The news in the construction industry is not good. Here in the Seattle area, defaults in construction loans are at an all time high. We have a long way to go before we really begin to see progress. And is it only me that missed the fact that less than 30% of the economic stimulus money would be "on the streets" this year? Whatever happened to "shovel ready?"
Meanwhile, large manufacturing industries, such as Boeing, are threatening politicians who are indirectly hammering unions about strikes. The implication is if the machinist union agrees to a no strike clause in their contract, Boeing may consider staying in the Puget Sound region (or keeping their much maligned "Dreamliner" assembly plants in this region). This after Washington State gave Boeing enormous tax incentives to keep the assembly plants here in Washington. It seems we have forgotten that middle class blue collar jobs are an important, no vital, component of a healthy regional economy.
We have a long way to go to pull out of this economic debacle.
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