I wonder how this shipping strike will affect our economy. I remember the fear of shipping strikes while growing up in Hawaii, where practically everything you use has arrive on ship. My parents would stock up on toilet paper and other essentials, at the news of any potential shipping stirke.

I should probably call my mom, and remind her to stock up on essentials before the stores run out of stuff. I've been thinking if things get really bad, I can mail her stuff like toilet paper and whatever else she needs from here.

I think the Pacific Maritime Association and the shippers are being very short sighted in locking out the union dock workers. They are the ones that will suffer in the long run, when business look for other alternatives to shipping. Don't these people know that the economy is really bad right now and that their actions will only exacerbate our financial problems?

The Dow is down really low today. I've seen graphs that say if you pay attention to economic cycles, the Dow should drop down even further. A news report on the radio just said that the Dow had the worst quarter since 1987. I know people who lost fortunes in the stock market crash of the late 1980's. Things feel sometimes like they are going from bad to worse economically. This shipping strike so does not help anyone, except people who are interested in break the power of the unions. The Pacific Maritime Association, what is that old saying, is cutting off their nose to spite their enemy, or something like that. And the only victims in their war, is of course, the american consumer.