Dr. Raftery, today I took a drive through my old stomping grounds, NW Illinois. What struck me was the deterioration in the economy.
The town where I lived, Warren (population 1600), for seven years, 1981-1988, is moving toward becoming a ghost town. The small downtown is even smaller – with scores of empty buildings now. The houses lack upkeep, e.g. paint.
What really jumped out at your humble servant here were the protest signs! There were, for the first time ever, in my memory, hand-painted protest signs against agri-business gobbling up more small operators, against real estate speculators snapping up farmland, and a protest against the Galena State Bank for foreclosing on a veteran. Plus, my friend’s booming real estate business is now closed; he was not home for me to get an update on why. You get the picture.
It is the first sign of populism that mirrors the Wall Street Occupy.
Wall-Mart was busy outside Galena, but the people looked rough, and the clerks seemed to be persons who had jobs elsewhere at one time, for they were older, 40ish.It was a real eye-opener about the deterioration, dislocation, desperation growing out there.
Mt. Horeb is buffered yet because of its proximity to state offices and civil service commuters from here. Thank God I am in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin near Madison.
This weekend’s drive mirrored what I saw last weekend in my hometown, Portage, Wisconsin, but the dislocation in NW Illinois is even worse. We are moving into uncharted waters, and land is not yet in sight. Take care.
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