Killing Us Softly
by bear bait
Fitting, no? Last day for the PI and last day for Weyco Dallas? Leadership in business from the State of Washington…
Construction on the rise, but Weyerhaeuser closes mills
By Andrea James, Seattlepi.com (the hard copy dead tree manifestation is defunct as of today), March 17, 2009 [here]
U.S. housing starts and building permits rose in February, providing a welcome economic surprise for the lagging housing market, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Data on housing starts measures how many new homes have started construction. New building permits help to determine future home construction. In February, housing starts rose 22.2 percent to 583,000 units, and new building permits rose 3 percent.
The slow housing market has led to falling demand for wood products, and February’s increases [see below] weren’t enough to stop the Weyerhaeuser mill closures announced this morning.
Weyerhaeuser Co., based in Federal Way, said that it would close two lumber mills, affecting 307 employees.
The mills, in Wright City, Okla., and Dallas, Ore., will close immediately, the company said. …
The company has closed 10 wood-products manufacturing facilities this year and reduced operations at all sites.
Housing starts surge; wholesale prices edge up
By Martin Crutsinger, Seattlepi.com (the hard copy dead tree manifestation is defunct as of today), March 17, 2009 [here]
WASHINGTON — Housing construction posted a surprisingly large increase in February, bolstered by strength in all parts of the country except the West.
The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments jumped 22.2 percent in February compared with January, pushing total activity to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 583,000 units. …
So Whorehouser announces they are shutting down Dallas… for good… permanent… adios… cut and run.
The centerpiece of Willamette Industries, the original Gerlinger Mill, the Willamette Valley Lumber Co., now erased. Out of their shops came the Gerlinger lift truck (which became Salem Equipment), Gerlinger motor truck (which became Kenworth), and Gerlinger forklifts (which became Towmotor which became Caterpillar). Pretty big stuff for the entire world out of one little lumber company’s blacksmith shop. They built steam donkeys and locomotives, too, or at least repaired and rebuilt them.
So how pissed am I about Montana’s Sen. Baucus and his sweetheart $178,000,000 tax break last year for Weyerhaeuser????? They stole money from the taxpayers, and got away with it by purchasing a U.S. Senator. Baucus was extorted and rewarded in order to have Weyco’s blessing for his giant bailout of Plum Creek Timber in Montana — the purchase of cutover PCT lands with a billion dollars of taxpayer support courtesy the US Senate and the tax avoidance NGOs of the Environment.
Assholes all. — bear bait
