Evening star., 1960-11-04
jim BISHOP:
REPORTER


Everywhere I 60. people say
that business is q little on.
They mean slow. Not much.
Just q shade. It's probably
the election. 1t used to be, in
the days Of the red fire
torchlight professions, that
business went on as usual by
day, and everyone election
eered like mad at night.
Now, every community feels
that its future is hooked to
one candidate or another.
They love one; hate the other.
The one they despise will
ruin the country" This isn't
so. The President can make
errors, but the Congress re-
serves to itself the right to
ruin the country.
THE ELECTION has a
bearing on international rela-
tions. International relations
have a bearing on the stock
market. The stock market has
a bearing on automobiles and
steel mills and shipping COM
panies and television and
dairy products. These have a
bearing on business, large and
small.
I drove down from Jack
sonville to Miami. It was
warm and sunny and the
new convertible went through
the showers so fast that the
top stayed down and the
raindrops merely dampened
the laundry on the back seat.
One man in a gas station
had six pumps and no gaso-
line. Plumb out" he. said.
He was plumb out Of more
than gas. I drove out to Key
Biscayne and bought some
liquor for my friends. BEST
customer I had call day." said
the lady in the slit Chinese
gown. Except one pint of gin
this morning"
Before I left home, I talked
to a few merchants in Rocka-
way and Coney Island, in
Long Branch and Asbury
Park, and they told me that
the summer weather had
been good, but that business
was of. Now I get the same
story here. This island is
south of Miami Beach and
the few friends ! spoke to
told me that business in the
big hotels is sagging a bit.
Why not? The season hasn't
started. But there are cars
everywhere.
The people never looked
better. I can't tell. at a
glance, a bricklayer from a
retired millionaire. They all
have big cars. their wives
have furs. they own their own
homes, they have TV sets,
radios, nice furniture. full
refrigeratorS - some people
would find fault with heaven.
The billboards advertise so
many products that my head
swims. The newspapers look
fat and prosperous. The tele-
vision stations have so many
advertisers that they run two
or three commercials at q
time.
What's wrong? Nothing.
We've become q nation of
winners. When business is
good, we say it's $50 So"
When it's spectacular, we
say: 1--WE got my fingers
crossed" When it's normal,
we say: "It's 80 per cent of
and I'm facing bankruptcy.
I'm in a villa at the Key
Biscayne. I have neve seen
so many well-fed, fat NOM
mas in my life. They wear
saffron shorts. The men, who
worked their way up to a lush
vacation like this, sport wild
shirts and Hawaiian shorts
and sandals.
IF BUSINESS is bad, what
the heck are they doing here?
On inquiry, I find that it is
difficult to get a room. Not
only here, but in many Of
the hotels. This is only the
second week in November.
The cars have license plates
from all over the Union.
In my little town-Sea
Bright, N. il heard Nils
Jacobsen, a councilman, say
that he could no longer get
men to work in the streets
for SIPS an hour at COM
mon labor. The men who
were available wouldn't take
it. and this went for teen
age boys too.
Who's kidding whom? This
Is the most favored nation
in the most favored centur,
Copyright, 1860, King Features
Syndicate. Inc.