On Sun, 10 May 2009 17:14:28 -0500, James Waldby wrote:

On Sun, 10 May 2009 13:39:09 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sun, 10 May 2009 16:05:08 -0400, Pete Keillor ... wrote:
...
I refrained from buying a 1911 because we've decided to put the house on
the market and get us back to Texas when it sells. I've got enough
stuff to move already, and I won't need any extra state paperwork in
Texas. I'm taking the machine tools with me. Number 2 son has a
commercial license, so I'll rent a liftgate truck when the time comes,
and load the shop stuff on there. I'm kind of hoping I don't have to do
another Michigan winter.

Word on the street is that Texas is still largely free of the Great
Depression Part Deux, and may stay that way.
...

It's true that unemployment in Texas is a lot lower (ca 6.7% per
Table 3 at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.htm) than in
California (11.2%) and Michigan (12.6%) but a few places, like
McAllen and Brownsville-Harlingen, are over 9% unemployment, per
http://www.bls.gov/web/laummtrk.htm. Anyway, to expect things
to stay ok takes a leap of faith.

Looks like the towns down California highway 99 might be poster
kids for your GDP2 ... Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Madera, Fresno,
Visalia and Bakersfield all have 15-20% unemployment, in that
second table.


Ayup...I live 30 miles from Bakersfield...15.9% Fortunately I work in
So. California...which while better...is still at (off the record) 13.2%
unemployed. Shrug...its mostly the women who are still working, as the
men have lost their jobs since December.

Got to say though that traffice on the LA freeways is MUCH better.

Gunner

"Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with
minimum food or water,in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing
clean on him is his weapon. He doesn't worry about what workout to do---
his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him.
The True Believer doesn't care 'how hard it is'; he knows he either wins or he dies.
He doesn't go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the 'Cause.' Now, who wants to quit?"

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates