Imagine, if you will, 75 years ago and the same article about hobos jumping trains. They are seeing people, seeing the world, bunking down, meeting people.
I mean, you decide for yourself, readers. I won't highlight a thing.
"Another recession sign: Room to rent; Homeowners seek to share expenses" by Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff | July 27, 2009
John Murphy does not want a roommate; he needs one. The former advertising executive, who bought his Milton home when he was earning a six-figure salary, has been unemployed for nearly a year and a half and hopes a boarder will help him make mortgage payments....
Murphy and other reluctant roommates like him are being forced by economic necessity to open up their homes and share living space. They have lost their jobs or taken pay cuts because of the recession. Many are age 40 and older, which makes their predicament especially difficult to accept; after decades spent working to buy some privacy, they find themselves facing living arrangements reminiscent of their college days.
“When employment is falling, people start doubling up,’’ said Mark Obrinsky, chief economist at the National Multi Housing Council in Washington, D.C., a trade group for the apartment industry. He said home ownership rates and apartment occupancy rates have fallen nationwide even though the general population has grown. That indicates more people are living with family, friends, and strangers, according to Obrinsky.
Roommate Express, a roommate matching service, said it is doing more business because of the sagging economy. The Arizona company, which charges a $100 nonrefundable fee to pair roommates, tracks requests by ZIP code and said Massachusetts inquiries are up over the past year, although specific numbers were not available.
Others in search of a roommate are increasingly turning to Craigslist and other listing websites, said Eric Boyer, who operates bostonapartments.com. The site, which offers a free roommate service, now has more people looking for roommates than housing, Boyer said.
Oh, I SEE!! This is about ADVERTISING for a BUSINESS!!! That's why it makes the FRONT PAGE! In addition to selling the "you got lemons, make lemonade" Amurka!!!
How much did the BANKS MAKE in PROFIT last quarter!
While cohabitation may have financial benefits, there are plenty of pitfalls, too. A wet towel on the floor can breed resentment, or an unpaid bill can provoke confrontation. And those are the milder conflicts, said Dan Ross, general manager of Roommate Express, who cited stories about roommates with troublesome pets and hidden drug problems. He said anyone looking for roommate should ask: “Do I need the money and how much can I tolerate?’’
Oh, yeah, you KNOW the GLOBE would attempt to DIVIDE PEOPLE!
They DO IT in EVERY ARTICLE and on EVERY AGENDA-PUSHING ISSUE (save for gays, global-warmers, wars, and illegals; then it's all one-sided)
Roommate Express said many of its Boston-area clients are people who bought homes at the height of the market and can’t sell them now without taking a loss....
Yup, I've heard that -- and no break from the banks.
Rhea Becker, 51, considers herself a veteran of the roommate circuit. Becker lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Jamaica Plain and has had several roommates over the last decade. Initially, she did it to cut costs, but came to enjoy having other people around.
“I think right now is a good time to promote the idea of living with other adults because of the economy,’’ she said. “It’s kind of pushing people over the edge.’’
So that means the MANSIONS will be THROWN OPEN?
Jeannie Rogers, an unemployed car saleswoman who said she values her privacy, is looking for someone to share the condominium she rents in Newburyport. Rogers, 49, said she hopes to find a roommate before her unemployment benefits run out: “I’d rather be alone, but....’’
Sometimes other issues override financial concerns. Gayle White of Boylston said her search for a boarder led to a man who seemed compatible - until he mentioned he was a nudist. “I probably should have said no right away,’’ she said, “but I thought about it.’’
Yeah, don't worry about the killer, the murderer, the drug addict, the alcoholic, the rapist! Just thank gawd you aren't shacking up with a nudist.
Probabaly ain't even worth a one-night stand.
Maybe you could move to Connecticut, 'eh?
"Conn. business closings a record" by Associated Press | July 26, 2009
HARTFORD - Some 6,944 Connecticut businesses shut down in the first half of the year, the most for the January-June period since the state began keeping track of the data in 2000.
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said 2009 may turn out to be a record year for business closures, but there are signs that the recession is bottoming out.
A net total of 6.5 million jobs have been lost nationwide since the recession began in December 2007.
--more--"
Yup, a recession the paper and government hid and lied about for ten months, and is now telling us it's over.
Btw, it is excess of 7 million+, but whose really counting, right, MSM?
