The Economy is Good....Well, not from what I am seeing.

[Sherman A1]

We all have heard about the Circuit City thing, tossing out 3400 people because they made too much money, replacing them with new and lower paid employees (not mentioning that the CC CEO still got $10 million last year, but that's okay).

From my humble position in the grocery biz as a receiver this is what I have seen of late locally (within the last 3 months)

Frito Lay - cutting 19 routes
Kraft laying off all their sales reps to have their Nabisco (their subsidiary) take over covering Kraft products while doing still doing their own work.
Coca Cola - cutting out 40 of 60 Account Rep Jobs by expanding their territories and adding merchandisers (stockers) who make much less (a Rep who didn't make the cut, could have stayed on as a merchandiser with a 33% pay cut).
A local Ice Cream plant who laid off 4 drivers, when the loads were shifted from direct store door to a warehouse drop.

From my humble neighborhood of 50 year old 3 bedroom ranch houses (that at one time sold within days). I see homes sitting with for sale signs in the yard for Months.


But the Economy is soooo good....:sarcasm:

[Roland99]

1. All while prices are going up and content sizes are going down.

[whistle]

2. The U.S. economy is on the verge of a meltdown

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. today, I spoke with three clients - about their

outstanding bills to me. Each of them have clients who owe them money, and many of them are under employed or unemployed recently.

If you are makeing 10 mill a year, yeah, times are good, especially when you get a bonus for cutting non-fixed costs (translation live bodies). but for everyone else, uh uh.

[CrispyQ]

4. And prices are going up.

I was stunned at some of the increases at the grocery store the past few weeks. I'm just grateful that only the Frito Lay, Kraft & Coca Cola workers will have to sacrifice & not the CEOs, who we all know do such a fine job running these companies & deserve every penney they make. :sarcasm: :puke:

[Sherman A1]

6. Prices

Yes, you are correct that prices are continuing to rise. Some of that of course is natural due to increases in expenses (gasoline being a big one and health care costs, etc - thank goodness we do get health insurance ), but some of it just causes you to go Hmmm? I see alot of smoke & mirrors with the price advances (I am the one who gets to change the tags, early on Sunday AM), what was once a dime here and there are now advances of 50 cents + in many cases.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Gas is back up to $3.20 all over the place around here

republicon oil cronies love it, but for
everyone else: OUCH!

Thanks a pantload, republicon oil cronies

[A wise Man]

9. There is and have been an agenda here

when they say the economy is doing well, they are referencing the stock market not the working economy. High gas prices are the catayst to change "THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY", low income comes next (ie.) illegals, then food prices, health care etc. Did you hear tha the oil companies are now tapping into the corn productions to create ethyold for the summer. They are turning back the times to the twenties. All we have to do now is to wait for the walls to be built for the rich separating them from the poor.

[hvn_nbr_2]

12. Nobody who buys their own groceries believes the govt inflation figures

No inflation! Why, prices only go up 1% a year. Yeah, right. If you make 10M a year and get a 50M bonus for laying off 10000 people, you probably don't go to the grocery store for yourself, and even if you do, you don't notice if a can of beets costs 50 cents or $1.69.

[butterfly77]

5. I have been hearing this ...

economy is good being spouted by the republicons. They say this because of the stock market. I have been hearing about layoffs,downsizing and firing for years now and there is always someone to post about how good it is. I guess its good until it effects them. I heard a caller on cspan the other morning say " I keep on hearing people saying the economy is bad,I don't know what they are talking about.Can someone tell me what is bad, because I am doing good and everyone I know is" and that is the problem.

[SammyWinstonJack]

13. "It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job, it's a depression when you lose yours."

Or maybe not with republicons. :shrug:

[Selatius]

8. Profit margins are up. It IS good.

It's good for the owners of these companies. Those fired workers allowed the companies to declare slightly larger dividends than they would've declared. Otherwise, it would've been spent on labor costs. What's good for Wall Street is good for you.

:sarcasm:

[SmokingJacket]

10. Everyone at my job got their hours cut.

Not to mention no raises in eons, no bonuses, etc etc.

The middle class is being gutted.

[paparush]

11. I hear we have Record Low Unemployment - on NPR this morning

I almost drove off the road.

Story was how the Army has lowered its standards and boosted its bonuses to meet its new (LOWER) recruiting goals. Commentator was wondering how, with record low unemployment and lots of available jobs, the Army was able to keep recruiting.

[blueworld]

14. Future's so bright ya gotta wear shades!

This morning whilst sitting enraptured (coma with coffee) in front of "Certainly Not News" anchor bobbles (stole that from HuffPo),I learned that the US economy IS growing well because last year there were 5% more millionaires than the year before - not even counting their homes!

:party: :bounce: :party: :bounce:

[butterfly77]

15. Its billionaires...