Housing Starts

When you are located in North Carolina you will be effected by housing starts. The numbers released this week show it down 75% from its high in 2005 / 2006. With so few new houses being build, it directly impacts the local furniture business. They are struggling to stay busy 3-4 days per week. They are also taking different weeks off to help cut costs. That being combined with the other businesses in Western North Carolina gives this area the 2nd highest unemployment rate in the United States. But just the overall economy is not the entire story. These jobs have been disappearing for the last several years. They are being sent "overseas". Sent to places with lower labor rates so the corporations can make more money. This is where we need help from the politicians that we elect to office. The economical stimulus package is not going to help get these jobs back. It may put a few construction workers back to work but not the furniture workers. Who is looking to help the woodworking people of North Carolina?

Tax Day Tea Party

All over America yesterday there were rallies held called Tax Day Tea Parties. It gave those who so desired an opportunity to let the politicians in Washington know that they are tired of what is happening. They don't like the spending of their tax dollars in the stimulus package. They don't like the higher taxes they are seeing to help pay for this package. They just don't like a lot of things that are currently affecting them and they wanted to talk about it. Even in our little part of the woods a rally was held with approximately 700 people in attendance. I hope that the politicians were watching and listening. People need to "stand up and be counted". The politicians who are elected to represent the people need to listen to the masses who put them there instead of the few who hold all the money. We the people need help and yesterday we were asking for that help.