So, The National Bureau of Economic Research says that the recession ended in June of 2009??? The title from our featured article says that someone should send the tenants a memo. Someone should send the consumers a memo… I understand the NBER has its own valuation criteria as to what designates a recession and recovery, but from the companies I have spoken with over the last 6 months, they all tell me the same thing. They are all trying to stay alive to “fight again another day”. They are all still trying to figure out more ways to cut costs and do more with less. Some have mentioned to me that a small level of consistency has come back into their market, but actual growth is little to none.
Personally, I believe that this pattern of little-to-no-growth is what this country will face over the next year and maybe two or even three years. A newly-elected Congress and House of Representatives may be a perceived “ray of hope” in the eyes of some Americans, but, unfortunately, I don’t believe it will be the “be all and end all” to solve all our problems. I think we need to give our small-to-medium-sized businesses some relief and consistency with their business taxes, healthcare, and insurance and provide incentives for them to grow and hire more employees. Most companies I have spoken with have made comments similar to those in our featured article. They state they have no idea what hiring a new employee is going to cost them, so they simply are not planning any new hires.
Jobs are the key to economic recovery, and right now, there seems to be only talk about how high the unemployment rate is and little action is being taken to reduce it. It is very clear that another government bailout is not the solution, but providing tax incentives to small-to-medium-sized businesses so they can hire more Americans and start chipping away at that high unemployment rate will definitely help. Then, with just a few more Americans working, maybe we will see an increase in consumer spending and jumpstart a supply-and-demand “circle of life” to get out of this recession!
Now, that all the business is out of the way… if you live in northern Florida, this is the best time of the year. The tourists have all gone home, our beaches are wide open, and the sun and water is still warm. It’s a “perfect storm” of fun in the sun with some close friends and ice cold beverages! I thank everyone for reading and until next time, have fun out there!
Jacob Horsley
NAI Commercial Jacksonville
Industrial Group
