A Ruinous Winter

With the US economy on an already weak footing, the lower forty-eight states have been battered by one of the worst winters in years. Retailers suffer when customers can not make it in to stores. Builders incur greater costs when projects are delayed by snow and ice. Even shipping services like UPS and Federal Express have to take icy roads into account, delaying deliveries and hurting the bottom line. Municipal snow removal crews are raking it in though, with many cities having to pay overtime to keep roads clear. Such rough weather does an economy teetering on recession (or worse) no good.