posted July 02, 2005 02:29 PM              

Mood in Mid-America

By Mark Sappenfield | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

GOODLAND, KAN. – Around here, Ivan Parks and his wife are almost synonymous with summertime celebrations. Their Sno-Cones have been the salvation of overworked high-school football teams up in Nebraska and the guilty pleasure of fair-going teenagers in the tiny farm towns of western Kansas - who know the Parkses' electric-blue kiosk by sight.
Yet this Independence Day, along with the unfurled flags and thunderous fireworks, there comes a discordant note for the Parkses amid the brassy marching tunes. The gnarled brim of his green cap pulled low, Ivan worries about $60-a-barrel oil and the end of Social Security as he has known it for his whole life. Glenda wonders if the loss of life in Iraq is worth it.

In the Monitor
Friday, 07/01/05

Mood in Mid-America

How can the West help Africa? A global Q&A

Rehnquist's court, but liberals gain

NASA bombs a comet - for science

Costs of care for veterans: high and rising

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Here in America's Heartland, the love of country is all but unquestioned, but concern over the nation's course spreads to every corner of the wide-open plains. Some of it is surprisingly candid - invectives against a president and his policies that would make a blue-stater blush. But more often, it is simply a fact to be accepted and overcome - like a poor harvest or a cold winter.

Indeed, on street corners from Rock Springs, Wyo., to Cambridge, Ohio, Middle America remains much as it ever was - straightforward, unfailingly polite, and above all resilient. It is in this resilience that these farmers and teachers and Sno-Cone salesmen put their hope. To them, America is its people and its laws, and these will endure policies, oil prices, and wars.

"That's the American dream," says Ivan. "Things get better."

For now, that remains just a hope for most Americans. Satisfaction with the direction of the country is dropping, according to Gallup polls, but at 42 percent it remains well above historic lows. Troubled but not panicked by the war in Iraq and a fitful economy, Americans have slipped into a lingering sense of unease.

American satisfaction levels are below average, "but it's not as catastrophic as we've seen at other times - like the early '90s and late '70s," says Frank Newport of Gallup.

It is an attitude that stretches to the Civic Center in Rock Springs, Wyo., where supervisor Laurie Barton watches children scurry past the front desk to the pool and basketball court. "I don't feel a lot of hope, but I also don't feel a lot of gloom and doom," she says. "We're at a stage where we have to be very careful."

Colleague Anne-Marie Orester is more blunt: "There are some bad things going on."

Squeezed between the barren crags of the Leucite Hills, Rock Springs is as close as this century comes to the Wild West of old. Beyond the Wal-Marts and McDonald's that crowd alongside Interstate 80 thrive modern-day prospectors and fortune-seekers, come to Rock Springs to ply the Jonah natural gas field north of town.

posted July 02, 2005 02:30 PM              

To be sure, this is the heart of Bush Country, but these states are not as monolithic as they would appear on an electoral map.

There is a deep concern about whether America is on the right path - and there is a diversity of opinions.

At the Stein House Cafe in Boonville, Mo., waiter Seth Bailey is holding forth. The subject is the war and the economy - the two subjects that Gallup pollster Mr. Newport says most influence public opinion - and the exchange is an echo of others from Rock Springs to Goodland.

Standing behind the mahogany counter, Mr. Bailey insists: "I don't think we should be playing supercop. We should be focusing more on trade and the economy."

'[Politicians] flat out don't listen to the people.'
- Violet Cummings, farmers' market vendor, Cambridge, Ohio
MARK SAPPENFIELD

Dressed in a crisp red and white sports jersey that shines faintly, Tom Filbert retorts: "During World War II we all came together, and everybody stayed focused. It's only a few years after [the Sept. 11] attacks, and our focus seems to be going away."

Around the counter, there is just as much chatter about the plans for a new Wal-Mart and what that could do to business in downtown Boonville. The consensus is that America can overcome its troubles better than Boonville.

For her part, Orester has faith in the foundations laid by America's Founding Fathers. "We have survived other things in the past, and we will survive this," she says with a flourish fit for parchment and quill. "What makes us a strong nation is not changing: our fundamental freedoms."

Across middle America, however, faith in the future of the nation comes from a variety of sources. It comes from the very nature of the place - the rhythms of a land where storm clouds line up like battleships on the horizon, and the fortunes of many are bound in the hope of a seed and a good season. Difficult days bring hard labor and patience, and these times are no different. So people do what they can, and hope for better.

"I'm not much of a bookworm," says Ron Schumacher of Rawlins, Wyo. "But give me a shovel and a pitchfork and I'll get after it."

Yet Mr. Schumacher also hints at perhaps an even deeper thread in everyday life in the Heartland. Sitting in front of his church, his straw hat filtering the glare of the midday sun, Schumacher says Americans need to "get down on their knees more."

'I want [my children] to grow up and see the good.'
- Lamar Lapp of Cambridge, Ohio, who has banished TV from his home
MARK SAPPENFIELD

posted July 02, 2005 02:32 PM              

"I want them to grow up and see the good," he adds. "And there are plenty of other things to do."

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06/17/05

As Iraq effort drags on, doubts mount at home

03/30/05

Bush faces decline in approval ratings

For others, though, religious faith is intertwined with their unfailing optimism for the nation. In Bush, they have a president whom they trust and understand. "The president is a man of deep conviction, and the decisions he makes are based on faith," says Tim Robertson, a teacher who has come to Salina, Kan., for a conference. His wife, Sharron, adds: "As a person of faith, I tend to look at life optimistically.... You have to go through the hard times before you build things up."

At the farmers' market in Cambridge, Violet Cummings is hovering over a collection of her homemade jams, trying to build up a better America one person at a time. At the moment, it's a gray-haired customer whom she greets with a broad smile and friendly chatter. Later this year, it will be all of Cambridge as she runs for a seat on the school board.

She's not happy about the way things are going in America right now, but she's already worked out the perfect solution: the people. "If politicians went to farmers' markets and talked to people, they'd realize that the people have good ideas," she says. "They flat out don't listen to the people."

So this fall, Ms. Cummings is going to try to make them listen. After all, she twinkles with the enthusiasm of an 8-year-old, "This country is awesome."

SOURCE: GALLUP SURVEYS FROM JUNE (2005), JULY (2000-2004), AND YEARLY AVERAGES (EARLIER YEARS).; RICH CLABAUGH - STAFF

posted July 02, 2005 07:09 PM            

They tried the same thing before the election and got a lot of laughs...laughs at their expense and the expense of leftist democrats trying to latch on to an issue.

Fact, consumer confidence is up to about a 3 year high. People are expecting to see the coming year even more prosperous.

Can the doom and gloom BS....unless it's just for laughs.

The Latest Press Release
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index Rises in June
June 28, 2005

The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in May, improved further in June. The Index now stands at 105.8 (1985=100), up from 103.1 in May. The Present Situation Index increased to 120.7 from 117.8. The Expectations Index rose to 95.8 from 93.4 last month.

The Consumer Confidence Survey is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households. The monthly survey is conducted for The Conference Board by TNS NFO. TNS NFO is one of the TNS group of companies (LSE: TNN). The cutoff date for June’s preliminary results was June 21st.

Says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center: “This month’s gain in Consumer Confidence has propelled the Index to a three-year high. The improvement in consumers’ mood suggests that business activity and labor market activity will continue to pick up over the next several months. And, with consumers in better spirits, and job concerns remaining relatively steady, there is little reason to expect a dramatic shift in consumers’ spending.”

Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions improved in June. Those claiming business conditions are “bad” edged down to 15.5 percent from 16.4 percent. Those claiming conditions are “good” was virtually unchanged at 26.9 percent.

The employment picture also showed signs of improvement. Consumers saying jobs are “hard to get” decreased to 22.6 percent from 24.1 percent, but those claiming jobs are “plentiful” was virtually unchanged at 22.6 percent. For the first time in nearly three years, the percentage of consumers saying jobs are “hard to get” does not exceed the percentage saying jobs are “plentiful.”

Consumers were more upbeat about the six-month outlook than last month. Those anticipating business conditions to worsen eased to 9.0 percent from 9.5 percent. Consumers expecting business conditions to improve was virtually unchanged at 19.2 percent. The outlook for the labor market, however, was much the same as in May. Consumers expecting more jobs to become available in the coming months remained at 15.2 percent, while those expecting fewer jobs edged up to 16.5 percent. The proportion of consumers anticipating their incomes to increase in the months ahead jumped to 19.4 percent from 17.8 percent last month.

posted July 02, 2005 07:16 PM            

AAA: 4th of July Travel Could Set Record
Jul 1, 6:58 AM (ET)

By The Associated Press

AAA says the Fourth of July weekend beginning today could see more Americans traveling than ever before. The automobile association estimates more than 40 million Americans will be traveling at least 50 miles from home over the long weekend.

The vast majority will be heading out on the highway to visit family and friends or to hit the beaches. And the travel service says higher gasoline prices won't be keeping Americans home. Pump prices are up, on average, roughly 24 cents a gallon over what they were a year ago.

Travel groups say motorists can expect bottlenecks in popular areas as the summer travel season hits high gear. Among the worst places to go traffic-wise is the mid-Atlantic shore, where backups in some spots often reach six hours.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050701/D8B2I3FG0.html

posted July 02, 2005 08:08 PM              

I can't speak for anyone else, but I shop when I'm nervous or depressed or otherwise doom and gloomy. Hardly ever when I'm happy. Maybe Americans are looking to fill a void? Maybe Americans aren't happy. If I max out my credit card at Nordstroms again, will I make you feel optimistic about the future of our country?

posted July 02, 2005 08:37 PM            

This is a report on what the Index is and what it measures.

Shame on you. Let me add to what your husband said... Naw, I already have a full plate

U.S. consumers and the war in Iraq: the non-economics of consumer confidence
Business Economics, April, 2004 by Robert Keyfitz

Consumer confidence receives close attention as a driver of present and future consumer spending prospects. Understandably, concerns about job security and bonuses have an effect on behavior at the shopping mall, but attitudes also seem to reflect factors less immediately connected to the economy such as terrorist threats and 'war jitters.' For instance, the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index (1) fell by 25 percent after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and later soared by 32 percent with a quick end to major combat operations in Iraq (Figure 1). Such magnitudes are far in excess of the economic impacts that might reasonably have been anticipated and indicate the existence of an important psychological component......
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1094/is_2_39/ai_n6110364