Economy Blog Posts

C.P. Morgan aftermath

February 27, 2009
Comments(32)
Tract house builder C.P. Morgan officially bites the dust today. Which raises plenty of questions: --Has anyone else been more influential in the type of housing stock built in the Indianapolis area in the past decade than Chuck Morgan?...
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Gold at $1,000 an ounce

February 20, 2009
Comments(3)
The gold hawkers are right, at least for now. Gold has been a better investment than stocks, bonds and other conventional places to park moneyâ??hitting $1,000 an ounce today. That signals investors are nervous about prospects for the economy...
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Tap the rainy day fund?

February 9, 2009
Comments(11)
The weakening economy is producing worse and worse tax revenue forecasts for Indiana. As a result, Democrats are calling for Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, to open the stateâ??s $1.3 billion rainy day fund. Tough times like these are what...
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Obama and executive salary caps

February 5, 2009
Comments(9)
All things considered, there shouldnâ??t be a fuss about President Obamaâ??s plan to cap salaries of executives in companies that receive federal bailouts. Thatâ??s the take of Dan Dalton, an Indiana University specialist on corporate governance. Dalton points out that...
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Foreign-born entrepreneurs

February 2, 2009
Comments(9)
Midwestern cities donâ??t attract a lot of immigrants, and Indianapolis is no exception. The weather is uncomfortable and the region has a reputation for close-mindedness â?? not the kind of place where newcomers want to sink roots. A recent blog...
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Working longer in 'retirement'

January 22, 2009
Comments(2)
Before the most recent recession began in late 2007 and wiped out many a savings account, other factors already were forcing more Americans to delay their retirement dreams. Mainly, weâ??re living longer, which means retiring at the traditional age...
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Daniels' budget axing priorities?

January 7, 2009
Comments(14)
Gov. Mitch Daniels said yesterday he wants to spare schools and public safety from the scalpel as he looks to prepare an honestly balanced budget during a time of declining tax revenue. But Democrats accuse the Republican of crimping...
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Tough budget choices for state

December 29, 2008
Comments(3)
Gov. Mitch Daniels has ordered a string of budget cuts as the recession hammers tax revenue, and the upcoming General Assembly promises to generate squabbles over what little money is left to spend. If you were governor, what would...
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Nearly free money on the way?

December 15, 2008
Comments(6)
The Federal Reserve this week is expected to drop the rate at which banks loan money to each other below 1 percent. That means interest rates on loans for just about everything, from cars to housing, eventually would fall further. The...
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Utility of WARN notices

December 11, 2008
Comments(2)
In times like these, what do you think of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, commonly called the WARN Act or WARN notices? The federal law was passed in 1988 to give employees 60 daysâ?? notice of an impending layoff,...
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Gall about the jobs bank

December 4, 2008
Comments(6)
The jobs bank has come to symbolize whatever the general public thinks is wrong with the United Auto Workers and Detroit car companies. For many years, the UAW contract has stipulated that laid-off workers be paid nearly their entire compensation. Now,...
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The plethora of car dealers

December 3, 2008
Comments(6)
Open a local phone book or punch in a Google search on car dealers, and itâ??s immediately apparent Detroit companies have many, many more dealers than their foreign competitors. Chevrolet and Ford, for instance, each have more than a dozen dealers...
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Saving our way deeper into a hole

November 20, 2008
Comments(2)
A recent article in The Economist predicts a deep recession next year if we Americans abandon our spendthrift ways and swing back to a savings lifestyle. What other nation, the magazine wonders, would buy enough things to keep...
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A tiny Indiana bank and the bailout

November 18, 2008
Comments(7)
Newton County Loan & Savings bank couldnâ??t be more out of the way â?? or more relevant in this day of government bailouts. The thrift is in Goodland, a burg between Lafayette and Chicago, and has all of $7.3 million in...
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Bail out Detroit?

November 17, 2008
Comments(3)
Two schools of thought are emerging over the proposed bailout of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. One is that the auto industry is too big to fail. Itâ??s not just because of the manufacturing operations and all the suppliers...
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Headhunter: Market not so bad

October 31, 2008
Comments(6)
A corporate recruiter says employers in Indianapolis arenâ??t acting like their counterparts elsewhere in the country, if headlines are to be believed. The employment market here has stayed fairly resilient, says Steve Mattei, a partner in Pinnacle Partners Inc. Pinnacle specializes in...
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United Way CEO: merge nonprofits

October 23, 2008
Comment(1)
As the economy slows and money gets scarce, banks arenâ??t the only organizations that should consider merging. Thatâ??s how United Way of Central Indiana CEO Ellen Annala sees the landscape. The Indianapolis area has a whopping 16,000 not-for-profits, she says, one for...
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Is your job secure?

October 22, 2008
Comments(3)
Waves of layoffs are going to hit the country as banks tighten lending and companies cut costs, BusinessWeek predicted in an article this week. Unlike the dot-com and housing busts of recent years, this time just about every industry...
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Reasons not to retire

October 1, 2008
Comments(7)
Plenty of people plan to work until at least age 67, when eligibility for full Social Security benefits kicks in, a new study shows. And itâ??s not just for the money. Many say remaining in the workplace will help them...
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Cheering up the real estate crowd

September 30, 2008
Comment(1)
Imagine being asked to speak to a crowd hit by the biggest downturn in its industry in decades, and motivate them to get back out there and keep selling. Or try to sell. Thatâ??s what Dan Lappin faces when he speaks...
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Bloodbath on Wall Street

September 29, 2008
Comments(4)
Thereâ??s no time like an election to make politicians nervous about taking a stand on a controversial issue, and this afternoonâ??s House vote on the $700 billion bailout plan is no exception. Many Republicans and some Democrats, leery about facing voters...
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Gun sales are booming

September 29, 2008
Comments(7)
The ongoing crime wave in Indianapolis has resulted in a surge in gun sales, WXIN-TV Channel 59 reports. With each big crime comes another spurt in purchases. Indianapolis police say applications for first-time permits in July were up 15 percent...
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Stability versus boom-and-bust

September 25, 2008
Comments(5)
Itâ??s a rare person who enjoys the asset bubbles and boom-and-bust cycles that afflict the U.S. economy, most recently the subprime mortgage crisis and implosions on Wall Street. But Purdue University economist David Hummels contends that the United States deals with...
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Bailing out Detroit carmakers

September 10, 2008
Comments(4)
Executives of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are optimistic about their chances of getting inexpensive federal loans to help tide them through the credit crunch and sales downturn. The discussions, which have come to light in recent weeks, have the execs...
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Indy a diamond in the rough

September 8, 2008
Comments(4)
Just about every young, college-educated Midwesterner has given up hope and moved to the South or West, right? A story that appeared in IBJ over the weekend suggests otherwise. The Indianapolis area leads nearly all other large Midwestern cities...
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  1. liek the rest of America

  2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

  3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

  4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

  5. whoa!

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