Poodleone, the $hit has hit the fan in our town in GA. It is so sad. The closings of large facilities here by a major manufacturer was announced last week. The loss of jobs will adversely affect the local economy. Most of those who are under 55 and weren't fired will be moving out of the state to headquarters, so the already sluggish real estate market will be glutted with even more houses for sale. Those 55 and over were offered "voluntary" (LOL) retirement packages in the fall of 2008. It has been devastating, shocking, and unexpected for the local economy.
The tackiest thing is that a high-level manager in the company under 55-yo recently bought his wife a Mercedes E63 AMG. How thoughtless and arrogant was that, given that the walls are crumbling for everyone around him?
So we understand your pain.
That being said, if people keep posting doomsday predictions for the Florida Gulf Coast on SoWal.com, the $hit will hit the fan here, businesses will fail, and jobs will be lost.