Obama is clueless to come up with a solution.

If Obama is clueless. Then Bush was maladroit.

So what is the solution, Bill? Let us in on your answer. And then everyone else can blow holes in your ideas.

In my life time, Elkhart had Miles/Bayer, Band instruments, electronics, Mobile homes and double wides and a few RV's. The city had a diverse industry. Sad state of affairs now. I left at 18--44 years ago.

Bayer bailed.

Yeah Bill, we're waiting. Give us the answer!

There are lots of Hispanics filling jobs in trades such as welders in this area. I don't know if they are legal or illegal, and probably the employers don't either. It was a common practice several years ago in the produce fields of California as well as other states for illegals to copy a legal immigrants social security card. Many illegals would use this card. I know of 1 case where a contractor got ih trouble with the IRS, because other contractors had less scruples, pocketing the deductions, and sending out with holding forms under an alias, with the legals name, who filed for a return of the full amount.

All of the foriegn products look good to the American who can afford to purchase them, even the price of foriegn labor looked good to the American companies. Where has all the money gone that is supposed to keep the economic wheel turning in America--- to foriegn nations. Every nation and its people have a right to wealth, America became greedy and gave it all away. The song sung by the Ojays "Money, Money, Money" has all the facts right about American society. Listen to it.

Elkhart weathered many a storm in my days there (about 40 years all told). The only solution is to let the economy heal itself. In these days of "protect me from me in spite of me" no one was ready for such a deep cut in the economy. Many different factors (greed, supply and demand, world and domestic unrest) have contributed to this extreme downturn. As was the case after 911, the downturn came at a time when it was just about time for the natural "seasonal" dowturn (especially in RV's) to hit in all industries. We have to stop forcing the issue and wait as we have before for people to get tired of being tired and loosen up the purse strings, buy what they want in spite of their situation and carry on. Consumerism is the major contributor to a turn around and unfortunately this one is bigger than anything since the depression, and is going to take more time. People got in debt getting whnat they WANTED once again instead of what they NEEDED to live and overbought and did not prepare for the rainy day that inevitably comes in cyclic economies. Hang it there folks. We will all come out of this for the better as we always have. Just take stock of your non-tangibles and be glad those are here to stay. To depend on the government to bail out our often self inflicted probloems is crazy. By the time their programs go into affect, we are often (as history will show) on the road back anyway due to our own doing.

Sorry should have spell checked.

I'm sorry but the article in the elkhart truth is about Mexicans who are here illegally. I don't feel sorry for people that come to this country sneaking over the border. I do feel sorry for the people that are here legally and are losing their homes. Try talking to your mortgage company and sometimes they will try to help. I got my mortgage down 100 bucks.

I left in 73' as the Whitehall transfer to PR forced my father to move us to Philly. The malls were already eating away at the downtown area. Although I have never returned it is very sad to hear the news. I thought as a young man in Oak Manor we were very economically diverse with teachers, administrators, doctors, dentists, business owners. I guess the RV ties ran much deeper than it appeared at that time. It seems the flight has been going on for 39 years or so. I know you will come back we are after all Elk-Hart.

Hello! I BELIEVE THAT THE RV PROBLEM IS TWO PART. ONE IS THEY NEED A RV THAT IS NOT USING GASOLINE,BUT A ALTERNATIVE FUEL,POSIBLY HYDROGEN (WATER) . hONDA IS NOW BUILDING THIS TYPE VEHICLE IN CALIFORNIA. ALSO RVS ARE NOT A NECESSARY ITEM,SO WHEN THE ECONOMY SLIPS THEY ARE ONE OF THE FIRST TO FEEL THE PAIN. I would also like to comment on the manufactored homes,I own three of them,they do a good job on interior design,but they need to use a good window(energy type) and do a better job with there plumbing, use a mansfield toilet, instead of the cheap mexican crap.

There would be a lot less forecloseres if people could aford to heat them,and the plumbing would hold up.thank you william billing

There used to be a big railroad presence in Elkhart. Is it gone too? If you want to see a city that makes Elkhart look liveable have your reporter visit Anderson, Indiana. There you can see what auto industry ineptitude, union greed and eternal democratic political control did to what was once a nice sized city. I grew up there and things started to unravel in the early '70's. In fact, I believe GM told the city and GM employees to plan for a day when GM would be gone. City fathers and the union didn't believe it. GM left as they said they would and to this day there are still people waiting for GM to return.

It is simple go back to buying from your local's and supporting them first. If that means going to the near by farm and buying vegetables, beef, pork and going to the butcher and canning yourself the vegetables. Than driving out of the way to go to superwalmart and getting usually not very fresh food. The money will flow back into the economy through the farmer who will need the money for the farm and supplie then the money will trickle down hill. There use to be a time when we supported ourselves through our local economies. People got greedy and that went away. The auto industry will survive this maybe some bad companies will go away but then someone will develope a new car and a new company will be born. People stop blamming Congress and Obama, or even Bush. We did this to ourselves, cherrish your family, pray to your God for help, don't take out credit use hard earned cash. Don't be so petty that you can't work at a fast food resturant. One day soon the encomy will come back and you will get the type of job you really want. Again use hard earned cash, don't rely on the banking system it will fail you AGAIN!

epotb---- it was not just "union greed". Let us not overlook the greed at the top. Also, that "union greed" brought benefits to everyone. Do you really think that the little receptionist at the front desk would have any benefits if the union had not fought the battle.

Morris,

Do you actually believe that that little receptionist (as well as anyone else in the office area) was actually in the Union? Might want to use another example.

All of this stems from investment banking. An industry that should be completely outlawed. These large investment houses for decades now with help from high ups in the reagan and Bush and even clinton regimes have manipulated the rules and left such gaping loop holes for quick money profits that only exist on paper and vanish if you don't put it off on someone else in time. with derivatives and short selling and repackaged bonds made to look like a viable investment... Actual companies that had money had it pillaged by deals they were told were as solid as treasury bonds. So they grasped and ever riskier investments in bad mortgages re-bundled to try and make there way out. But if your GE and laying off the very workers who's bad loans you just bought as an asset then how are you stemming the tide? No one is to blame for the problems of this country except the people who aren't educated enough to understand there rights are gone. I seriously think i might move to england. Or even cuba has a better standard of living then this dying monster of greed we call a country. We are all still under the notion we are a power house. The recent reactant's of every major power in the world to help us should show this is afault. The chinese the true beast is even tired of our dollar being the currency standard. They are screaming for a new world currency.... And for good reason I wouldn't want to invest a penny in this country. So why should anyone else? The markers this country has set based on the fact that recessions rise and fall and markets re-coop is based on the idea that the investors pulling the overall strings want to see the ship righted..... I think the writing on the wall is the dance is over and we all need to wake up.

Don't blame the union. The few benefits we have are thanks to the union efforts. As an industrialized civilized nation we are sorely lacking in benefits. Take a look at the health benefits, education benefits and vacation policy of European nations and Canada. Our ability to access easy credit has created our own problems, that coupled with the Greed of those taking in the huge salaries. Look at Madoff, look at AIG executives. I believe it was Upton Sinclair who said " The private control of credit is the modern form of slavery. "

My husband and I just moved to Elkhart a week ago from Virginia Beach, VA I have found that the people of Elkhart are very kind and welcoming. BUT, when I tell them that we are new to the area from VA Beach, they look at me like I was just released from the insane assylum and ask: WHY??? My husband is a subcontractor (ceramic tile) and he lost work due to the economy; subsequently, we lost our home to foreclosure. He and his partner found word with a tile company in Fort Wayne, and they are now traveling all over IN; they are guaranteed at least a year or so of work. I lived in VA all my life (39 yrs) and left behind my family (including elderly parents in ill health) to be with my husband (as the Bible says I should.) Am I scared for our future? YES. But we take what God gives us, as it will only make us stronger in the end. We have had to downsize ALOT and are getting used to many different changes. i am trying to look at this whole situation in a positive light. I may never find a job, but I give thanks that my husband has work. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who are less fortunate than we are.

Morris, I can't believe you are so naive to think that the unions give a hoot about the working man. Unions are a business plain and simply. All unions care about are getting more people to sign that union card, so the unions bosses then can collect the dues the card holders have to pay.

I am all in favor of the idea of canceling student loan debt in order to stimulate the economy. Instead of bailing out the corporate fat cats who continue to waste bailout money, why not help out the little guys ... people who have tried to better themselves through continued education. The amount of money from student loan payments being pumped into the economy would no doubt help turn things around.

I grew up in Terre Haute, IN and now live an work in Houston. The reason is that most of these towns are led by idiots! A few years ago a major company wanted to relocate in Terre Haute and God know they neede the jobs. However the mayor at that time blocked it because the company was brining a more diverse workforce and the mayor did not like the fact that very affulent minorities wold be coming into his town!

God doe not like ugly, so when some of these towns are suffering they should take a look ion the mirror and at their leaders!!

The problem is Congress - lets 'clean house'- start with term limits, ending automatic government pensions for anyone who serves as little as a 2 year stint, and putting all of them on Medicare for health insurance...they will all be one-termers.

Yes it is the fault of both parties in washington. Stop blaming the other party. They are both at fault. The real blame belongs on wall street and corporate america and the rich. They control washington. They are the ones' whom shipped all the jobs over seas. They're the ones getting the billions, the tax cuts. Making billions on the Iraq war. Corporate america controls the media. They're the ones whom kept the minumum wage at $5. for 14 years. They're the ones whom brought in the Auto plants in the south that pay so little that it has endangered our national auto industry. Though the greedy Union management did a lot to help. Then there is the banks. Here we little guys are getting .65% on our saving's accounts and the bank then lends us our money back at 5-12 %. Meanwhile wall street , corporate america and the rich want a 25-30% return on their money. We need term limits on congress and the senate. The Republican and Demnocratic Parties need to be outlawed. We need to elect individuals to represent us instead of parties. We need a balanced budget ammendment at all levels of government. For a party that represents big business (republican), I would like to see the republicans run there business the same way they want the government run. As cost increase, lower the price of their products. With the cost of government increasing due to great cost for energy, health care, etc.. the republicans want to decrease the government revenue with tax cuts. Meanwhile health care, insurance industries, energy companies are making record profits. Profits further increase because they pay less in taxes or hide they income overseas, further reducing government income. This results in higher profits so we need to lower capital gains taxes. All the while the country goes further in debt. Hell we need a revolution.