. But I actually SEE the economy getting better. I see it at home in Vegas and we've been doing all the shopping for mom and also took my daughter to the mall because she forgot to bring a bathing suit, here in AZ. Stores are PACKED nowadays!
As many of you know, I own an executive recruiting firm and I SEE evidence all over the country. We literally have ten times the number of contracts as we did a year ago. We've hired three new people and opened an office in Silicon Valley and we are still nowhere near meeting demand.

So what do you see? If you own a business, are orders up? Down? What kind of business do you have? Are you hiring? When you go shopping, are the stores deserted or crowded?
Cities I know are definitely improving include NYC, Silicon Valley, LA, San Diego, Houston, Dallas (although the tornadoes may hurt them), Austin, DC, Phoenix and Vegas.
I know Detroit is still hopelessly in decline.
What about where you are or where you travel?

What I see is double digit unemployment that is expected to continue for another 7 to 10 years. I also see a bunch of diehard liberals that will continue to blame Bush for this, depsite the fact that the Democrats have been running California and the Bay Area for decades.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

What do you SEE in regards to the economy?

A slow but steady recovery, unaffected by anything politicians may or may not have done; the economy is recovering in its own manner, in its own time.

A more robust recovery is prevented by a still decimated housing market and a significant percent of the workforce not work ready.

As many of you know, I own an executive recruiting firm and I SEE evidence all over the country. We literally have ten times the number of contracts as we did a year ago. We've hired three new people and opened an office in Silicon Valley and we are still nowhere near meeting demand.

True, with regard to unemployment, there are plenty of jobs – indeed, in some markets there is a labor shortage – of skilled, qualified workers.

Unemployment will remain high due to the fact there are simply no jobs for workers with no high school/GED. For March 2012 the unemployment rate for those with no high school/GED was 12.6 percent. Those with high school/GED aren’t doing much better at 8.0 percent, around the National average. Those with criminal records, bankruptcies, and other background issues and barriers are also finding it difficult realizing employment.

For those with a college and advance degrees, however, the March 2012 unemployment rate was only 4.2 percent.

Thus the issue is not an economy not producing enough jobs, but jobs forever lost as a consequence of the December 2007 recession, resulting in little opportunities for those with no high school/GED.



The above unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted.

Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment

 

[B. Kidd]

If the economy is improving, why is New Jersey 'nickel an' diming' gift cards with other states looking to follow suit?

Strapped States Hit Priceline And Gift Cards With Desperation Taxes - Forbes