'This is the worst recession for over 100 years' UK

Maybe I am being overly optimistic but it appears that things are turning around in this part of the country. Keep in mind that unemployment hasn't been as bad here in the breadbasket as in the urban and industrial states.

I bught a number of the Dow 30 stocks about a year ago and they are coming along just fine, especially dear old MMM, my wife's former employer. I have about a 35% gain on that stock and it may split again, which is typcial of 3M stock when it gets up in the 80s. A little natural gas stock has pleasantly surprised me as the company isn't profitable. It is owned by BF Goodrich and its ticker symbol is GDP.

I have only a small amount invested and spread my risk by going into a number of issues rather than keeping my eggs in one basket. Kraft Foods has been a laggard up intil the last day or two and I see this morning it finally turned a profit for me.

Our municipal bonds are stable in price as usual, and they continue to pump out that 7 to 8 percent tax exempt money each six months. Sometimes I get nervous about the airport bonds but they pay well compared to the more conservative ventures. My advice is to forget corporates because they just don't ack it for my needs.

I used to have a bunch of REITS and they paid very well, sometimes over 8 percent dividend and then a nice capital gain after holding them a while. Someone expressed the opinion the other day that commercial real estate will take off again, as opposed to the more sluggish home real estate. REITS can own the properties for income or can hold mortgages that are backed by properties. That is just two examples of how they operate. Some of the gains receives special tax treatment.

I used to think that medical REITS would be a desirable risk but it did not pan out for me. The warehouse and public storage REITS did do well. Small retail strips also do well in normal times.

I don't look for unemployment to ease up much for a long time as managers have gotten bit hard on low profits due to soft sales. My son in law is an assistant manager at a good producing Party City store in the Dallas area and may lose his job this week. It is the old game of running off the mature experienced help that make better wages and using low cost flunkies to improve the store's profits.

I know that some of you union fans will not like this, but the fucking unions have shot themselves in the foot and have priced themselves out of the market with their incessant demands. When automation and technology no longer could absorb the increased labor costs then the management shuttered the domestic plants and went off shore to greener pastures. It doesn't seem fair but it has been proven that with training and management a bunch of third world peons can also make quality merchandise. So you greedy bastards need a change of mindset if you enjoy working and having a paycheck.