Posted by DEAN SKIP RUTHERFORD – Some of the current economic statistics are staggering:
*1 in 10 Americans now receive food stamps.
*1 in 8 Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
*America has lost 1.9 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007.
*Non-farm job losses were 583,000 in November–the worst monthtly decline since December 1974.
*America’s 6.7 percent unemployment level is the highest in 15 years.
*Some are predicting 3 million additional jobs will be lost between now and spring 2010.
*With home foreclosures high already, it is estimated that 3 million more homes are “at risk” in 2009.
Is it discouraging? Yes. Any signs of hope? Fortunately, there are. Here’s one small example, but it’s a big one for me:
Today I stopped for lunch at my all-time favorite drive-in restaurant, the Bulldog in Bald Knob, Ark. If you haven’t been there, it’s a must stop. Coming from Little Rock, turn right off Highway 67 North at the Batesville exit and the Bulldog is about an eighth of a mile on your left.
In visiting with owner/operator Bob Miller, I learned that the yearly financial numbers for the Bulldog were up from the same time last year. That’s great for a home-owned small business which also has strong competition from nearby national chains. While Bob gave credit to area employment and revenues generated from Fayetteville Shale gas wells, I believe much of the credit should go to Bob, his family and staff who provide good food and good service. They work hard too. Today, for example, I saw people from Little Rock, Jacksonville and Newport, among others, who like me stopped at the Bulldog because of the food and the atmosphere.