[hiknapster]

The same things get written anytime unemployment gets brought up. "Things aren't that bad." "Maybe they count the retirees" (they don't), "It's the people. Where I come from people have a better work ethic."

Look, I can argue about food stamps and how they are not the gravy train, blah, blah, blah. I can tell you that businesses overhire, much like throwing a plate of spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks in Kansas, too. I can tell you that a lot of people quit low-paying jobs with bad benefits and conditions because they find better ones. I can tell you that there are lazy people all over this country.

None of that changes the fact that most of Florida is based on a service economy. Not that long ago there was a boom in the economy where an incredible housing Ponzi-scheme created pseudo growth and wealth. It crashed. It created an enormous Domino effect. Other sectors that were shut down - not as a direct result - like the space shuttle program, also added to the devastation.

None of these other arguments will change that. Lee County, Florida has been named the first, second and third place in the country for foreclosures for several years. It's been on the cover of The New York Times twice and in Time magazine and The Economist.

So for this to be a great shock is quite puzzling.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

The same things get written anytime unemployment gets brought up. "Things aren't that bad." "Maybe they count the retirees" (they don't), "It's the people. Where I come from people have a better work ethic."

Look, I can argue about food stamps and how they are not the gravy train, blah, blah, blah. I can tell you that businesses overhire, much like throwing a plate of spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks in Kansas, too. I can tell you that a lot of people quit low-paying jobs with bad benefits and conditions because they find better ones. I can tell you that there are lazy people all over this country.

None of that changes the fact that most of Florida is based on a service economy. Not that long ago there was a boom in the economy where an incredible housing Ponzi-scheme created pseudo growth and wealth. It crashed. It created an enormous Domino effect. Other sectors that were shut down - not as a direct result - like the space shuttle program, also added to the devastation.

None of these other arguments will change that. Lee County, Florida has been named the first, second and third place in the country for foreclosures for several years. It's been on the cover of The New York Times twice and in Time magazine and The Economist.

So for this to be a great shock is quite puzzling.