Comments on: What recession?

By: Julie in Bismarck ND

Julie in Bismarck ND — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:21:07 +0000

While this is an interesting article, I feel Mr. Tuchman's article is a bit short-sighted. Fargo may be the largest 'city' in North Dakota', but it is not the only city nor does it have the only businesses in the state that keeps it in the black! North Dakota has the only state-owned bank and the only state-owned grain elevator in the United States. The Bank of North Dakota was started in 1919 to avoid high interest rates when borrowing from banks in Minnesota. The Bank's purpose is to further agriculture, business, and growth for North Dakotans. Also, while curling is a winter sport here it is definitely not the only sport popular, hockey, football, all the 'normal' sports one would expect!

By: Steve Hoffman

Steve Hoffman — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:50:00 +0000

I am a business owner in Fargo (flooring and kitchen & bath). We don't get the extreme highs or extreme lows when the economy swings way up or down. I came here many years ago from Pennsylvania, and wouldn't trade this place for PA or any other (except maybe Hawaii this time of year)! I just want to say to some of the others who have commented on the article; the Fargo-Moorhead area has a population of around 200,000 and we are not a bunch of uneducated, small town hicks. Our economy is diverse, our people well educated and our leaders don't spend every penny of our taxes. I've always said, "this is the perfect place to live except for the weather in winter."

By: Joan Michelson

Joan Michelson — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:41:10 +0000

Gary – GEM electric cars are manufactured in Fargo, North Dakota and have been for 11 years! 2008 was our "best year ever." Consumers, colleges/universities, state & local governments, even the miIitary and Capitol Hill drive 'em. Obama's new stimulus plan makes it even more affordable too. Who out there drives GEM cars?

By: Troy McQ

Troy McQ — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:36:06 +0000

Great news for Fargo! Just three hours south, our town of Aberedeen, South Dakota (population 25,000) is feeling the same optimism. While we have had some layoffs from manufacturing plants the community is in a big push to grow. We need houses and struggle to get them and apartments built, we're having a massive job fair on March 17 with dozens and dozens of companies participating. We have a great climate for entrepreneurism, lots of space to grow, buildings ready to move into, and a regional workforce which travels to town from upwards of 50 miles one way. Everyone's talking recession, but sales tax is up, visitor spending is up and companies are hiring.

By: Peg

Peg — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:54:17 +0000

OK, just to add my two cents worth...let's stop bickering about republican vs. democrat vs. the world...isn't it enough that we all have issues? North Dakota or New York – what difference does it make? WE as a nation are in major debt and what are WE going to do about it? I am from North Dakota and no, the recession hasn't hit big here...YET, but it will eventually make it's way into the state, just like everything else does. That doesn't make us immune from the financial virus that has attacked our nation, and our world. Take a hint from North Dakota and other conservative states – you DO NOT need to have the best of everything to live. You DO NOT need to make more than anyone else to be happy. Living extravagantly and beyond your means is what gets people into financial trouble – and the nation's government is not exempt from that statement. One more word of advice – let's take care of OUR OWN before we worry too much about everyone else. Without "US", there won't be anyone left to take care of "them".

By: Katy (in Fargo)

Katy (in Fargo) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:22:20 +0000

Oh & Curling????? Not all that popular. Drinking however is...we are the 5th "drunkest" city in the US.

By: Katy (in Fargo)

Katy (in Fargo) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:21:29 +0000

Well...I live here. My fellow co-workers & I are on a constant anxiety "high" not knowing if we are "next" or not. Fargo is not isolated from the recession & I am tired of hearing we are. I currently have 5 friends who have lost their jobs in the last month or so & it is not uncommon for people to have 2 or 3 jobs because the pay is so horrible here. I work for a major hotel developer...no financing=no building=no work. Also – we have a main HQ for Microsoft...just laid off 50 people along with some other large companies.
Yes we are better off....NO – we are definitely not isolated.

By: Art

Art — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:21:04 +0000

Maybe the folks in washington could learn something from this? Nice job, to everyone.

By: Gene Penszynski from Vermont

Gene Penszynski from Vermont — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:59:03 +0000

Having has my career outsourced at least twice from my high tech high paying jobs in the last eight years I am now a branch manager of a temp labor company and making a livable wage. I have been thinnking about this whole mess we are in and I've come to relize that this all is a result of something very straight forward.

Amid all the hype the origins of our current problem reduce to the fiollowing. ........

#1 Outsourcing of American infrastructure and the resulting high paying jobs with no government or private sector intiative to replace that lost infrastructure with something equivalent.

#2 Lack of any government or private sector leadership toward a Patriotic Economic policy. It's simply been GREED for short term gain thats been driving virtually everything over the last decade with no thought wat so ever toward our nation and it's people.

Everything from the housing crisis to the stock market are merely after effects of these flawed policies or lack of policies. I am now convinced that Until we correct them there will be no real long term solution. We will just continue to spiral down as a nation.

By: chuck

chuck — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:06:44 +0000

THat does not explain why some businesses are holding back on the work week of their employees and others are laying off people or have allready laid off many people----–A FARGO NATIVE OF 30 YEARS .....

By: llabesab

llabesab — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:42:48 +0000

I guess The Anointed One hasn't been to Fargo. Every city he visits gets the "Kiss of Death." Now, some poor dog will suffer because it's "so chic" for the White House to have a dog. Why not spare some poor, unfortunate animal that has done nothing to deserve such treatment and "adopt' Nancy Pelosi instead. She's been up the Anointed Ones's A-Hole anyway.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:00:15 +0000

I voted for Ron Paul...don't blame me.

- Resident of Fargo

By: nickolas banks

nickolas banks — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:25:03 +0000

Of course we are in bad shape,but we all have to understand that its a cycle. What makes everyone think this wont happen again maybe when im even 70 or 80 whick im only 21. MONEY and GREED

By: rasfanta

rasfanta — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:23:30 +0000

I'll tell you what happened to America: Immigration and globalism. Selling Americans a bill of goods about diversity and how good it is for us. Talking like this was still a brand-new country like during Mayflower times. Reducing Americans to facilitators for others, so much so, that Americans began to feel like the immigrant. Then came 911 and you were reminded that everybody is not America's friend. Let the world take care of their problems in they homes and we will take care of our problems here.

By: james IN,

james IN, — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:20:01 +0000

are they ever going to put a stop to Immigration From Mexico? seems they are taking all the jobs

By: me

me — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:12:43 +0000

Thats right CNN he hasn't taken a position on it yet. That does not mean he won't! Stop putting doubt into peopl. I'm sooo ashamed of CNN right now.......

By: Kristi

Kristi — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:47:54 +0000

I guess the secret's out! I've lived in Fargo my entire life and can't imagine being anywhere else. Good schools (including three 4-year universities – NCAA Division I, II and III), low crime, great people. Curling's ok, but as far as winter sports go, I think this is hockey country.

While oil may have helped boost ND's surplus, the fact that Fargo pulls a lot of people to town from a wide area for entertainment, health care, and shopping certainly doesn't hurt. Despite being a metro of about 200,000 people, it's still rarely more than a 20-minute commute from one end to the other. We're easily the biggest metro center in a 200+ mile radius and are at the intersection of 2 interstates. It's commonplace to see Canadian license plates (if not buses!) all over town to take advantage of the weak US dollar, especially around Christmas and for back-to-school shopping. If they're not in Fargo, they often in stop in Grand Forks, some 80 miles north.

ND's famous common sense approach doesn't just apply to economics. After the devastation left behind by Katrina and Rita I think many in the Red River Valley thought of the flood of 1997. There was no whining until government help came. Instead, there were communities banding together to sandbag strangers' homes, getting out their fishing boats to check on/evacuate neighbors, etc. There's an attitude of let's fix it and move on. Grand Forks completely rebuilt their downtown less than 3 years after being underwater and on fire at the same time.

I'll take the boring drives, the flatness, and the -50 wind chills any day – keeps the riff raff out. You haven't really lived until your eyelashes freeze together anyway! Fargo rocks!

By: Dan Helmchen

Dan Helmchen — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:39:09 +0000

Dennis Kusinich waiting for 12.5 hours to have an isle seat – is this a teanager at a Myle Syris concert.?

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:46:29 +0000

Citizens of the United States, regardless of their political base, should acknowledge the fact that President Obama is now confronted with an immense predicament born on the backs of financial swindlers. The recompense his cabinet might obtain is directly proportionate to the amount of bi-partisanship The President is able to obtain.

By: RC

RC — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:12:55 +0000

I have read the negative comments about North Dakota and many appear to come from residents of the eastern states of the US. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colors AND landscapes!! Our largest industry (agriculture) literally feeds the entire world. AND, we have coal, oil and some of the largest wind farms in the nation. Hey, Wall Street, NYC and DC- what is your major industry?- Production of the worst crooks in the history of civilization that made the world's biggest and greatest nation fall to it's knees!!??

And in response to Gene P from Vermont-

I am a transplant from the west coast and to say that our standards in ND are lower is WAY off base. Standard of living here outpaces any other area of the country and there is also a higher standard set for the people here too. FACT- One of the highest high school and college graduate rates, and more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the country! To say that your wages are higher compared to the same managerial job here is because "expectations are lower" is so very ignorant! I would guess to say that your cost of living is much higher in your area and that is why you get paid more to "eek" out a living.