Greg Gerber posted on March 20, 2009 05:01
ELKHART, Ind. -- At the zenith of President Barack Obama's tour to promote his giant stimulus bill, he stopped in Elkhart, Ind., a town built on the struggling recreational-vehicle industry. Now the bill is law. But Elkhart isn't holding its breath.
Ed Neufeldt, a 62-year-old father of seven and a former RV worker, introduced the president at the rally. He spent much of his career running saws and wood routers.
"I don't know how those skills transfer over to building roads," he said, in reference a commonly identified stimulus project. Mr. Neufeldt, who like a majority of people in Elkhart County voted for Sen. John McCain, is working with a group of volunteers from his church -- fellow laid-off RV factory employees -- who are turning a funeral home into a shelter for people down on their luck.
Elkhart's mayor has identified a number of stimulus projects that could bring jobs. The bill's bolstering of medical and unemployment benefits will help, too. But Mr. Neufeldt and others in this town of 52,000 people, where the RV industry eclipses older musical-instrument and pharmaceutical businesses, say little will change unless credit markets revive and consumers start buying RVs again.
What is happening here is echoed in towns across the U.S., especially those with a narrowing economic base. East Peoria, Ill., is suffering alongside its major employer, Caterpillar, while Wilmington, Ohio, is dealing with the looming closure of the DHL air hub. New York City is reeling from the troubles in Manhattan's financial center.
Mayor Dick Moore said transportation and water-system improvement projects, among others, will create 2,300 jobs if the funding filters down. "The people in the plants are assembly-line workers, carpenters, plumbers, welders. All those skills would fit into those infrastructure projects we have," he says.
Ron Fenech, president and chief executive for Keystone RV, a local manufacturer, said the stimulus bill is for naught without the unfreezing of credit markets. "I can't imagine people lined up at the fence waiting for a $400 tax break to buy a $100,000 RV," said Mr. Fenech, whose company announced in February it was laying off 350 employees.
To read the complete story in the Wall Street Journal, click here.