The number of new claims for unemployment dropped 94,000 for the week ending December 27.  Down from 586,000 the week prior, 492,000 new jobless claims were filed last week.  This represents the steepest decline since 1992 for a one-week drop.  Read the full story here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE4BU2P920081231?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews

One quick example (as if you need one) of how mainstream media is using vocabulary irresponsibly to create an atmosphere of fear for the American consumer.  This article from Reuters (usually a good source of positive news), highlights the decline in retail sales of 4% as reported by ONE source, during a holiday season shortened one week as compared to last year, and made more difficult by severe weather in the midwest and northeast… In addition they do not address the decline in sales as it was effected by steeper discounting this year.  That being said, this decline of 4% has the title “Retailer’s holiday sales plummet 4%.”  Really?  is 4% a “plummet?”  If I lose 7.6 pounds ( I weigh 190), would you say my weight is “plummeting?”

Let’s have some fun.  What are some of the other derrogatories you’ve heard to describe our economy?  Post the best you’ve heard, and on New Year’s Day I’ll pick the top two (yes it will be subjective) and send each of you one of my new coffee mugs “Keeping It Positive” soon to be available on cafepress…and a half pound of my favorite locally roasted coffee…

Here’s some news I have not heard on any mainstream media.  Since November 2007 the states of Wyoming, Oklahoma, North & South Dakota, Alaska and Texas have ADDED over 259,000 jobs!  Can you beleive a statistic like that gets past the media. The report doesn’t say how, or in what industry these jobs are added.  Nor does it say what kind of jobs, what they pay etc…but really, who cares?  These are jobs that put people to work, generate consumption and more jobs!  Thanks to Sam Snyder, a contributing reader, for this bit of fantastic news on our economy.

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2008/12/259000-jobs-added-in-six-states-since.html

Sam Snyder also provided a link to a summary of five reasons this is nowhere near a Great Depression.  And I suppose this would be a great place to re-post my short “un” comparison I posted a few months ago.  Now that the media has us whipped into a recession frenzy, it only makes sense that the next step is to find any similarity between the two events and begin to pound those points home…  Thanks for the link Sam.

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2008/12/5-reasons-why-today-is-not-great.html

And the link to my previous post on the same.

And Julie’s Contribution to this topic last month

And thanks again to all of you that send in links to articles that are positive.  And to all of you that send words of thanks for the efforts.

Thanks to Sam Snyder, a contributing reader for this contribution.

Amazon reported record number of item purchases for this holiday shopping season, culminating to an eye-popping 6.3 million items ordered from their site on December 15th.  That equates to just under 73 items per SECOND!  While sales results have not been announced yet, it is clear that people are using the internet for more than blogging, and posting pictures of their latest vacation.

And as our generation ages, and our children take over, I’d look for this trend to increase dramatically.  Online Malls will spring up, with social gather places within those “malls” kids will shop and game together there, and the brick and motar malls we know today may go the way of the strip mall…

http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKN2629894320081226

If you’re a business owner or champion within your organization, this is a good read for you.  Suzuki’s corporate culture does not accept alibis for defeat during an economic crisis.  Read how their culture always looks as this as an opportunity to steal market share, and become even more creative in this time of downturn.  How is your company/department morale?  Who is responsible for this?  You might be surprised to read how a company that has faced similar circmstances as this in the past actually increased sales.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Corporate_Dossier/Think_positive_to_overcome_global_economic_crisis/articleshow/3893323.cms

It lies in your mentality.  Are you going to be defeated by the forces against you?  Are you going to listen to mainstream media talk you into a dark corner where you’ll wait for someone else to dig us out of this hole?  Or, are you going to roll up your sleeves and do what you can to keep you, your department, division, corporation positive in these times and find creative ways to pummel your competition into submission, and come out of this stronger than ever?

The new year comes next week, and would be a good time for all of us to start fresh.  It will be a year of changes for sure.  New government, leaders, expectations for the economy, financial markets, 401K’s etc…  Even in these tough times take stock in what you DO have and what you CAN do.  If you can read this you have a computer, your health hopefully, electricity, food, shelter…and the rest?  Let’s go and get it!  Have a great safe New Year to every one that reads this, and to each one of you, thank  you for your words of encouragement to keep looking for the balance in our economic news.

Let’s get America back on her feet, and demonstrate that confidence to the rest of the world that they may find the same courage to do the same.

Peace.

I stumbled upon a new blog that is also reporting positive economic news.  “The Good News Economist” is authored by Eldon Mast out of Colorado, USA.  It appears he began blogging in November this year, and is a welcome site!

I have only read a few of his posts, but they appears to be more editorial than what I provide here, and could provide readers of this blog with an additional viewpoint.  At any rate, my goal is to spread the good word about the hard work American’s do, and that together, we’re better than what mainstream media provides us with each day.

His blog address:  www.mast-economy.blogspot.com

I’ve written about it here, and now a researcher at the University of Kansas echoes that, and expounds upon it as well.  We’re no where near what occurred in the late 1920′s, and frankly it’s an insult to anyone that lived through the depression.  Over a year ago, the media pounded and pounded the recession drum.  And now that our economy is officially declared a recession (who is responsbible for that declaration I have no idea), they now take a deep breath and go for the depression tom tom…

But it is refreshing to read a take on our current situation from someone with the background to declare these times tough for sure, but there’s not even a small comparsion to the plight of American’s during the great depression.

Thanks to reader / contributor Sam Snyder for this link.

http://www.news.ku.edu/2008/december/16/hirschey.shtml

No surprise here…People eating out less means suppliers and grocery should perform well.

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE4BG3F020081217?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews

Retail Tracker, one of the leading consumer research firm raised it’s estimation of holiday retail sales from -3.5% to -2.8%.  Considering that mainstream media would have you believe it’s 1928 all over again, that’s more than positive economic news, that’s fantastic economic news!  Now factor in that many retailers are slashing prices with discounts of up to 60-70%, and the number looks even better.  I’m not sure that they account for the drastic price drops, which may be making up for some of the retail sales volume decrease.  So we may actually be buying as much at the retail level, but the sales volume may be down due to the discounting…this, the story does not address.

Read the full story here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE4BG2ZY20081217?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews