First I would like to say that I am pro-Federal Reserve, yet I also study a lot and follow many industries and have found fault with some of their beige book reports from what I have observed in the market place. Here is a 2003 observation on the discrepancies I noticed. I wish to comment on some of the data collection, which went into the South East Fed Beige book;

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2003/09/01/daily16.html?f=et69

I do not feel that the data collected is absolute or correct and it does not paint a total picture of rural areas in AL, GA, SC and labor issues in FL. I think that perhaps the FED, could do well by having a Mini-FED system for non-DMA. MSA areas run semi-independently and reporting to a division underneath the nearest Fed Bank. Otherwise you end up with cities, which are left out and rural specialty niche companies or industry sector players, which grow a specialty crop, make a specialty product, such as a little city in GA, which makes Fruit Cakes, known and sold around the world and country. We have specialty berry farmers in the North East corner of UT and they have issues that are dissimilar to other larger areas of Salt Lake, it is as if it is another world. Special problems with special needs.

Monies and income flows need to get to these locations also. We must remember that a large percentage of our population base in this country real Americans come from these small areas. They need a better say and if they can be involved even if just in name for increased confidence that they belong and that they are important and not forgotten, then they may find ways to move forward and feel confident and not board up windows on businesses, but rather put a HELP WANTED sign out front, because they are buying additional equipment and buying into the concept of what it is to be part of the greatest and economically strongest nation in the World. This can work. Areas of the rural parts of our Nation can survive and thrive. We do not need inner city urban flight and we do not need any towns bordered up and when rural America does well the Health of the Nation has the strength to fight hard economic times and become the Wealth of the Nation:

http://www.parthe.net/_cwg0503/0000003c.htm .

Remember you can chase ghosts and we can fool ourselves, but real Americans who are really part of all of us are in need of assistance and when they do we all do better, because the pie is larger, the GNP is bigger, the flow rates are more and everyone wins. Just remember;

“The Hardest thing of all is to find a Black Cat in a Dark Room…especially if there is no cat.” Confucius

No sense in overdriving our headlights or fooling ourselves with incorrect data just so we can show additional sorties at the expense of those we are sworn to help; The truth, the mission, the victory in that order. If these beige sheets are misdirection or wishful thinking to promote consumer and investor confidence, that is okay with me, but do not fool yourselves, otherwise when you put garbage in, you know what comes out at the dump. Think on this, as there are observers amongst us.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs