I think a number of the states are actually gaining jobs.  If I remember a recent interview on the radio, Oklahoma has had some growth.  I think I also remember a story a while back about Boeing coming here as well.

There was also a radio commentary where it was mentioned that Texas job growth made up about a third to a half of the recent national job growth.

A manager here where i work recently came back from California and said there were a lot of homes up for sale in that state.  What with foreclosures and people trying to sell and leave the state, the home prices seemed to be getting lower.

Terry

We went to St. Louis for the 4th of July last year and this (an excellent place for this occasion).
In both cases the Casino Queen RV park as fully booked and even being first on the waiting list could not get us a site. We moved right in on the 5th as would be expected.
If you are trying to figure out if we are experiencing a poor economy, I think that it has already been fairly well determined that the economy is in real trouble and our State and Federal Representatives have not been able to do much about it. Time will cure the issues but in the meantime it's going to be a struggle.
The only way to get things going again is for us to spend more money. The only way we get more money to spend is to get things going again. Anyone see a catch 22 in there anywhere?

Goodyear tire prodction is on its way to China as well. . .

We had a slow 4th of July weekend here in the park but every other weekend has been packed. I think the heat kept some at home. We see signs of recovery here in Iowa. There is building going on, the restaurants and theaters are busy. I know there are some parts of the country that have been hard hit but we have not seen it here but then we didn't have the bubble the rest of the country had.

I see a mixed bag on the economy.Our fuel and food cost's have grown quite a bit since we started.We have had to adjust.When we go from town to town I try to pay attention to small business's that have closed and see a lot that have, but then drive up the street and see  fairly new shopping malls with the parking lot full of cars!? The campground we are in here in McMinnville, Oregon operates at full capacity 99% of the time.The only time you see empty spots is between check out and check in time.I watch NASCAR and NHRA races on TV and see empty seats that were in the past full. Maybe some planned better(along with a little luck) and have found a way to get through these times.Maybe the powers that be could take a lesson from the population as a whole.

How about Chinese GARLIC

"This is, in essence, the second tidal wave — the real tsunami of Chinese garlic," says trade lawyer Michael Coursey, who represents California growers.

The first wave came in the early 1990s, when China was found to be dumping garlic on U.S. docks below cost. China was slapped with a hefty tariff, which kept the garlic at bay for a few years. But since 2001, imports of Chinese garlic have multiplied 15-fold, while California production has shrunk. Coursey thinks garlic is just the beginning.

"It isn't Airbus," Coursey says. "However, it's a paradigm of what's going to happen in agricultural trade from China in seemingly more important products, if something isn't done."

Since Chinese imports first appeared in the United States, California's biggest garlic packer, Christopher Ranch, has looked for ways to cut its own costs. Garlic bulbs that used to be packed by hand are now weighed on a computer scale and sorted automatically into cartons. Sizes range from "Giant" to "Super Colossal."

Yep, even garlic.
In the past year China's economy has outstripped ours in growth by several fold.
CCC

nikkib4fl wrote:

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It's a "mixed bag" here in Pensacola too.  While every other property you pass is vacant, foreclosures are the norm, and even Wal Mart isn't hiring, our tourism at the beach is kicking butt.  Too bad this is not creating the type of employment opportunities that would enable a person to qualify for a mortgage.  Wish I were young enough to go tend bar again.  Go figure...

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 Very true,when we went from a manufacturing base to a service based economy wages fell far behind.