Economic Disintegration is Almost Here

The disintegration of an economy and a society can take two courses. One course is like rust. It is slow and barely perceptible. The other is a sudden collapse. The first course, if left untended, eventually  turns into the second.

The US economy is now rusting away. Arguably it has been for decades. For anyone interested in looking, the signs are there. They will soon become unavoidable for even the most disinterested of our citizens.

Dan Amoss correctly described what is happening as a result of Washington's overbearing involvement in the economy:

All government-directed economic activity grows at the expense of the private sector. And the election suggests that government coercion will drive even more U.S. economic activity in the future. This is a shame, because freely adjusting prices, competition, and innovation elevate living standards. Mandates, price controls, and subsidies - coercive actions - depress living standards. Quality falls. Shortages develop and persist.

Mr. Amoss is correct but does not forcefully convey the reality of a dying economy. These effects are beginning to appear.

Many businessmen hung on, hoping for a change in the madness that passes for economic leadership and policy. These hopes were dashed with the re-election of the ideologue driving the madness. Obama won the electoral college, but not the confidence of business. They are just beginning to cast their votes and it does not bode well for the future. Here is a partial list of the business reactions to the outcome of the election:

Layoffs Announced Since Election:

• 1. Abbott Labs 700
• 2. Activision 30
• 3. Adventist Health 48
• 4. Airlines SAS 6000
• 5. AMD 400
• 6. American Cotton Growers 110
• 7. ArcelorMittal 20
• 8. American Independence Museum 4
• 9. Ameridose 790
• 10. American Airlines 4400 + 800 leaving voluntarily
• 11. American Coal 54
• 12. Atlantic Lottery Corporation 16
• 13. Assc Milk Producers 130
• 14. Aveo Oncology 45
• 15. ATI 172
• 16. Bankia 5000
• 17. Bechtel Power Corp 277
• 18. Bigpoint Games 47
• 19. Boston Scientific 1200
• 20. Brake Parts LLC 75
• 21. Brattleboro Retreat 31
• 22. Bristol Myers 500
• 23. Career Education 900 + Closing 23 Campuses
• 24. Cigna 1300
• 25. Citigroup 100
• 26. Commerzbank 6000
• 27. Consol Energy in W.V. 145
• 28. Covidien 595
• 29. Crouse Hospital Syracuse NY 70
• 30. Cummins 150
• 31. CVPH 27
• 32. DEP in Tallahassee FL 15
• 33. DuPont, Co. 64
• 34. Eagle-Tribune, Andover 21
• 35. Emanuel Medical Cente 24
• 36. Energizer Holdings 1500
• 37. Ericsson 1550
• 38. Exide Tech, Laureldale 150
• 39. City of Findlay, OH 39
• 40. First Energy 400
• 41. Gameforge Berlin 20
• 42. Gamesa Energy 92
• 43. GenOn Energy Inc 33
• 44. Glen Falls Hospital 29
• 45. Groupon 80
• 46. GT Advanced Tech 165
• 47. Harris' Broadcast 17
• 48. Hawker Beechcraft 400 + Facilities closing
• 49. Hill Rom 200
• 50. Hills Holdings 300
• 51. HMX Group 567
• 52. Hostess 627
• 53. Iberia Airlines 4500
• 54. ICM of Colwich 25
• 55. ING 2350
• 56. Judson University 21
• 57. Juniper Networks 500
• 58. Kaiser Permanente 84
• 59. Kinetic Concepts 427
• 60. Kratos Defense Security 125
• 61. Lackawanna County PA 11
• 62. Lightyear Network Solutions 12+
• 63. Lonza 500
• 64. Majestic Star Casino/hotel 80
• 65. Major Wind Company 3000
• 66. Martha Stewart Living 70
• 67. Medtronic 1000
• 68. Mills Manufacturing NC 68
• 69. Momentive, Inc. 150
• 70. Monitor Group 235
• 71. Montco Behavioral Health/Dev 58
• 72. NBC 500
• 73. Nebraska Medical Center 38
• 74. Neovia Logistics Services 52
• 75. New Energy 40
• 76. Ormet 200
• 77. Panasonic 10000
• 78. PayPal 320
• 79. Penn Refrigeration 40
• 80. Penske Logistics 50
• 81. Pepsi 4000
• 82. Philips Electronics 218
• 83. Pierce Mfg 325
• 84. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne 100
• 85. Research in Motion 200
• 86. Rheem Manufacturing 50
• 87. Sentry Foods 70
• 88. Shaw's Supermarket 700
• 89. Shawano foundry WI 90
• 90. Smith & Nephew 770
• 91. Smithfield Packing Co. 125
• 92. Solel Solar Systems 140
• 93. Southeastern Container 15
• 94. SpaceX 100
• 95. SRA Intl Inc 222
• 96. St. Jude Medical 300
• 97. Stryker 1170
• 98. Sulake 60
• 99. Sun Media 500
• 100. TE Connectivity 620
• 101. TECO Coal Corporation 90
• 102. Texas Instruments 1700
• 103. The Providence Journal Co 23
• 104. TMX Group Ltd. 100
• 105. Turbocare 220
• 106. Turkey Point Nuclear Plant 277
• 107. Oce North America, Inc. 135
• 108. Turbocare OCE 220
• 109. UBS 10000
• 110. US Cellular 980
• 111. UtahAmerican Energy Inc 102
• 112. Volvo Trucks Pulaski County 300
• 113. Wake Forest Baptist Medical 950
• 114. Welch Allyn 275
• 115. West Ridge Mine 102
• 116. Westinghouse 50
• 117. World Media Enterprises Inc 105
• 118. WPS Health Insurance 600
• 119. Wright Patterson AFB 115
• 120. Wyodak Coal Mine 11
• 121. Xerox 2500
• 122. Yakima Reg Med Ctr Washington 10+

Announced Business Closures Since Election:

• 1. Bakers Footwear closing 150 stores nationwide, including 21 in California
• 2. The SCA plant in Barton - Plans Staff Reductions
• 3. Handy Hardware to close its 2-year-old Meridian, Miss. warehouse
• 4. Caterpillar Inc. will close its plant in Owatonna Minn.
• 5. Waltz Pharmacy in Waldoboro Maine
• 6. Zac's Place in Hinsdale IL
• 7. Lone Star Steakhouse at 70th and O streets and Ruby Tuesday at 56th Street in
• 8. Lincoln NE
• 9. Career Education Corp - Closing 23 Campuses - 900 Jobs Lost
• 10. Handy Hardware to close its 2-year-old Meridian, Miss. warehouse
• 11. Shamrock Bar at Payne City's Rose Avenue. in GA
• 12. Monitor Company Group LP
• 13. ThinkEquity LLC
• 14. Homer City Funding LLC
• 15. Caterpillar Inc. will close its plant in Owatonna Minn.
• 16. Mount Pleasant's Albrecht Sentry Foods
• 17. The Target store at Manassas Mall Va.
• 18. Millennium Academy in Wake Forest NC
• 19. Target Closing Kissimmee FL Location
• 20. Calgary's iconic Rideau Music store ( International )
• 21. The Andover Gift Shop in Andover MA
• 22. Grand Union Family Markets Closing Storrs Location CT
• 23. Movie Scene Milford Location NH
• 24. Update: TE Connectivity Closing Greensboro Plant - 620 Layoffs Expected
• 25. Gomer's Fried Chicken in South Kansas City
• 26. Kmart in Homer Glen
• 27. Fresh Market on Pine Street in Burlington
• 28. AGC Glass North America to permanently close its Blue Ridge Plant in Kingsport Tenn.
• 29. The Target store at Platte and Academy in Colorado Springs
• 30. Island Colors - A Carolina Beach Clothing Store
• 31. The Roses store on Reynold Road in Winston-Salem NC
• 32. Meanders Kitchen losing its West Seattle location at 6032 California Ave
• 33. Bost Harley-Davidson at 46th Avenue North and Delaware Ave. in West Nashville TN
• 34. Townsend Booksellers in Oakland
• 35. The Kmart store in Parkway Plaza off University Drive in Durham NC - 79 Jobs Lost
• 36. Guarantee Shoe Store in Beaumont Texas
• 37. Associated Milk Producers Inc. Closing manufacturing facility in Dawson Minn. - 130
• 38. Jobs Lost
• 39. FacadeTek Inc Closes Whitestown Facility - 72 Jobs Lost
• 40. Comet Market in Punxsutawney Pa.
• 41. JC Penney store in Miracle City Mall Titusville FL
• 42. TurboCare Inc Closing Manchester CT Facility - 88
• 43. The United Colors of Benetton store on Armitage Avenue IL
• 44. Update: Bicycle shop Ten 27 Cycles 1027 Davis St. in Evanston IL
• 45. Two Sears Product Rebuild Centers in The Woodlands Texas
• 46. FesslerUSA Clothing Maker Closing in PA
• 47. Ralph Lauren's plans to close its 14 stand-alone Rugby locations
• 48. Nashville Sash & Door Co. Inc Tenn.
• 49. First Portuguese church in North America in Bedford Mass Closing?
• 50. International Fashions in Carbondale's University Mall IL
• 51. Harper's Old Army Surplus Store in West Monroe La
• 52. Nova Financial Holdings
• 53. The Party Warehouse in West Springfield Mass.
• 54. TLC Wine and Liquor at 1205 W. Main St in Kent Ohio?
• 55. The HAPPY Place 1042 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA
• 56. Air Carrier Accessory Services - Chapter 7
• 57. SOW Inc. shelter on South Broad Street GA?
• 58. Systemax Inc., Closing Miami County Ohio Computer Plant - 120 Jobs Lost
• 59. Textbook publisher McGraw-Hill Cos. Closing 2 Distribution Centers - 166 Layoffs
• 60. First Place Financial Corp
• 61. Nash Finch Closing Cedar Rapids Iowa Food Distribution Center
• 62. Johnnie's Foodmaster MA Closing all 10 Locations
• 63. Rainbow Foods will be closing its Forest Lake location MN - 59 Layoffs
• 64. Berry's Camera Shop Inc. in Downtown Lafayette
• 65. Schreiber Foods to close their food packaging plant in Ravenna - 70 Jobs Lost
• 66. Kmart store at 5300 Salem Ave. Trotwood Ohio
• 67. Mr.Christie plant in Toronto ( International ) 2013 - 550 Jobs Lost
• 68. Coffee with T cafe in Stevenson Village business MD
• 69. Minas Basin Pulp and Power are closing a mill in Hantsport ( International ) - 135

Actual Layoffs:

• 1. The Colonial Country Shoppe on Park Street in Adams MA
• 2. Vestas Wind Systems Closing R&D; Office in Louisville - 60 Jobs Lost
• 3. Dollar Castle in downtown Ferndale MI
• 4. Bistro One West in St Charles IL
• 5. Sun Dog Diner in Neptune Beach FL
• 6. Jim's Builders Hardware in Wichita, Kansas
• 7. Madeleines Bakehouse in Fort Wayne Indiana
• 8. Barnes & Noble plans to close its doors in Union Station Dec. 31
• 9. The Semiahmoo Hotel in Blaine Washington
• 10. Highland Curves CA
• 11. The Salem Sport Shop in Salem Ohio
• 12. Navistar International Corp. to Close truck assembly plant in Garland, Texas - 900
• 13. Jobs Lost
• 14. Divine Mercy Catholic Books & Gifts Denton Texas
• 15. Singer Mental Health Center in Rockford IL
• 16. Garelick Farms Ends Production at Bangor Maine Facility
• 17. Fashion Tech Window Coverings in Portland?
• 18. Custom House Tavern Chicago IL.
• 19. Jim's Builders Hardware in Delano
• 20. Lone Star Steakhouse at 1801 22nd St. in West Des Moines
• 21. Sears to Close Woodlands Product Rebuild Center - 117 Jobs Lost
• 22. Whitehead Inc Rockford Real Estate Company
• 23. Robert's Mens Shop in Downtown New Philadelphia Ohio
• 24. Fort Tecumseh Olde Fashun Store in Ohio
• 25. Lakewood Beginnings Child Development Center in Lakewood Ohio
• 26. Green Fields Seed & Feed in Grand Junction Colo.
• 27. The Army and Navy Store in Melrose Mass.
• 28. Vitalistic Therapeutic charter school PA
• 29. Diamond Foods Inc Closing a plant in Fishers Indiana
• 30. Old Town Alehouse 5233 Ballard Ave in Seattle
• 31. Space Aliens restaurants in Minot and Grand Forks ND
• 32. DeWaay Financial Network LLC
• 33. Sears at Quail Springs Mall Oklahoma City OK.
• 34. Fashion Bug in O'Fallon MO is closing in January
• 35. Kmart Store in Oak Hill W. Va
• 36. Update: Jett & Hall men's clothing store in Richmond KY
• 37. D.C. school List of Possible Schools Closing to Be released Later today
• 38. Dunkin' Donuts in Holly Hill FL
• 39. Hostess Brands Inc Permanently Closing 3 Bakeries Following a Nationwide Strike
• 40. Philips Electronics subsidiary Lightolier will close its local fluorescent light
• 41. fixture manufacturing plant in Willington
• 42. Smithfield Packing Co. will close in 2013, laying off a total of 400 employees
• 43. SuperFresh outlets in Marlton and Westmont NJ
• 44. The Bagel Shoppe in Katonah NY
• 45. Ben Franklin and Homestead House Gifts in the Kimball Ridge Center in Waterloo IA
• 46. Several West Virginia Suzuki dealerships Being Forced to Close
• 47. Kowalski Cos Closing All 4 of its Metro Detroit Delis but to Continue Food
• 48. Production
• 49. Three Memphis charter schools and one in Nashville Tenn. Could Close Due to Poor
• 50. Test Scores
• 51. The Custer School District SD - Closing 2 Rural Schools
• 52. The Dressing Room, on North Lincoln Avenue IL
• 53. The Utica Office Of Ibope Ny

Bankruptcies:

• 1. AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc
• 2. Aletheia Research & Management Inc
• 3. Omtron USA
• 4. Helmkampf Construction in Olivette
• 5. Clear Light Publishers
• 6. Monitor Company Group LP
• 7. ThinkEquity LLC
• 8. Homer City Funding LLC
• 9. US Suzuki Distributor - Chapter 11
• 10. Revolt Technology

This list should frighten every thinking American. It is a huge warning regarding what lies ahead. These changes are coming to an economy that is already unable to provide jobs or sustain living standards.

Decline is a slow process, until it becomes fast. It is not easy to see at first. It should be obvious to most that our economy is approaching a critical stage. When you have destroyed the trust and confidence of business, there will be no job creation.

Some parting words are in order for those responsible for the decisions reflected above. Shutting down and giving up is anathema to the spirit that built this country and is now only found among our entrepreneurial class. It goes against the very fiber that drives success. It is a last resort for entrepreneurs.

The decision to quit is lonely, involves guilt, self-doubt and remorse. It is the last act for someone that has tried everything to avoid it. Giving up and withdrawing is not an act of retribution. People do not willingly choose to go to Galt's figurative gulch. They are forced there.

While the masses exult in the continuation of their  food stamps, cell phones and other booty, the real story of this election is yet to be told. The nation is about to find out that policies and elections have consequences more important than free stuff.

The war against private enterprise can no longer be denied. President Obama's re-election ensures that it will continue and likely accelerate. The makers are beginning to give up. The takers don't have a clue. Soon the country is going to get a real-life lesson in economics. TANSTAAFL (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch) is about to be learned.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/economic_disintegration_is_almost_here.html#ixzz2CokMxmgu