A global economic meltdown has sent auto sales tumbling 32 percent in October alone, which could shake the entire auto industry to its core.
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Toyota's stock nosedived 17 percent last week -- its greatest decline in 18 years -- after the company announced it will see an operating profit of just $6.9 billion, a 73.6 percent decline over last year. That's far worse than expected, and it underscores not only the dismal state of the domestic auto market but some strategic mistakes Toyota made on its way to becoming the biggest automaker in the world. Wired

They can stuff all the retraining they want into a 5 lb. sack; but until they create jobs, the unemployed are doomed.

For the first time in my entire life, I actually know people who are not only unemployed, but unemployed, in foreclosure, and filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. WTF!

Table D. States with statistically significant employment changes from September 2007 to September 2008, seasonally adjusted

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| September | September | Over-the-year
State | 2007 | 2008(p) | change(p)
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Arizona....| 2,670,700 | 2,611,500 | -59,200
Florida....| 8,014,500 | 7,899,000 | -115,500
Georgia....| 4,153,900 | 4,092,800 | -61,100
Michigan...| 4,249,500 | 4,171,600 | -77,900
Nebraska....| 965,800 | 978,600 | 12,800
Rhode Island....| 490,800 | 478,200 | -12,600
Texas....| 10,394,700 | 10,642,600 | 247,900
Wyoming.....| 290,100 | 298,300 | 8,200

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It is the economy, again, stupid. Working class families are fearful, but the opportunity for mis-information is high.

Senator Obama is using the Detroit Labor Day kickoff to emphasize three messages: addressing the needs of working people, the key role unions play in the election, and the role of manufacturing and the auto industry," Shaiken said. Both the Democratic presidential nominee and Republican rival Sen. John McCain are fighting for union members -- a key voting bloc in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other swing states. Link

Obama/Biden and the populist message are on-track.

Canada, Russia, Denmark, Norway and the United States are squaring off over 1.2 million square kilometers (460,000 square miles) of Arctic seabed, thought to hold 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas. Experts estimate the ridge has ten billion tons of gas and oil deposits and significant sources of diamonds, gold, tin, manganese, nickel, lead and platinum.

A UN convention says none can claim jurisdiction over the Arctic seabed because the geological structure does not match the surrounding continental shelves.

MI is still the home of the auto industry and dependent on them for its economic well being. From Gov. Granholm's state of the state:

... we will not concede the automotive industry to any other state or nation.

We are the state that put America on wheels – the state that put the “car” in NASCAR. There is no vision for Michigan’s new economy that does not include cars designed, engineered, and made in Michigan. The industry’s changing – but we in Michigan cannot – will not – abandon it. And we should not allow our government in Washington to abandon it either.