Tuesday, February 24, 2009
America's Municipal Meltdown-AlterNet
I read an article on AlterNet.org about America's tough economic crisis and the effect on each region of the U.S. The story starts off by talking about a town called Elkhart, Indiana which has reportedly been hit harder than almost any other town in the U.S., with an unemployment rate of 15% while the rest of the country was at 4.5% on average. This town is called the "RV Capital of the World". The Daily Show's Jon Stewart joked,"Imagine your main industry combines the slowdown of the auto market with the plunging values in the housing sector." Though it was a joke, it is the hard truth. This is the story of many once-booming small towns all over the country. Another is Dalton, Georgia or "The Carpet Capital of the World". Another is Lehigh Acres, Florida, a community that houses carpenters and pest exterminators, that went bust in a county that between June 2007 and June 2008, lost a higher percentage of jobs (8.8%) than any other in the nation. In the East, companies such as Fruit of the Loom in Rhode Island and even local newspapers have cut endless jobs. In the Southern Appalachian town of West Jefferson, North Carolina, "the town and the neighboring county seat of Jefferson have lost more than 500 factory jobs -- a number equal to 20 percent of the town's population." In the West, the same story.In the town ofEl Centro, California, there is a 22.6% jobless rate. This is reportedly the highest rate in all metro areas. But as I read on, I found that small towns aren't the only ones hurting,but large cities also. New York City, for example, lost 65,000 jobs in the last months of 2008. Whether your in a small Appalachian town or a huge metropolis, you can't hide from the job crisis in the U.S. Locally, jobs are being cut left and right at the Toyota Plant in Georgetown, leaving its former employees wondering what they are going to do. Personally, I feel the woes because my dad had a prominent mobile home business for the past ten years that has almost went under in the latter two. Hopefully before it gets any worse, we get relief from this crisis soon.
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I agree Dawn. After someone has had a business for 10 years or longer or even just a few that seems to be so positive does not deserve to be shut down by the economy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you,I hope relief is in the near future. It is sad that so many people have lost their jobs.The country as a whole is in trouble if relief don't come soon.
ReplyDeleteI believe we are all in trouble too if something isn't done soon. I haul rock for Boonesboro Quarry and last summer we may have worked 3 full days a week and this summer looks even slower. Something should be done and soon before everyone looses everything they have.
ReplyDeleteToyota doesn't believe in cutting jobs, and as far as I know, none have been cut, since like the 40s. Its a Japanese thing. Temporary employees like the ones brought in by Kelly Services, who I used to work for, have been cut, but we weren't TMMK employees. Some measures they are taking include non-production days(you come in and clean), no-OT, 20% executive salary cuts, and a voluntary exit program. My dad, uncle, and a bunch of our neighbors and friends work there, so I hear about it all the time.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, that is what I was told. My pastor works for them but on a higher level also and I heard them talking about it. I have heard him talk about all the Japanese customs they follow so I didn't really understand it either but he was really concerned. He wasn't a temp either, he has been working there full time for years, since he moved from Jackson, Ky.
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