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Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 5:19pm

Comment by South Dakota Wind Energy 1 day ago

Mike,

Thanks for the freindship you have and continue to give to us.
I have said before and will say again, WE choose our freinds well.

I guess to answer your question about other skills and abilities.

In my entire life, I have MASTERED every type of job I tried. This includes many many ways to earn a living.

NO PITY PLEASE

I should have no problem mentally doing whatever is needed to be done in almost any disipline.

I have not told the freinds here about my medical limitations. Should one wish to research (systemic scleroderma and Reynaulds phenomina) have left me with almost NO USE of my hands.

I did not become a lead designer by textbook and film studies, I was a Cowboy, Soldier, Mechanic, Gold Miner, Roughneck and Lumberjack. In all these endeavors I had the"PLEASURE" to get to know the equipment and what it takes to design them.

I am afraid that now,my mind is all I have left. IF YOU SEE IT send it home.

Monty and Debbie

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 5:21pm

COMMENT/REPORT by Monte Smith 1 day ago

Monty,

Thank you for logging in and telling it like it is. It is disturbing and difficult to read what you have to report. But at the same time it is a perspective that, I believe, we need to have. It is easy to gloss things over and mitigate the harshness of what is the actual reality and I do not believe that does anyone any good. We need to know what IS actually happening around the country and the best place to get the scoop is from those who are out in the trenches.

I was doing a repair job yesterday. I was having to replace rotted flooring before the carpet layers could lay their carpet. The carpet layers were a husband and wife team that had driven down to Fort Smith from NW AR. They use to be out in Las Vegas but said that Vegas had turned into a ghost town. And that there were so many foreclosures occurring that people were moving out into the desert and living in tents. They were very glad to be in AR and have some work. The owner of the company told me that business has been very slow for him. He is only doing 1 or 2 bids a day compared to 8 - 10 which is his usual in the slower winter months.

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 5:16pm

REPORT by Monte Smith 1 day ago

JOB LOSSES RISE AROUND ARKANSAS

Submitted by The City Wire staff on Wed, 02/18/2009 - 9:01am.

This third week of February 2009 brought a rash of plant closings and layoffs around Arkansas that will result in the loss of more than 600 jobs.

Conway

San Antonio-based SAS Shoe Manufacturing is closing its Conway plant, eliminating the 145 jobs there. The plant, active in Conway for about 26 years, will begin the closing process the week of April 27. Link here for more information from out content partner at Talk Business.

Huntsville

Butterball will cut 150 jobs at its Huntsville turkey processing plant beginning in early March. Butterball, which is owned by Smithfield, Va.-based Smithfield Foods, said federal ethanol subsidies and high feed and fuel costs were to blame for cutbacks at many of its poultry and pork processing plants nationwide.

The plant in Huntsville employed about 800 prior to the job cut announcement, making it the largest employer in Madison County.

Springdale

The Morning News in Springdale is reporting that the Chili's Grill & Bar at 4101 W. Sunset Ave., in Springdale is closing after less than two years of operation. The restaurant, which was located in the parking lot of the Lowe’s store, employed 55.

Stuttgart

Lennox, a manufacturer of air conditioning systems, is again reducing employment at its Stuttgart plant. The latest round cut 242 hourly jobs and 14 salaried positions, or about 24% of the total workforce at the plant. The company laid off 160 at the plant in late 2008. According to published reports, the plant employment now stands at 700 hourly workers and 125 salaried.

Source: http://www.thecitywire.com/index.php?q=node/2982

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 5:24pm

Comment by South Dakota Wind Energy 1 day ago

Thank you all for making me reveal myself.

Monte is correct in the fact that we all have to face, that WE COULD BE the next ones in a tent.

4 years ago, I went on a project to Washington State from Houston. August and September I lived in a tent in the city campground along the Columbia river.

This was the most wonderful 2 months imaginable, only the cold and snow drove me indoors.

This may sound good and it was fastastic! I saved all that motel expense and per-dium I made those first 2 months. Now why it is relevent.

This was 2004 and it was election year. The neighbors in the campground were more than just travelers, they basically were squatters living in tents. This scene reminded me of "The Grapes of Wrath". I am not talking one or two famlies, there was at least10-12 families scattered among the tree line.

If that was 4 years ago, I would hate to see the number of economic refugees in that same park today. These were proud people that had already lost everything long before this "economic crisis" we are in now.

I feel blessed, I have a fine family and I have fine freinds. If I had my health and a few bucks, what more can one ask for?

Sinse I revealed my medical problem, FYI the VA treats me well. There is no cure and I have already lived longer than the statistics allow, as long as my brain keeps working I can and will contribute my skills to the advancement of the WAR on Energy Dependence.

Monty and Debbie

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 5:28pm

REPORT by William "Leland" Luster 1 day ago

Your reporting about Las Vegas is true Monte; not quite a ghost town yet but a downturn in housing sales-new construction-and availiable employment opportunity, has many here digging out their old tent and sleeping bag.Leland,15 yr. Las Vegas resident.

Permalink Reply by Tom Bailey on February 22, 2009 at 6:41am

Just a burning pit in my stomach that makes me made as heck;

I had built a 1 story ranch that Pam and I intended to use as rental property with the goal of nest egg contribution.

We built it in 2000 and had it rented from day one. Because of the area we could not get enough in rent money to cover a full blown mortgage we set it up through the local bank on a interest only with a 8 yr balloon. $752.00 a month and figured in 8 yrs things would be better. The max rent we could get was $800. So we had to cover insurance taxes and POA dues. Which was ok as the big pic was someone else was payin the note. We where at least for the time being building appreciation.

The last 4 1/2 yrs I had a friend in the rental and he was a drywall man, things got slow he would get behind which would put me behind.
I never got more than 1 month behind with the bank.

I finally had to put my friend out when the back rent bill reached 5 thou. I hated to do this as I know if work had been there he would have gotten caught up.

I went in and repainted and cleaned the yard. Then we secured a new family with a 2 yr lease, still in a bad market we could only get $800. a month rent.

They where sched to move in in Feb 08. I had forgot about the 8 yr ballon and in January 08 the bank informed me the note was due and they would not refi it for us as we had not paid down the principal.

We had tried to help our kids with a buisn start up a 4 yrs ago and it trashed our credit rating. No regrets just bad timming for a excavation company, when just around the corner was this downturn.

We tried every way in Sunday to refi anywhere with no luck. At that time we had real time equity of $75 thou.

That damn bank took the house back from us and attempted to sell it at auction. They did not; and to this day are sitting on another empty house.

I feel I had at least 75 thou stole from me because of stupit thinkin.

Oh, the drywall guy is pretty much at a stand still and living with his mom in a trailer.

Did not mean to be so long but it has been eating at me.
Best; Tom

Permalink Reply by South Dakota Wind Energy on February 26, 2009 at 11:38am

Report not an opinion for a change.

Wobbly economy puts brakes on wind power projects

This is headline at the Soux Falls Argus Leader - - http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090226/NEWS/902260335/1001/rss01

It's a major player in President Barack Obama's plan to fuel the economy, but new projects this year to capture electricity from wind are expected to slow considerably because of the global financial crisis.


The wind industry shattered all previous records for growth in 2008, but a tightening global credit market could mean a dip in new wind projects in 2009 - as much as 50 percent across the U.S., according to the American Wind Energy Association.


Last year, the U.S. surged ahead of Germany to become the world's leader in wind investment, and South Dakota is fourth in the nation for wind potential. But this year, progress is stalling

"Momentum is going to slow projects in 2009," said Christine Real de Azua, assistant director of communications with the AWEA. "There will be repercussions down the chain. It's about trends, and 2008 was such a big year. But wind will continue to be a viable player, there's no doubt about that."


"In South Dakota, I think you'll see a pause in the process," said Steve Wegman, director of the newly formed South Dakota Wind Energy Association. "But by 2010, when the capital markets start to loosen up, everything will be in place for wind to take off. Everybody in the state has this year to study up, because it's going to be rock 'n' roll after that."

Stimulus boost
Included in the $787 billion economic recovery plan Obama signed recently is $43 billion for renewable energy development - and a three-year production tax credit extension for new wind energy projects. There's the option, available to many developers, of turning the credit into cash, with the government underwriting 30 percent of a project's cost.


"That economic stimulus will help wind projects in South Dakota, and everywhere else," said Howard Learner, president and executive director with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. "Wind energy, like everything else, is not immune to economic forces. Some projects will be stalled ... Do I think everything will go forward in 2009? Probably not.

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