An AP article in the Denver Post this morning had the following regarding recovery for the Great Recession: 1. Household wealth: recovering to just 2 % below 2007,
2. Retail sales - increased willingness to shop, eat out, vacation, 3. Foreclosures - back to precession levels, 4.stock Market - up, 4. Housing - recovering but still below normal. 5. Auto sales- almost back to 2007 levels.
6. Total Jobs - still down but layoffs less likely. (C.S. Rugaber, AP). Re Denver Housing, it's booming. My son put his house on the market last week and it sold in one day with an offer $10K above his asking price. Is very optimistic about summer shows here in Colorado starting in May. Until then more snow and the season of mud.
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I been lucky to hold a job and do art fairs. The shows had not been very kind to me to think about just support myself with them. I am not losing money but not enough by any means. I see sales go down at the store that I work and go up the next month. I think with not getting political it, most our problems are DC created. Neither party is doing anything for us and honestly believe that they do not care. You vote for less of the evil now. Middle ground is no where to be found.
The problem is that corp. do not come to art shows. They are the only people with money to spend but all of them are insecure about the future. You need to figure out income tax refund are late and retail is down almost 25%. Some economist are think that Walmart may start not reaching expectations.
So yes I see better days coming but we need to have good 2013 in order to make next year a good year follow by a great year.
By the way do not expect democrats recapture the house, I think we are stock with this mess and they do not care.
Be careful planing and play safe in order to have hope.
Chris Hoyt > Oscar Matos LinaresApril 7, 2013 at 7:58am
Dr ben Carson made an excellent statement when he spoke at the event that the President attended.
Our great Bald Eagle needs both the left wing AND right wing to work together in order to fly.
One side wants higher taxes and the other side wants lower taxes. And the country is split right down the middle on this issue.
Personally I believe we should throw the entire 77,000 page tax code into the woodstove and start over.
The problem is that most people are only getting low wages job regardless of your education. The amount in debt when student come out of school is beyond understandable. When you spend 25 to 50k in a year at one university, it make you wonder when they will start buying art. Parents with kids in universities close those wallets. People get tax per check 10% for federal taxes, 6% for social security, medicare 1% and in IL 6% for state. Depending how big is your company your health insurance may cost 240.00 per month. Because all the scare of lack money when you retire you need to put another 10 to 15% in a 401K or IRA. If you are self employ add another 6% for social security and the list of things.
The avg house income in Chicago is around 50K. Do the math and figure out how much you have after all that. Also consider in the last four to ten years wages are not keep up with cost of leaving. In My regular job nobody has get a paid increase in four to seven years. My boss wonder why people hate his guts.
Like I mention before company are holding money back and they are making the staff work harder because the fear of losing the job.
So no is not the economy is fear that you wont have a job in near future and if you get one you wont get the same paid than before and that put you in a real problem.
Why this matter because this are our customers. Even things look better our customer had not seen any improving.
Chris Hoyt > Oscar Matos LinaresApril 7, 2013 at 9:43am
You mention the household income in Chicago at 50K. That's nationwide.
Inflation in the past 10 years isn't rising simply because the rocket scientists in Washington do NOT count food or fuel in their calculations. Take out those items and the CPI is only about 2+% higher than 2003. But those two are the mainstays of life. And those prices are rising constantly.
Which means less for us, because we don't have anything our customers actually need.
That is my point after you take out the taxes and you need figure out rent or mortgage, food, the utilities, gas for the car, car payment, car insurance or public transportation if live in place that provides that and any other basic needs.
After all that we want them to buy our art.
Oh I forgot you still shoes & clothes. You still need to have another source of scape of reality (movies, tv, eating out).
I better stop because this just makes me depress but what choice we have.
We still need to push forward and do not get me wrong I prefer not paying any taxes but opposite what some believe there are things that private sector needs to stay out. Perfect sample parking meter in Chicago, IL.
Geez, it's about time. A friend of mine, another artist, has long said that art fair artists are the mine canaries for the economy. As soon as discretionary money starts to dry up, we're the first to feel it and die. If we start doing well this summer, then happy times are here again.
Down news today about jobs and unemployment affecting the market, but I think you have to take a longer horizon look for the future. This summer could be interesting for different geographic areas. I wonder why we don't hear about shows in North Dakota. They are having an energy boom too.
Chris Hoyt > Richard L. ShererApril 5, 2013 at 7:48pm
Unemployment in North Dakota is 3%. Walmarts are starting people at $17 an hour because they can't get any applicants because at 3% unemployment, the ones who are not working don't want to work.
But the nationwide unemployment figures were bad. The number of unemployed rose from 89 million to 90 million people nationwide. And I just read where people are now raiding their pensions and 401k's at alarming rates because they need the money. And there are now 46 million people on food stamps.
Personal bankruptcies are back to "normal" levels after 4 years of record filings.
Robert Wallis > Richard L. ShererApril 5, 2013 at 4:38pm
I would hazard a guess that population density may have something to do with it.
Replies
I been lucky to hold a job and do art fairs. The shows had not been very kind to me to think about just support myself with them. I am not losing money but not enough by any means. I see sales go down at the store that I work and go up the next month. I think with not getting political it, most our problems are DC created. Neither party is doing anything for us and honestly believe that they do not care. You vote for less of the evil now. Middle ground is no where to be found.
The problem is that corp. do not come to art shows. They are the only people with money to spend but all of them are insecure about the future. You need to figure out income tax refund are late and retail is down almost 25%. Some economist are think that Walmart may start not reaching expectations.
So yes I see better days coming but we need to have good 2013 in order to make next year a good year follow by a great year.
By the way do not expect democrats recapture the house, I think we are stock with this mess and they do not care.
Be careful planing and play safe in order to have hope.
Dr ben Carson made an excellent statement when he spoke at the event that the President attended.
Our great Bald Eagle needs both the left wing AND right wing to work together in order to fly.
One side wants higher taxes and the other side wants lower taxes. And the country is split right down the middle on this issue.
Personally I believe we should throw the entire 77,000 page tax code into the woodstove and start over.
The problem is that most people are only getting low wages job regardless of your education. The amount in debt when student come out of school is beyond understandable. When you spend 25 to 50k in a year at one university, it make you wonder when they will start buying art. Parents with kids in universities close those wallets. People get tax per check 10% for federal taxes, 6% for social security, medicare 1% and in IL 6% for state. Depending how big is your company your health insurance may cost 240.00 per month. Because all the scare of lack money when you retire you need to put another 10 to 15% in a 401K or IRA. If you are self employ add another 6% for social security and the list of things.
The avg house income in Chicago is around 50K. Do the math and figure out how much you have after all that. Also consider in the last four to ten years wages are not keep up with cost of leaving. In My regular job nobody has get a paid increase in four to seven years. My boss wonder why people hate his guts.
Like I mention before company are holding money back and they are making the staff work harder because the fear of losing the job.
So no is not the economy is fear that you wont have a job in near future and if you get one you wont get the same paid than before and that put you in a real problem.
Why this matter because this are our customers. Even things look better our customer had not seen any improving.
You mention the household income in Chicago at 50K. That's nationwide.
Inflation in the past 10 years isn't rising simply because the rocket scientists in Washington do NOT count food or fuel in their calculations. Take out those items and the CPI is only about 2+% higher than 2003. But those two are the mainstays of life. And those prices are rising constantly.
Which means less for us, because we don't have anything our customers actually need.
That is my point after you take out the taxes and you need figure out rent or mortgage, food, the utilities, gas for the car, car payment, car insurance or public transportation if live in place that provides that and any other basic needs.
After all that we want them to buy our art.
Oh I forgot you still shoes & clothes. You still need to have another source of scape of reality (movies, tv, eating out).
I better stop because this just makes me depress but what choice we have.
We still need to push forward and do not get me wrong I prefer not paying any taxes but opposite what some believe there are things that private sector needs to stay out. Perfect sample parking meter in Chicago, IL.
Geez, it's about time. A friend of mine, another artist, has long said that art fair artists are the mine canaries for the economy. As soon as discretionary money starts to dry up, we're the first to feel it and die. If we start doing well this summer, then happy times are here again.
Unemployment in North Dakota is 3%. Walmarts are starting people at $17 an hour because they can't get any applicants because at 3% unemployment, the ones who are not working don't want to work.
But the nationwide unemployment figures were bad. The number of unemployed rose from 89 million to 90 million people nationwide. And I just read where people are now raiding their pensions and 401k's at alarming rates because they need the money. And there are now 46 million people on food stamps.
Personal bankruptcies are back to "normal" levels after 4 years of record filings.
I would hazard a guess that population density may have something to do with it.