Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

We've often referred to the country's economic woes having little effect on us, living in our "bubble" economy called The Villages. I think most of the posters in this forum actually live in TV, I know I do. Our "protected" day-to-day experience probably affects the formation of our political opinion. Other than the decline in the stock market--which is on it's way back to previous levels it appears--few of us really have to endure the personal experiences caused by the financial crisis.

I had to come north for a month or so for a little "cutting and pasting" at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago. I'm doing my recuperating and rehab at our house in southwest Michigan. Here, the problems in our economy are obvious and palpable. It's both sad and alarming.

More than half the storefronts in the little towns near us--Sawyer, Bridgman, Niles, Benton Harbor, New Buffalo--are dusty and covered with paper. All the little Mom and Pop shops that used to serve the area are closed. Many restaurants, the little independent grocery stores and hardware stores, the little antique and used book stores--all closed. Benton Harbor is particularly alarming. That town looked like a battle zone last year. Now there's a major "shovel-ready" government-funded reconstruction of the main street from one end to the other. It's almost impossible to even drive into Benton Harbor. I saw virtually no businesses that were operating. I'm baffled at the need for a new main street for a dead town. It's even worse, although not much worse, than Detroit.

I called to have my golf cart serviced today and my little golf cart guy came right out to pick it up. He expressed relief in finally having something to do. He told me that he's on the edge of closing up. I am the first customer he's had in weeks.

Then on this evening's nightly news from one of the South Bend stations came the announcement that the largest employer in Niles, MI, Tyler Refrigeration, is closing permanently, resulting in the layoff of all it's workers, 450 people. Tyler is a leading maker of refrigeration display cases used in groceries and delis. The Niles City Manager noted, "Tyler is one of our largest electric customers in the city, one of our largest sewer customers and one of our largest water customers and certainly our largest taxpayer. So you can imagine it's going to have quite an impact on the city." The news noted that the Tyler layoffs amounted to 8% of the entire population of Niles.

The news segment went on to say that almost a thousand workers as well as those already laid off at the Hummer plant in South Bend, are on pins and needles awaiting word of who might buy the company. They've already been told that GM will shutter the plant and the brand if it can't be sold. The city of South Bend already has a huge budget deficit and is working hard to identify those few city services that can still be afforded. The schools, police and fire departments, sewer, water and sanitation departments have already been hard hit with layoffs and a cessation of any non-critical spending. South Bend's other largest employers, Notre Dame and Memorial Hospital, don't pay any taxes, of course.

It is really bad out here, folks. It's really sad to see what's happening to a part of the country that I've grown to love. I feel guilty looking forward to coming back to The Villages at the end of the month to re-immerse myself in all the happy talk, dancing, drinking and absence of news from the outside world.

I wonder if my feelings and opinions would change if I lived out here all the time?