There is one sector of the US economy which is thriving

One thriving sector: The business of war
Pentagon's contractors are looking for help

By Robert Weisman, Globe Staff | December 6, 2008

SOUTH NASHUA, N.H. - Across the nation, companies are lopping off hundreds of thousands of jobs, retailers are shuttering stores, and automakers are tottering on the edge of bankruptcy.

But here in the Merrimack River Valley, and over the state line at several industrial sites around Massachusetts, defense contractor BAE Systems is hoisting "Help Wanted" signs.

BAE develops technology in fields like electronic warfare and cybersecurity, sophisticated systems that are key to combating a new wave of threats around the globe. At a time when 1.7 million jobs have been lost in the United States this year, the company is hiring 200 engineers and manufacturing workers in Nashua, Hudson, and Merrimack, N.H., and Burlington, Lexington, and Marlborough, Mass.

Other defense electronics contractors, such as Waltham's Raytheon Co. and General Dynamics Corp.'s communications systems center in Taunton, also continue to ramp up. Such companies remain awash in orders from the Pentagon and American allies increasingly worried about terrorism and missile proliferation. They are also facing the pending retirement of many baby boomers in their labor force, a factor lending greater urgency to their hiring efforts.

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Back-to-back BAE job fairs Tuesday and Wednesday drew 1,462 candidates, including recent college graduates in pressed suits, Cold War-era defense industry veterans with salt-and-pepper hair, and commercial engineers who had previously worked at computer software or telecommunications companies. All hoped to land jobs at BAE's electronics programs, some of which are highly classified.

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http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/12/06/one_thriving_sector_the_business_of_war/

Austin is still growing an economy, though
a bit slower.

Houston and other Texas cities are doing fine
and growing even faster than Austin.

I'm not exactly sure why Texas is doing so well,
but I'm not complaining either.

Part of the reason is that the laws are pro business,
and the home buying thing never became a serious
problem here. The energy sector is strong, along
with other sectors like technology and health services.

I'm not defending all of Texas' business practices
or laws, but the economic climate here is only partly
cloudy with a chance of rain while the storm has
already hit and devastated many other places.

It's hard to explain Texas. I hate that people here
are so regressive politically as to keep electing
Reeps like Cornyn and Perry and Hutchison.. and it
looks as though Hutchison will be the next governor..
but business is pretty good here. Go figure.

Sue

And they're "keeping it in the family."

Food, beverages and smokes are usually pretty stable.

Don

I practice Bankruptcy law. This industry is growing.