El Paso - sales tax rebates - retail sales down SHARPLY 9.4% (Midland: home, layoffs)

[ocean2026]

I actually am posting this because USMC El Paso and perhap Gary Siete, always post the positive economic news, but never anything that looks negative. This is from today's Feb 15 El Paso Times. Some cities in Texas had an increase including Midland.

Yes I think El Paso's economy will do better than most places. Housing prices will decline in ELP in 2009 but not to the extent they will in other places.

I just like to see BALANCED reporting. USMC -El Paso- being a biased cheerleader helps no one in the long run.

[luplor]

Ocean, you made some good points, but we need both sides of the issues. Otherwise, we could overlook some very revelant point. I enjoy disccusions with other points of views so long as they stay civil. As I stated before, the military is subject to politicial whims, etc this morning there is an article that there is going to be a delay in the number of troops coming here. Things are changing in Europe and now some feel now is the wrong time to withdraw. It's more detailed in the newspaper, contracts or not the military will leave you holding the bag. I just hope Reyes has the pull in Washington to continue with the orginal plan. Smart and careful planning would have been better, instead of building left and right and relying on FT Bliss.
Anyway, We all want EP to succeed.

[malamute]

It's important to know the good with the bad and have Plan B in place.

[mistabinks]

To be fair, it is not like we don't have our fair share of biased haters in this forum.

[Gary Siete]

I try to remain optimistic and like to counter the anti El Paso threads. I work from home & deal with corporate out-of-town clients who are tightening their budgets. Relatives with businesses in Juarez say that sales are way down. American relatives who work in maquilas worry about layoffs. I welcome any good news (sometimes it feels like grasping at straws) but do believe that El Paso will weather the recession better than other parts of the country. Slow and steady wins the race.

[ocean2026]

Gary I think everyone here believes El Paso will do better than most places, that is still no reason to present only one side of an issue. This doesn't mean the site I've given ( on other threads) that predicts a 5.1% decline in EP housing prices this year is incorrect, but it does make us look way better than Las Vegas, Miami, Detroit, and California. Its not slow and steady that wins the race its whether you run it honest and straightforward.