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On Oct 25, 4:06 am, Too_Many_Tools wrote:

BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of dollars.

This is the type of tipping point that can push the economy into
recession.

TMT

I would think it would push the economy the other way. Billions and
Billions of dollars spent to rebuild. Lots of jobs for carpenters,
electricians, plumbers, landscape workers, lumber mill workers and
lumber jacks. Hotels and motels filled up. Overtime money for
firefighters and other emergency workers. More fire fighting
equipment ordered.

Can't think of any reason for a recession.

Because, despite all that work, nothing is produced. It's just a
redistribution of the income from real production elsewhere in the economy.
An economist would point out that aside from the fact that it's just
redistribution, that all of the activity actually is a net loss to the
economy, diverting manpower and other resources into a nonproductive
activity.

It's very much like the "economic activity" that goes into production for
war. There are at least benefits in the case of war, assuming the war was
worth fighting in the first place.

However, there is nowhere enough of it going on in this fire to precipitate
a recession. It's just a little bit more lead weight on an economy that's
already taking a pasting from production for the war in Iraq.

--
Ed Huntress