2009: recession or recovery?

More evidence that this recession isn't as bad as people are making it out to be.

 

Frankly, this thing is probably half way over - the typical recession lasts approximately 18-months. Yes, there were tons of layoffs (some were exploited opportunties by companies), some closings (bad management or greed caused a majority of these), and house price declines (market-specific due to get-rich-quick-schemes and entitlement issues) however most people went unscathed.

 

That is precisely why the stimulus plan was jammed through so quickly. The libs couldn't pass legislation if we were already in recovery so let's chant 'doom and gloom' before people see the light at the end of the tunnel.

You read it here first.

UPDATE: After discussing this topic with a friend in the logistics (freight) industry, he agreed. He pointed out the noticeable increase in trucking over the last few weeks. Granted, these aren't scientific findings, I am confident that his analysis is relatively reliable.

H/T: Matt

Deep Sh*t

The financial crisis is evident in this map provided by Reuters. I'm not really surprised - this is just the obvious sh*t that I expect from the PIGs (Party in Government).

What I find to be the most revealing are two points:

1. Notice the states that aren't currently in trouble and what color would you classify them as? Red perhaps?
   
2. Reuters has chosen to ignore Alaska, a state that is run by the infamous Palin. A state that actually has a budget surplus.
   

If everything continues along this current path, I have every intention on moving to the North Plains. I would HATE the winters but I wouldn't miss the gummint.