Surviving the economy

When the Lehman Brothers filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy back on September 15, 2008, the economy was at risk. Many other companies followed suite creating the largest job loss since 1974.

What is driving the economy today? Small businesses- companies with fewer than 500 employees. They provide jobs for over half of the private workforce. Eighty-eight percent of small-business people say that the current economy crisis will pass and their business will succeed in the future.

“It’s great how small-business owners such as my self are the one’s assisting in an economic rebound,” said Robert Riley, 42, general manager of Harmony medical technologies. “We’ve been in this situation before and we can certainly get through it again.”

Small businesses have proven to be job creators. The office of Advocacy funded research that these businesses represent 99.7 percent of all firms and they create up to 80 percent of the net new jobs.

“The current crisis has certainly effected how profitable my customers are but I keep a close eye on expenses and operating costs,” Riley said. “This gives me the opportunity to hire new people.”

Barak Obama has plans to release millions of dollars to small businesses in hopes of creating micro-businesses, employing five or less people, to help stimulate the economy. “For the future, this could be good because new markets will open and create long term opportunities,” said Riley.

The difficult part now is waiting out the storm. It seems as though many small businesses people and investors say that Obama’s plan is a great start in boosting the economy. Only time will tell.

WALL

On the 200 block of Aisquith Street in Blatimore, Arnetta Sands, 36, and Andre Henderson, 10 days old, were treated after suffering from an incident that caused a wall between their two apartments to collapse landing on Henderson's crib.

Sands was spraying insecticide from an aerosol can ignited by a stove being used at the time. The apartments 10B and 10c were noticed by Frederick Turner, housing authority manager, police said.

Henderson was brought to Johns Hopkins Hospital with possible smoke inhalation while Henderson's mother, Renee Henderson, 23, was un-injured. Sands was treated at Church Home and Hospital with 1st degree burns to her back and arms, officials said.

Fire fighters removed a portion of the wall off of the crib and said there was fire damage to the kitchen and furnishings in Sand's apartment. Captain Thommen, a Baltimore fire investigator, reported the incident was accidental.

HOLDUP

This past Thursday in the northern district of D.C., three males fled the Provident Savings Bank on 3111 Greenmount Avenue, after ransacking several teller's cages.

Of the three suspects, one was armed with a .22 caliber sawed-off rifle. He pointed it at the male bank manager, orgering everyone to lie down on the floor, including four employees and two customers, while the other suspects leaped over the counter and stuffed money in two white pillowcases.

The men ran out east along the alley on the north side of the bank where they dropped the rifle. The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of cash and were last seen wearing a red hat, red football jersey, a white fishnet shirt, and red tennis shoes.

They were lost from sight and there were no injuries and no arrests made.

Stimulus not for everyone

For a retired war veteran, the multi-billion dollar economy package will have little impact.

"I've been retired for almost six years now," said Arthur E. Shipkey, 65, a Vietnam veteran from Buffalo, New York. " My family and I are blessed that we are in no need of assistance from the package."

President Obama's $787 billion package went into law Tuesday along with a $50 billion foreclosure rescue for Americans who are in danger of loosing their homes. The bill is geared towards the younger generation, Shipkey says, but will help millions of people overall.

"It's great that the bill will help save many people from loosing their homes and luckily, mt family is not one of them. It's unfortunet though to see what my son will have to endure," Shipkey said.

The foreclosure effort is only one small part in the big plans to help boost the economy.

In Villa Ahumada, a shootout between gang memebers and the Mexican military broke out. The body count was at 21, adding the total of drug-related violence to 6,000 people this year alone. In addition to the U.S. donations of $400 million, the Mexican military has launched an extra 46,000 troops into the danger zones.

The recent gang wars are becoming a serious threat to not only residents, but also tourists. The economy is already in ruins and if tourism declines, the situation will only get worse.

Many of these drug-related gang wars are taking place in northern Mexico, far from the popular spring break destinations. In light of these current violent events, I stil plan on traveling to Mexico. Mexico may be considered dangerous but the same can be said for any other country.

Gangs threaten Spring breakers

VILLA AHUMADA, Mexico- An SUV loaded with hang grenades, rifles, and bulletproof vests invaded a ranch where a gun battle broke out between gangs and the Mexican army.


The incident, killing 21 people, is not unheard of as a wave of beheadings, grenade attacks and shootings are reoccurring accross much of Mexico's 2,000-mile-long northern boarder. The drung-related violence has takedn the death toll to over 6,000, more than double the previous year.

The town of Villa Ahumada is mostly desert but looking at its location on a map, the town's importance can be seen. It sits next to Highway 45, a straight shot leading to many southern points such as Guatemala and Panama, key areas in drug-trafficking.


Most of the victims have been connected to cartels but reguardless, travelers, especially spring breakers, are being warned. Many colleges, travel agencies and even the U.S. military are discouraging travel to Mexico's boardering areas. This will result in a decline in tourism only adding to the economic crisis.

"It's just one thing after another," says Fidel Chavez, mayor of Villa Ahumada. "First the economy, and now this."

Felipe Calderon, president of Mexico, has launches 46,000 troops throughtout Mexico to help put an end to the violence. The U.S. gave Mexico $400 million in aide but the reoccurring pattern in the drug war says that more money could be in the works.

Gen. Barry McCaffrey, former anti-drug czar during the Clinton administration warned that the Mexican military was in danger of loosing power in some areas. Mexico is now ranked next to Iran as a top security issue to the U.S.