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[bobf <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>]

I'm seeing everything cheaper, except groceries.  Now, Phoenix has always had 
cheap groceries , especially for such a largwe city.  But the cause was 
strictly competition.  We have, for years had more grocery stores , and 
grocery store chains competing against each other than any other large metro 
area in the country.

  A couple of the chains have fallen or consolidated already, and I expect 
more of that with this recession.  I think the stores are aware and are 
simply not competing at a level they did before.

Labor has lost more value than anything, even real-estate -- which is a 
bloodbath in most of the Phoenix metro area.  But, the owners and banks are 
letting the real estate prices, yet, fall to where they should, in many parts 
of the city; because of the promise and speculation on more governmental 
involvement.  The value of labor has been decimated.

I know many people who are enjoying really good deals on quality items right 
now.  But, I have this itching worry about that straw that breaks the camel's 
back.  The wrong kind of missle from the wrong source hitting Tel A viv; A 
large important faction decing to take on the USD, as the wotrld reserve.  I 
mean, look what started WWI, was Ferdinand really so imporatnt a man, or just 
that last straw.

But, I try to focus on my tasks at hand and not allow my macro worries to 
overvome my simpler pleasures like watching my garden grow.


p.s.  I'll put this link, because, if you read the entire page, I think think 
is a synopis of one of the more worrisome realities right now, and it is 
receiving scant coverage in the U.S. MSM.  I'm not posting the article 
because most people are not going to be interetsed, but maybe you or someone 
will............

http://www.investorsinsight.com/blogs/john_mauldins_outside_the_box/archive/2009/03/02/europe-on-the-ropes.aspx

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--- On Tue, 3/3/09, Lynn Wigglesworth <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com> wrote:

> I wonder what other people are seeing. I suspect that the places that had 
> the biggest 'bubbles' are the ones doing the worst now. We never had any 
> kind of bubble, and have been in a recession for years, so
a recession in the larger world is barely noticed here.
>