This morning's Standard-Examiner edition delivers more unsettling news on the local economic front:
• Local job outlook may be changing - Study shows employers may be cutting jobs in ‘09This morning's story of course follows yesterday's grim news:
• Sales tax revenues grim - Top of Utah cities hope property tax numbers look betterThere's been a persistent meme regularly repeated around Ogden and environs, to the effect that the local economy is "special" -- and somehow immune to the recession that's crushing the rest of the country. While sensible folks realise that we're ALL caught up in the world-wide economic mess, for reasons unknown, this morning's Std-Ex article resorted to Emerald City's most mind-numbed Chamber of Commerce cheerleader for inspirational backgound quotes:
“This survey is primarily measuring optimism. It’s not hard numbers,” said Dave Hardman, president of the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a pulse on emotion.” Just nine months ago, a Manpower survey gave Ogden-Clearfield the 10thbest outlook in the nation. At that time, 47 percent of those surveyed said they would be adding jobs in the upcoming quarter, and none said they would be making cuts.We suppose there were no actual economists or other economic experts available for a Jeff Demoss interview. Thus we get retired career ZCMI necktie salesman grinnin' Dave Hardman instead.
Hardman acknowledged that the economic climate has shifted since then, but said the local business community will weather the storm.
“The reality is, there is some real trepidation right now, especially on the sales side of the economy.
“People will just have to hunker down until we see some things turn.”
The Std-Ex serves its readers very poorly when it tries to softpedal the hard facts. All the evidence indicates the local economy is in for a rough ride over the next few years; and we believe the our home town newspaper should just come out and say it.
