This country is in a depression ....

[JeffsSig]

I seen these statements in the Ads here and thought to not pro-long the Sold ad I would post them here and see what you guys feel.

The problem is, guns in general are not selling.

This country is in a depression if you haven't noticed. There is alot of price pressure on everything.

I know things are bad for some and I feel bad for those who have to sell or have lost a job.

But I had no clue some felt this way.

It made me think and I am asking what others feel about both statments.

This is not ment to be a bust on the OP of these statments.

I for one have not seen a slow down at all in gun sales. If anything even more so. Gunmakers and catching up with supply and demand and it may seem a little slow. I guess its based on what type of gun you look at?

Depression? For me I am having the best year of my life (cash wise) so I guess I have blinders on.

But these statements did make me stop and think and I will think more on them.

[Guest GunTroll]

I don't know about the country, but I'm depressed I can't buy some of the guns you guys are selling! CO is dry and overpriced. I'm gonna like TN!

[USMCJG]

Well I work in construction and I can tell you it's bad, real bad. I've made less money this year than I have in the first three months of any of the last ten years. I was a commercial(retail)steel framer, finish carpenter, and field superintendent and never lacked for work, in fact I frequently had to turn down jobs. Since the housing market has pretty much died, there is a huge amount of competition for the very few commercial jobs(compared to years past) out there because all of the residential AND commercial contractors are going after them. Right now I'm doing any work I can get my hands on and am just barely able to make ends meet. Hopefully things will improve next year, but this year is going to be all about survival. I can't even tell you how many people I personally know who are in much, much worse shape than I am. I've actually been one of the lucky ones, at least around here, as I've been able to stay busy most of the time.

Cliff

[Raoul]

Depression? For me I am having the best year of my life (cash wise) so I guess I have blinders on.

You are indeed a lucky man.

I analyze market and economic data in the course of doing my job. What I see occurring in TN is a pretty serious loss of manufacturing and constuction jobs. Unemeployment is on the rise with Greene County at about 15.3% and counties surrounding it at an average of 10% or better. State figures are +/-10%.

Most markets in the state are beginning to exhibit some declines in property values and foreclosures appear to be on the rise.

With high unemployment and little new job creation the foreclosures will probably begin to rise as unemployment benefits run out.

On the state level sales tax revenues are down and money for cities and schools is down.

There are some bright spots, such as the VW plant in east TN, but IMHO the next couple of years will be tough in TN and nationally.

Just my .02

[Guest SUNTZU]

Well I work in construction and I can tell you it's bad, real bad. I've made less money this year than I have in the first three months of any of the last ten years. I was a commercial(retail)steel framer, finish carpenter, and field superintendent and never lacked for work, in fact I frequently had to turn down jobs. Since the housing market has pretty much died, there is a huge amount of competition for the very few commercial jobs(compared to years past) out there because all of the residential AND commercial contractors are going after them. Right now I'm doing any work I can get my hands on and am just barely able to make ends meet. Hopefully things will improve next year, but this year is going to be all about survival. I can't even tell you how many people I personally know who are in much, much worse shape than I am. I've actually been one of the lucky ones, at least around here, as I've been able to stay busy most of the time.

Cliff

Same same here in Knoxville.

[Smith]

Recessions and Depressions are statistical and quantifiable economic descriptors. When most folks say depression or recession they are telling you how they "feel" the economy personally. I myself have done well for the most part as has most of my family, but we saw this coming. A lot didn't or were in economic sectors that left little place to go. We also had the media and Democratic party that talked the recession into a major problem in order to destroy the hated Bush. Now they are trying to pull it out and take the credit. Problem is they don't understand free market economic, or more cynically, want to destroy it.

Recessions are cyclic and tend to happen every 8-10 years, especially at the end of Presidential terms. the problem with this one is we are breaking our free market and the cycle may finally be broken. Free markets ebb and flow like the tide. Socialism slowly drains down hill.

[Guest Arko]

I'm screwd.

My employer lost contracts when clients decided to cancel or postpone projects, and I got the ax.

Can't find another job to save my life so far.

I'd call that pretty bleak.

[mousegunner]

We've been looking for roofers to do a church building, and we can't find any roofing contractors willing to come and look and give us a quote! This is in Signal Mtn, sub of Chattanooga. Have they all gone out of business? Or are they so busy they don't have time for us? We can't figure it out.

[Guest gunlovingirl]

I agree, it's very bad. And I don't see any signs of it getting any better anytime soon. My family is back in Michigan, and they have the worse unemployment in the country. But here in TN, it's not good either. I won't get started on what I believe some of the problems are. But it makes me sad, and angry, to see so many people out of work in this country. As for gun sales, it may be slowing a bit from what it was 6 months ago, but to say guns in general are not selling, is, IMHO, a false statement.

[Guest Britestar]

Well, I was a general contractor, for 26 years, those good years allowed me to open the Gun shop in Fl. I am here now (and Love it would not go back for a bet) But now I am in Real Estate, and I too earned more money in the first three months of the last 10 years than I have all year and I work everyday at least 8 hrs a day trying to move something. People are scared to by even with the 8000 dollar rebate for first time home buyers. Gun sales are down as well I keep up with a couple of guy that are on here in fact and they both buy alot of guns neither of them is in a position to buy unless it is a give away. Bad doesn't even describe it. Of course I know i will be fine when I get my share of Mr Obama's stimulus money.........ROFLMAO yeah right!

[Guest TurboniumOxide]

My family, my wife and I (my kids aren't old enough to work yet (5) maybe next year) have kept our jobs, but we are both at the highest possible points in our professional class ( programmers ). I refuse to be Jr. Management when I am GOD programmer. It is a good thing I didn't take that promotion a couple of years ago. Income is steady, though prices are rising at a crazy rate. We make about 170K a year, which sounds like a lot.

Being in the IT sector, I weathered the bust a few years ago, but only because I hustled and know it all. I got lucky when I picked computer programming as my hobby in the 70s.

I put the brakes on our spending, hard. I work in the financial sector and my wife writes code for a large insurance company.

Both our companies recently scraped off the bottom 10% which is not unusual in even good times, but there are less of us "seniors" left than ever before. Probably the single most valid reason that neither of us have been fired is that the only complete copies of the business logic on this side of the atlantic is in our heads.

Scary.

[creeky]

A recession is when you're neighbor is out of work...

A depression is when you're out of work.

I have many friends that have been laid off, others hours cut, and others had their pay cut. I personally am under a pay freeze and am personally thankful that it is a freeze and not a cut.

[BryanP]

A recession is when you're neighbor is out of work...

A depression is when you're out of work.

I have many friends that have been laid off, others hours cut, and others had their pay cut. I personally am under a pay freeze and am personally thankful that it is a freeze and not a cut.

Indeed. I feel lucky to still have a job (for now). No raise last year. No raise this year. We've been told not to expect any raises for the next 3 years. Watching my brother have to bluff and smile with his 4 year old who thinks daddy is "on vacation" ...

[Guest PapaB]

A recession is when you're neighbor is out of work...

A depression is when you're out of work.

+1

I guess that puts me in a depressed recession.

[Guest SUNTZU]

Hey guys, we just "feel" like we're in a recession/depression...All is well! Rejoice!

[Guest db99wj]

In the larger centers that have diverse employment types, the "pain" doesn't seem as bad. Some sectors are definately hurting, but others are not, and some are even thriving. So the overall picture seems, "ok". Then you have the smaller cities and towns that are "one industry" dependent, you have a lot of these in the northeast with the automobile industry. They have all but shut down and there are not other industry sectors to keep things going. It's crazy out there.

My business is moving right along, I deal in commercial real estate appraisal. Our business types have changed, we are doing mostly asset valuation and foreclosure work, and loan restructuring work. Banks, accounting, etc need to know where their assets really are. The residential guys are hurting somewhat, but even some of them are doing ok due to the foreclosure work.

It "appears" that things are turning, how long it will take before it starts moving up again, is hard if not impossible to say.

Just my .02.

[Guest Mugster]

Well, the government took a look at these numbers here and some other numbers like M2 and M3, and decided they better do something.

The world economy is tracking or doing worse than during the Great Depression (update) | vox - Research-based policy analysis and commentary from leading economists

Like good American spenders, they threw 10 Trillion at it.

Adding Up the Government’s Total Bailout Tab - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com

So will 10T stop the deflation on housing (and everything else) and get trade, spending, and economic output going again? Thats the $64 question. And if it doesn't, whats going to happen? I'm sure I don't know. I suspect we are in for a hard winter, so I'm dug in financially like an alabama seed tick. Course, I was dug in financially before the bust, so I'm unaffected.

One thing I do know. People are getting run over like deer in the headlights financially. They continue spending right up to the point they lose their jobs. I guess ingrained spending patterns are tough to overcome. Shrug.

[gregintenn]

I'm finding some pretty good buys on firearms...prices and models I haven't seen for several years. However, I have a friend who runs a gun shop and he says business is very slow lately.

[Guest grimel]

I'm doing my part to start the economy. Spending money and hiring people. My gun purchases have slowed (okay pretty much stopped), but, I'm spending money on everything else at a record pace.

[dunndw]

My business is usually down a bit in the summer, this year it's worse. I've sold two guns to pay some bills, which makes me depressed.

I have clients flat out refusing to pay their outstanding invoices...depressing

on the plus side, next month my biggest client is supposed to unfreeze their tech work, and I have a metric a$$load of projects scheduled out there.

I just sent a rather large bid in on a new wireless project as well, we'll see how that goes.

[Guest 1817ak47]

maybe a bunch of people will hate me for saying this, but all this excessive importing of cheap good from china, india and some other countries that are either slave labor or close to it has caught up to us, yes some will try to defend it cause they are either business owners themselves or they own stock or have other personal gains to benefit from it. but buying all this cheap crap from china etc is like buying using a credit card, sure it seems cheap, but you end up paying more for it in the long run. and that is how we got here, till this excessive importing stops, are unemployment will stay very high

my $.02 cause I know you might not give a damn about what I have to say on htis topic

[Guest grimel]

maybe a bunch of people will hate me for saying this, but all this excessive importing of cheap good from china, india and some other countries that are either slave labor or close to it has caught up to us, yes some will try to defend it cause they are either business owners themselves or they own stock or have other personal gains to benefit from it. but buying all this cheap crap from china etc is like buying using a credit card, sure it seems cheap, but you end up paying more for it in the long run. and that is how we got here, till this excessive importing stops, are unemployment will stay very high

my $.02 cause I know you might not give a damn about what I have to say on htis topic

Which of course until the housing/banking fiasco blew up we had so much unemployment we had illegals stacked up trying to fill all the available jobs.

We got in this mess when the fed gov started forcing bad loans on banks AND not regulating the fed gov backed Freddie and Fannie.

Buying cheap goods from China, India, et al had nothing to do with it.

[Guest HexHead]

Buying cheap goods from China, India, et al had nothing to do with it.

How do you figure exporting so much of the manufacturing sector in this country has nothing to do with it? Unemployment wouldn't be so bad if people had jobs available. People could afford to stay in their houses if they are working.

It's all connected. The real estate bubble bursting was just the catalyst.

[Guest grimel]

How do you figure exporting so much of the manufacturing sector in this country has nothing to do with it? Unemployment wouldn't be so bad if people had jobs available. People could afford to stay in their houses if they are working.

It's all connected. The real estate bubble bursting was just the catalyst.

Because unemployment until RECENTLY (as in AFTER the melt down of insanity started) has been at 5% or less. That is full employment; ergo, exporting manuf jobs has nothing to do with the current rise in unemployment. People had jobs. Many people had 2 and 3 jobs. We had a few million illegal (and a few more million legal) aliens here to work the jobs people didn't want to do.

MOST of the people losing their houses couldn't afford the house they bought without idiotic loans (interest only and can barely make that payment?) for too much house. Oh, don't forget the 2nd/3rd mortgages to buy toys.

[Guest 1817ak47]

the main reason for the unemployment to stay low for as long as it did was because of consumers spending using credit, and businesses taking loans to grow, try new developments etc, now there are more jobs moved to china than here and look what happened. some importation is ok, but we have to much!