Awhile ago I said I was watching a boat for sale along my route to work in West Manchester Township, simply to gauge whether the economy is making a turn for the better.
I saw two lookers so far, and a third appeared this morning, and got close enough to read the contact information. Maybe that boat will be purchased soon.
Lots of news today, folks.
Sean Adkins reports that Spring Garden Township's Memorial Hospital will lay off 32 workers and leave 21 other positions unfilled.
These moves, like so many others lately, come in response to the recessed economy. The hospital reported a 6 percent drop in its volume of patients and a "significant jump" in bad debt from people who couldn't pay their bills.
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Teresa McMinn reports that visitors to the 93rd Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show are spending lots of time looking at farm equipment, but haven't been buying as much as they used to.
"We normally sell 1,000 units a year," said Arlene Ingram, of PA International Trailers. "We're down to about 350."
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Own a small business with 100 employees or fewer? Brent Burkey reports today that you may be eligible for an allocation of up to $25,000 from the Alternative Energy Investment Fund, which was passed last summer.
The money is intended to help businesses cut energy use by 20 percent and save at least $1,000 per year. The businesses are also expected to use the grants for a maximum of 25 percent of a total project.
Prices consumers are charged for the stuff they buy fell by a record 1 percent in October. Then this morning, the news comes out that prices in November fell by 1.7 percent, eclipsing the old record.
The statistic makes sense. Retailers like Bon-Ton and Boscov's and everyone else are going gangbusters with sales -- sales lower prices -- and promotions to get people to buy. It's basic supply and demand, when consumers aren't demanding like they used to.
But then why are some people worried this is a bad thing?
Well, it is. I don't miss the penny or two on the dollar that I'm charged as much as a retailer or manufacturer misses a penny or two on the dollar when they are selling thousands upon thousands of products.
Then people lose their jobs, and don't have any pennies left.
Now that the corporate welfare state has widened to include companies not in the financial sector - it's not if but when the Big 3 get their money - I'm writing the government to request assistance for an industry very important to my financial well-being.
Me.
So here is my letter:
I see a lot of turmoil out there nowadays, from car dealers shutting their doors to retailers sinking into bankruptcy.
So I don't know how much I buy at first of this "York County is not on an American coast, we are the American heartland and financially conservative, so we'll be doing OK" idea.
But then again, why else would the Dakotas end up being the strongest economies in the face of this crisis? I read two reports this morning, one on cities where unemployment is low, and one on where people didn't cut back on driving this year.
Turns out, South Dakota has the two best cities for unemployment, with North Dakota having a strong showing. And North Dakota was the one state where driving didn't dip during the peak middle months of 2008.
The Sunday after Halloween, my wife and I were driving near Target in West Manchester Township. What a traffic nightmare! Cars were everywhere, trying to make the turn into the shopping centers in the area.
I couldn't believe it. Was this the new Black Friday?
I haven't really see the crowds since - and I live nearby and drive through there a good bit. Has the peak of the shopping season past us? And regardless, who started shopping so darn early this year?
I think it was people doing their shopping before things got worse, when they'd be able to talk themselves out of getting gifts for people, or really wouldn't have the money for it. But I could be crazy, too.
What do you think?
Citigroup is one of the biggest banks standing after the last round of failures around the industry, and today it said it won't be foreclosing on people who want to stay in their homes.
How would you feel if you saved all your money and bought nothing you wanted just so you could pay your mortgage, and your neighbor parked a big boat in the driveway and put in a pool, then told Citigroup he was out of money and couldn't pay ... and they let him off the hook for a while?
I bet more people will go out and get a boat and a pool. Is this a message financial institutions should be sending?
