NO WONDER we in this area are having a hard time.

I and my husband work in a job that includes, and sometimes depends,on tips (me moreso than him; he does usually get a base pay depending on the job)
I picked up the paper for today, and here's what's on the front page:
"A new report ranks Peidmont Triad counties among the 10 U.S. regions with the most poverty"
It says that in High Point, wich we are between HP and Greensboro, the number of ppl on food stamps is at "an all time high, and more than double what it was in the late 1990s".
Another county directly north has lost 32 percent of its' manufacturing jobs since 2000.

Yep, welcome to George Bush's America.

I KNEW it was a problem,but businesses around here seem to keep thinking everything is cool and we all have money. Especially the owner of the chain of clubs I work for. His drink prices are ASTRONOMICAL, and he refuses to lower them.
Dumbasses.
We are moving as soon as we feasably can get out of here.

that's where all the jobs are!

but in general, there's not a ton of new income possibilites. Blue collar work, and lower level white collar work is what drives our economy. A whole lot of blue collar work has been lost, and I just don't see the white collar jobs making up for it.
But hey, you never know.

That I remember--maybe an even $6. Plus tip; if you wanna see your watiress again, or have the bartender pay attention to you.

Bottle of CHEAP wine-$150
Our cheapest bubbly-$175 (you can get in the grocery store for around $11. No I'm not kidding.)

the economy sucks a lot of places

there are pockets of good places around though, in some industries and areas.