Well, of course--we have to say something about the economy; it just seems that’s all that anybody wants to talk about.  But I hope the view from Anady's will provide a little bit of hope in your world.  And right up front, we want to say that we are indebted to a few people for the positive facts that are part of this blog: Monday Morning Outlook, Senator Robert Dutton, and two of our favorites, Duct Tape Marketing and The 3/50 Project.

Whether you are a conservative or a liberal, it has actually become trendy to be pessimistic about the economy.  Both sides are playing their hands for all they are worth between now and November 2—which means any snapshot that you look at is skewed in order to reflect the side that is most favorable to their opinion.   In May, total payrolls increased 433,000 but then fell by 125,000 in June.  Rather than mention that there needed to be an adjustment for the terminated census workers (government-created temporary jobs), the doomsayers reported that “jobs fell for the first time in seven months,” Monday Morning Outlook notes that in actuality there was a net gain of 33,000 when the census worker adjustment was fairly calculated.

In June, 83,000 new private sector jobs were created.  That should have been good news to be shouted from the housetops, but it was largely downplayed by the media in order to provide the power and energy to further whatever side of the campaign trail they are championing.  Bottom line is that in the first quarter, 236,000 private sector jobs were added and in the second quarter, another 357,000 came into being.  Orders for durable good are up 10% at an annual rate in the past three months and machinery orders are up 63% in the past three months!  So there is cause for true hope in the midst of the difficulties.  Productivity is strong, the U.S. is creating jobs, profits are rising and the market is cheap for investors.

But for those people who are jobless, it must be acknowledged that times are hard and there is no magic solution.  And one of the most difficult things to tackle is the fact that it might be time to rethink one’s particular vocation if the job in that sector had its roots in a total lack of regard for reality.  In other words, we cannot spend our way into manipulating jobs for the thousands who worked in sectors that cannot sustain long-term job creation.

So what to do?
Here is one idea: Instead of creating thousands of jobs one time, create one job a thousand times!  Read that over again and again--and thank you, Duct Tape Marketing.  And then ask yourself what you can do to reinvent yourself as an employee with a new set of skills or how you as an employer can offer a job to one person who might have the skills you need—or could learn them.  We cannot continue to be morose, negative and pessimistic or we will never mount the energy to get ourselves out of this mess we are in.

Another thing YOU can do is to invest in small business.  And I don’t mean pour huge amounts of money into it.  I mean go out every month and—as one individual--spend $50 in three small businesses in your hometown.  Give up the big chains for some purchases and support the small-town businesses that offer you customer service and friendly atmosphere.

You might say, “$50 won’t make a dent in the economy.”  Well, you are wrong.  If you check out the statistics from The 3/50 Project (www.the350project.net), you will see how significant the power of one can be!!!  The 3/50 Project states that if just half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally-owned independent business, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.  And for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures.  If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays in the community—and if you spend it online, nothing comes home.  So pick three businesses that you would love to see standing in another 10 years, spend your $50 this month and start to save your local economy.  Then your special businesses will be able to hire and things will begin to turn around—one person, one job, one business at a time.

Senator Bob Dutton reports there are between 700,000 and 1 million small businesses in California.  (Right now it’s hard to tell exactly because so many businesses are fleeing the state due to extravagant tax rates!)  But if every small business could hire just one person, about half of the unemployed in California would be working again.

So, please, could we all make a personal effort to do something positive to help the state and the nation?  Could you hire a college student to tear down the old patio cover?  Or if you have a job, hire someone who really needs a job to help out with yard clean up?  Or if you own a business, could you look for ways to create new possibilities for your employees instead of bemoaning the loss of the “good ol’ days” when growing a business didn’t require so much effort and creativity?  We have to face a couple of facts: some jobs are not going to come back and housing prices were inflated when all this started.  So deal with it and do what you can do!  YOU can make a huge difference and you can multiply that difference if you teach others to do the same!  It is our responsibility—my responsibility—to start now to make a difference.

There is also an election coming in November.  Start informing yourself today about the candidates, their positions on the political issues that are important to you—and share your findings with those around you, encouraging them to also make a very careful decision when they cast their ballots!