MOULTRIE —
Michael Barrone writes: "Home mortgage interest rates are the lowest in history, but house sales are plunging. Banks can make money easily because of the Federal Reserve's low interest rates, but they're not making many loans. Major corporations are sitting on something like $2 trillion in cash, but they're not investing.
Unemployment is running at 10 percent, rounded off, for the 11th straight month, but few employers are hiring and a million people have stopped looking for work in the last year. Small-business hiring is at a nine-month low, and retail sales are tailing off.
Government policies designed to stimulate the economy seem to be having the opposite effect. Consumers aren't buying, businesses aren't hiring, and those fortunate enough to have some cash on hand don't seem to be investing.
I call it the mattress economy.
People seem to be following this investment strategy. Step one: Go to Mattress Discounters and buy the biggest mattress you can find. Step two: Take it home, and stuff all your money in it. Step three: Lie down, and get some rest. " Read his commentary in Tuesday's Moultrie Observer.
Local News
2 p.m. update: The mattress economy
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![5th electricity 003[1].jpg](http://d6673sr63mbv7.cloudfront.net/archive/x1346838054/g06e00000000000000006485a27f6a41274f4fedd9e375199d40c2a4b1a.jpg "5th electricity 003[1].jpg")
Fifth graders learn about electricity
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Suspects struggle with deputies
An unlicensed driver who tried to avoid a license check Sunday morning didn’t help his cause when he allegedly struggled with two deputies after a traffic stop.
- Your Agenda 2/07/12
- 9:00 a.m. UPDATE: Homestyle News
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Wayne Littles: From Moultrie to the moon shot … and beyond
The year J. Wayne Littles graduated from Moultrie High School — 1957 — Russia launched the world’s first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1. The Space Race was on, and America was losing.
Five years later, with a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech in his hand, Littles joined the competition. Over the next half-century, the Moultrie native helped the United States put a man on the moon, develop a reusable space shuttle and establish a space station.
“I got into the program very early,” Littles recalled. “It was a very exciting time.” -
Fraud cases increase during tax season
With tax season in full swing, law enforcement agencies are fielding more and more reports of taxpayers whose personal information has been used for fraudulent tax filings.
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'Spike The Bully'
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EMC accepting applications for Washington Youth Tour
Colquitt EMC is accepting applications from area high school juniors to compete for an all-expense-paid spot on the 2012 Washington Youth Tour. The week-long once-in-a-lifetime leadership trip offers participants the opportunity to experience our government and our history up-close while having fun, making new friends, and gaining leadership skills.
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Hamilton School helps Humane Society
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SNAPSHOT: First performance
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