Here’s a post by Davd Damron of the Sentinel, UCF economist: Orlando will lead Florida’s slow rebound With a Wall Street meltdown, international credit crunch and real estate free fall still clearly visible in the rear view mirror, Florida can expect its housing market to stabilize, but commercial properties face a wave of foreclosures and the [...]
I could save Orange County taxpayers more than $30 million per year starting tomorrow without cutting a single county service, but in a way that makes county government employment a less attractive proposition. Sound good, conservatives? It should, if you believe your own rhetoric. But while this reform is simple, it ain't easy. What is it? Stop providing health insurance to county government employees.
Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation announced Friday that the state’s unemployment rate for February continued upward, but at a slower pace. Statewide, the rate last month was 9.4 percent, compared with 8.8 percent in January. Florida’s unemployment numbers were slightly higher that the nationwide rate of 8.9 percent. Several Central Florida counties showed among the 27 [...]
James MacMeekin had something to say about Billy Townsend's Graph of Doom posts. Unfortunately, the MI4 editor mis-posted the response and we're publishing it much later than intended. Let's just say the two men don't seem to see eye-to-eye on the economy, history, and well, read on....
Remember the first round of bail-outs? Originally intended to stabilize and re-ignite lending practices? (That worked really well!) And do you remember the cry heard round the nation, “Socialism! We’re running down the road to socialism!” These words resonated with me, too, but in a very different way. You think we’re heading toward socialism? Are you blind? For 75 years socialism has crept surreptitiously into the minds and lives of those unaware.
The two graphs on the extended entry show versions of the same thing, job losses as measured as a percentage of total workforce. They also take us further back than the original graph of doom I posted on Monday, comparing this recession with other previous recessions. They're a little more hopeful than yesterday's graph of doom. Bottom line is that we're in freefall, on a downward trajectory more vertical than any other post-war recession this many months into the recession. But there is still time to prevent this recession breaking out into Great Depression territory. After five or six additonal months at this pace, that might not be the case. These graphs argue strongly for stimulus spending.
We’ll make this a bit of Metro I-75 News, though the CenterState angle brings it too metro Orlando, too. Here’s the Star-Banner story, and the FDIC press release. Not much else to add, except that my impression is that community banks, which I guess is how one would classify Ocala National, have generally faired better than big [...]
Metro I4 News welcomes a new contributor as James MacMeekin shares his thoughts on Bernard Madoff and the downfall of his Ponzi scheme. Just who knew what and when did they know it? MacMeekin suggests Madoff's sons might have known of the plan before they turned in their father.
Bio: I’m a Christian, a husband, a father, a son, a real estate consultant, and now, an amateur writer. As well, I am a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 63, or parts of Polk and Hillsborough Counties. My goal in this space is to provide my insight and comment on events shaping our larger region. I hope to consistently remind my community that we live in a connected world and that our commitment to being a player in the Metro I-4 super-region will make all the difference in the world. Selfishly, I also hope to further develop my skills as an amateur writer - a muse with which I’ve always tinkered but, until now, never published. I hope you find depth in my insights and sincerity in their offering. And I hope you’ll let me know how I’m doing… email: mckeel@metroi4news.com