One year ago...

Scott S · #1 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 11:46 AM

All of this equipment was employing 10 of my own men, 4 sub-contract cutters, 5-7 contact log trucks and giving revenue to half a dozen major vendors and dozens of smaller vendors.

We laid off the last of our employees yesterday...

I guess not working could be called CHANGE.

Scott S

Ron61 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 11:51 AM

Scott,

Sorry to hear that but it is rough everywhere. Oh for the Good Old Days before Obama.

Ron

Buzz · #3 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 05:32 PM

Sorry to hear about your difficulties, Scott.

"The good old days before Obama" is when this mess began. He may not be doing a stellar job of fixing the damage, but he certainly did not initiate the conditions that caused it.

HI Cobra · #4 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 08:58 PM

I hear you Scott - I am down to 4 guys part time and have had only about
40% of the contracts this year compared to last year. Construction here is
way down and it sucks.

Ron61 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 04:51 AM

Buzz,

Though after reading my post it does sound as if I was saying that Obama started this but that wasn't my intention. It started years ago with the greed and inflated house prices around here and no matter who was President I would have worded it that way. They keep saying that homes are selling better but I see more and more empty ones with foreclosure signs and for sale signs on them almost every time I drive around the streets. And the greed and corruption on Wall Street and in Washington with our own Govt. sure didn't help any either. Sorry for the mis-wording of the post that made it sound as if I was blaming this on Obama. I haven't seen much improvement from his programs here, but he never initiated the crash. I feel that it started several years ago and the indicators were there but no one seemed to pay any attention to them.

Ron

Seagull81 · #6 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 08:13 AM

Vote out incumbent politicians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott S · #7 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buzz

Sorry to hear about your difficulties, Scott.

"The good old days before Obama" is when this mess began. He may not be doing a stellar job of fixing the damage, but he certainly did not initiate the conditions that caused it.

Actually the President I blame the most is Clinton for the demise of the timber economy here in the wet west. His signing of the NAFTA agreement allowed the US to be flooded with Canadian wood products.

Scott S

Wayne Maybury · #8 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott S

Actually the President I blame the most is Clinton for the demise of the timber economy here in the wet west. His signing of the NAFTA agreement allowed the US to be flooded with Canadian wood products.

Scott S

Didn't President Regan sign NAFTA? Maybe he signed the Canada / US free trade agreement that preceeded NAFTA, I can't remember for sure.

Scott I understand your frustration but NAFTA is a 2 way street. I work for a Canadian forest products company and we have mills shut down all across the country. Our stock used to be worth $18 a share now you can buy all you want for 85 cents. I lost a bundle on our stock as our company really promoted employee stock ownership. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just saying that we are all hurting. The collapse of the US residential construction market has hurt many people.

As far as NAFTA and wood goes, there are literally hundreds of truckloads of round US wood coming into Canada every week. I have been watching them for years now as I drive down to my boat in upstate NY. I see a steady stream of loaded trucks heading north each Friday afternoon on I-87 as I head south. I don't know where they are coming from or where they are going but there sure are lots of them. As I said NAFTA is a 2 way street with winners and losers on both sides of the border.

Wayne

Ron61 · #9 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 08:16 AM

Wayne,

What is all of that imported wood being used for? I see maybe one or two log trucks a week any more around here and they are mostly hauling logs that are salvaged from all the burned areas before the bugs get to them. We have one mill that is running part time but even they are having problems moving lumber. All of the others shut down long ago.

Ron

Anthony · #10 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buzz

"The good old days before Obama" is when this mess began. He may not be doing a stellar job of fixing the damage, but he certainly did not initiate the conditions that caused it.

You're right. It was Clinton and Greenspan.

VRM · #11 (**permalink**) 11-03-2009, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony

You're right. It was Clinton and Greenspan.

Anthony,
Actually, Bush Sr was the one who was trying to get NAFTA passed.

Scott,
I was wondering how you were doing. I remember a few months ago that you were talking about having to let some people go, and I saw that your cars were listed for sale as part of your signature. I hope things turn around for you and the rest of the country soon.

Steve

mln385 · #12 (**permalink**) 11-03-2009, 10:24 AM

All business is just plain lousy, 2 years ago I had 12 guy's now we are down to 5 and that may be changing before year end.

Politicians are saying the recovery is here....I don't see it! If you ask me it is getting worse!

From my standpoint the wood and paper industry is going to get worse, we used to do alot of infrastructure work for the papermills around here.
However not many of them left around, do to the electronic era. The print industry is going by the wayside.

I would urge everyone to think about every purchase they make, where was it made how did it get here.
We need to get this country's livelyhood and infrastructure back.

7 + million out of work and just where are they going to go for a job??
Our manufacturing is going or gone,the service sector because of technology is going to Asia or less prosperous locations.

Just the cost of having one employee is cost prohibitive compared to those locations not to include their actual wage.

fsstnotch · #13 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 10:22 AM

Sorry to hear about that Scott. I know when i get a chance I watch this show on discovery called swamp loggers. probably 30 times during the show they say he needs 18-20 loads per day in order to break even. between mills closing and such for the day, i think the most i have seen is 1 day they made 17, but more often than not they're pulling 5, 2, 7... and everytime I think... well if 18-20 is what he needs to break even..... oh boy! Then equipment breaking down, and this and that and I think wow... it's really getting bad back there!

Good luck, hope things pick back up soon!

Excaliber · #14 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 09:41 PM

Bush! Gotta be, he did it, Al Gore tried to fix it but Cheney stopped him. Yup, it was Bush all right...

trularin · #15 (**permalink**) 11-02-2009, 07:28 PM

Sorry to hear of your situation Scott.