INFRASTRUCTURE? WHAT'S THAT?

Rebuilding roads, bridges, waste-water treatment plants, and school buildings is not going to "spark" the economy in the manner in which it needs. And the service industry can not take-up the "slack" to drive the economy in the manner it needs! Manufacturing jobs - textiles, durable goods (furniture, houses, cars, etc.) - are the "cure" for what ails America.

Just like I guessed!

Of the $77 million that the state of Virginia received as part of President Obama's wastewater stimulus package, NONE of it is going to be used here in Martinsville and Henry County. I feared that something of this sort would happen - that there would be areas of the country that would not benefit from the economic "stimulus" plan as proposed. I propose that $1 million dollars for each of the country's unemployed will have a much more widespread and immediate impact than the president's plan.

Unemployment rate rises dramatically!

In February 2009, the unemployment rate in the city of Martinsville, VA shot up to 20.6% - that means 1/5th of the local workforce is out of work. In surrounding Henry County, the unemployment rate went up to 14.6% - making the total unemployment rate fo rthe area a "whopping" 15.7%. In nearby Patrick County (VA), the rate went up 1.8% - from 11.5% to 13.3%! Yet all that's being done is a lot of people are "empathizing" and "sympathizing" with everyone who's lost their job or is about to lose their job. Something tells me that the rate is even HIGHER THAN IS BEING REPORTED - 30 or even 40%!

And from where did this increase in unemployment come? There were NO new layoffs in the area - heck, they are very few jobs here as it is! What aren't we being told?

Enough already! How about some help here? I've been out of full-time work since August 2002 and have long since exhausted my benefits. But I certainly don't hear anyone offering me any assistance - unless you count the local office and their "demands" that I use my TradeAct benefits package to RETRAIN myself for a new job. RETRAIN? I didn't know that I needed new skills to find a job - there are lots of openings for inventory clerks out there but I can't get to them.