Economic Outlook: March 2008 Archives

Barack Obama is doing well in most of the United States, including small, rural states that have voted Republican since before I was born. But not in Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton has a double-digit lead by most accounts. And I think it's because Obama's message doesn't play very well in the Keystone State.

He tells America, "Let's have hope for the future." But this state gave up hope a long time ago.

I can't say exactly why everyone is so roll-over-and-die, it's just a fact of life. And this isn't some Maryland transplant talking; I've never lived much more than an hour's drive from Harrisburg my entire life.

The New York Times found the same thing when it parachuted in over the past few weeks. Read about it here.

Do you think this is a fair take on Pennsylvania. And is it any worse here than anywhere else?

On Sunday, I wrote a column on how I planned to save, rather than spend, my tax rebate check.
Check out the story at: http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_8656583
So far, I've received some interesting responses to my story. Here are two comments that were written about the column.

"The idea of the rebate is a stimulus package to get the economy rolling. More purchases, more manufacturing (China???), more employment, etc. And you and the Credit Lady are telling people to save...you all should have been saving a long time ago. Your mother is wrong in this case. We are supposed to go out and blow this money in order to stimulate the economy. Probably be enough to fill your gas tank for a WHOLE MONTH, maybe!" --- Economics 101

"China sucks and so do our crooked politicians." --- Carl

The New York Times today outlined why the current economic climate is both different from past recessions AND still not in a place to cause a depression. It's a little scary, but a pretty honest look at what could happen in the coming months and years. If you can only take the time to read one full article every few weeks or so, this one I think is it. See it here.

When I came to York about three years ago, one of the most evident things I saw going on was the home ownership push in the city. Every city leader wanted people to own their homes, not rent. And I could see the whole lot of good that would bring.

People who own homes care more about them, so it would help the blight and litter issues in the city. And that level of pride in something could translate into other parts of life, and might help that angry, bitter attitude that smacks visitors in the face when the come into the city.

So everyone from the president to legislators to local elected and appointed leaders began a rallying cry to help everyone in the city, and other urban areas across the country, own their own homes.

And then the other shoe dropped, because getting everyone to own a home is the same as saying everyone is going to get saddled with a mortgage. And let's face it, people who can barely pay their rent from month to month have no business signing a 30-year mortgage, no matter what kind of "deal" they get.

Read more about how the "a home for everyone," an odd version of "chicken in every pot" coming from a Republican president and embraced by both parties, helped crash our economy in today's Wall Street Journal.

The TV news magazine "60 Minutes" paid a visit to Chillicothe, Ohio recently, and an executive of a company we know well around here had something interesting to say.

We around York County know the town as the site of one of paper maker Glatfelter's production plants. The rest of the country now knows the town as the biggest hotbed of independent voters in the nation, according to "60 Minutes" reporting.

And the No. 1 issue for all those voters there is jobs. They don't have them.