Jan 31 2010
This wintry weather is good for job growth.
The global cooling is continuing and the south east has been hit with snow and ice. Here in this northeastern Oklahoma town we got 6 1/2 inches of snow over night on top of the previous days rain which became ice before the snow came. Western NC got 10” of the white stuff. Nashville is plowing out and the mid Atlantic is getting their share, as Richmond got a foot and DC is in for it also.
So now, the people with the plows are out making some extra cash. Kids in the neighborhoods are shoveling driveways for some extra cash. The transportation departments are using up their supplies of salt on the bridges, expressways and the main roads utilizing overtime schedules to get it all done. The power companies are working around the clock fixing the poles and lines that broke, leaving thousands in the dark. That’s overtime pay for those guys.
Just think of the extra cash that will be made by the auto repair shops as people wreck their cars on the frozen streets. Fire departments are busy rescuing people and the police are . . .well. . . not concentrating on seat belt violators.
It’s job growth.
Mother nature was at work helping us out of the recession, as that extra cash is going to be spent at the stores and restaurants. Even the IRS will get their fair share. This is a good thing, right? I try to find something positive about these storms that hit and cause all of this inconvenience. But then people die because of the storms also, and that’s unfortunate.
Back in the late 70’s, I lived in Grand Rapids, MI. and one week-end we got 20” of the stuff. Unfortunately I had to drive in from Kalamazoo during the bulk of it. It became a white out on 131 while I could only see the red tail lights of the vehicle ahead of me. If he went in the ditch, I would have followed him. No cell-phone to keep in contact with home. Stupid? It could have ended up that way. But cautiously, I made it. But that’s the thing about human nature, we all do stupid (unwise) things at times, where some make it and some don’t.
In an economic sense, it is a positive thing for the economy. Right? Shovels are sold. Sleds and slides are bought for fun . Extra food is stashed away. We’ve been stimulated with shovel ready jobs.
