Economics 3

Towards the end of the depression/recession of the 80s, I remember thinking, "This thing has to end soon -- too many people need to buy new cars.  Sooner or later, they are going to replace their broken-down cars, and then everybody will be back to work."

I have lately been noticing a lot of unrepaired vehicles on the road in mylittletown.  Fender-benders that are staying bent.

Michigan got a head start on the latest depression several years ago already, in case you didn't know.

But before this latest round of hard times, everybody (except me) was driving SUVs that cost as much as I paid for my house back in 1974.

A couple of fellows came to my front door yesterday, asking could they rake my leaves for $7.00.  I told 'em no, I'd have to rake them myself.  (There were not $7.00 worth of leaves on my lawn ... maybe 50 cents worth.)  But afterwards, I wondered if maybe I should have hired them.  These were not teenagers.  These were 20-something men.  Probably unemployed.

There's people who can work and do stuff.  There's people who need to buy stuff. 

Lots of houses for sale here.  And that was before the bottom fell out nationally in the housing market.  Bunch of people moved south because there weren't a lot of jobs in Michigan the past several years.

Construction was booming here all summer, at least.  Building our "Medical Mile."  (Grand Rapids is becoming a medical research mecca.)

There's people who can work and do stuff.  There's people who need to buy stuff.  Seems like there's a simple solution in that duplex of statements.  But it eludes me.