dancers say economy is fine

Were you sweaty?

Economy is fine? Oil is down $20/bbl in 10 days and the economy is fine? This is the collapse of civilization as I know it. Praise the lord that I have hedges in place at $104 and $106 for the next two years.

I am not expecting much sympathy from fellow tuscl buddies.

I know from dancers that the economy sucks. When I walk into the club, they're excited to see me and tell me how slow it's been. Dancers reminisce about the good old days when they took home $1000 a night and complain about how they sometimes don't make enough for their tip out.

I live in Detroit. 'Nuff said.

SD,

From news reports, it seems it would be impossible to "live" in Detroit. In any case a sad state of affairs in a once great city. Detroit, a great poster child for liberals at work!

True, liberal excesses may have been a contributing factor in the present financial condition of Motown. The standard line used to be that public sector jobs had to keep pace with auto industry comparables. When the UAW was able to get a raise for auto workers, city government followed suit with the same or similar benefit packages. And they were hefty.

The auto industry, at its peak, made it possible for non-college blue collar workers to enter the middle class and see their children finish college at Wayne State University, Michigan State University or University of Michigan. That dream drove the creation of the middle class in the industrial midwest in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. That post WWII middle class was the basis of the consumer economy and American prosperity. It is now gone.

What troubles me is the reflexive criticism that Detroit's decline is "liberals at work."

Liberals did not plan or direct the outsourcing of jobs from Detroit. (I suppose there is an argument that UAW leadership could or should have anticipated that increased wage demands would drive management, over time, to outsource for cheaper labor so they should have volunteered to reduce wage demands or take pay cuts back in the 1960s.Not realistic.)

Borders was founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Did liberals or ebooks cause the demise of this great employer? K-Mart, a Michigan coompany, also went through bankruptcy. Did liberals or competition for Wal-Mart cause that? The words "Detroit" and "Michigan" are no longer in the names of any bank in southeastern Michigan. All of the banks are now owned by out of state corporations, with no feeling for local development outside of the stagnant auto industry. Did liberals cause or direct the bank consolidations and relocations?

It's easy to blame people you don't know and don't look when you have no objective understanding of the facts.

..and don't like..

Completely agree SuperDude. There is way more in effect, from both parties, than a simple label.

steve229, no, I even sniffed my pits to be sure. ;-)

I read due to the labor union lawsuit, all those thousands of people wanting to work for Boeing, don't know if they will be able to work or not. The labor unions are killing jobs for Americans. The EPA and government regulations are killing more jobs imposing stiff penalties. All this from an administration that believes socialism is better for all of us even if unemployment keeps going up. They can't even afford the current entitlement programs and then he goes and adds another one for health care that will only cover 10 million more people but make everyone pay more. I hope it gets repealed. I feel confident my employer sponsored insurance will RIP if Obama care stays in effect and then I'll be stuck with declining government health care.

I probably won't get any social security by the time I'm ready to retire unless I live a long long time. Medicare will probably be ancient history too. I'm working though. The economy is ok if I don't need to retire and work all my life.

Both sides of the aisle are at fault because they do not want to work together. They both believe their side is right, is unwilling to budge to compromise for the good of the people and its all about re-election as opposed to what is best. I generally watch politics closely, but I'm becoming increasingly disenchanted. I will always vote, because if you don't you can't bitch in my mind. But both sides have to take the blame for this mess and its not just in the last few years ... this has been building for a loooong time.

Wow Limbaugh robots are active on this site.

Not saying that the right isn't/wasn't involved, but many on the "right" just plain are NOT! You know RINO's. The major cause of what we have now is explained very well in the book "Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon" by Gretchen Morgenson. A good read, and it certainly points out the duplicity of the left in this major financial mess!

SHIT! I sure as hell didn't want to start a political conversation. I was just pissing and moaning about stupid dancers.

Lee,

You mentioned the economy. That is very much tied to politics. Also, so are dancers! :)

In a recession I would expect more and better looking dancers. However, I'm finding that dancers are fewer and fatter. Could it be that the economy is so bad that customers aren't going to clubs and pretty dancers aren't making enough for it to be worthwhile?

Some hot dancers are moving full time to escorting or being sugarbabies to multiple sugardaddies.

Here in the Puget Sound region, I'd say that the economy downturn hit here later than most of the U.S. By the spring of 2008, it was evident in the strip clubs, they weren't nearly as full of customers on Friday and Saturday nights. I've also noticed a lack of quality dancers since then, as if the better dancers were on to another line of work. (Also, a major event occurred here on June 2, 2008 that affected all strip clubs in the region, but there was a few months before that happened that the trend was apparent.)

Here in the Puget Sound region, I'd say that the economy downturn hit here later than most of the U.S. By the spring of 2008, it was evident in the strip clubs, they weren't nearly as full of customers on Friday and Saturday nights. I've also noticed a lack of quality dancers since then, as if the better dancers were on to another line of work. (Also, a major event occurred here on June 2, 2008 that affected all strip clubs in the region, but there was a few months before that happened that the trend was apparent.)

Raincoat: "I'm finding that dancers are fewer and fatter."

I need to move wherever you live. Here in Atlanta, the result of the bad economy is heroin-chic.

Clubber, yeah, you're right. Fuck me for being so stupid. ;-)