PREVIEW — Jim McTague — A Tale of Two Economies: Household Budget Constraints. Reporting from Lancaster County, McTague documents the existence of a "tale of two economies" through interviews with a family at Costco, wherein the father asserted that the economy was performing adequately. However, the mother, who manages the household's financial expenditures and budgeting, expressed significant concern that household expenses exceed available resources, making economic survival increasingly difficult. McTague validates the mother's assessment through personal observation of light retail traffic and diminished consumer engagement, suggesting that official economic statistics may mask genuine household financial distress affecting middle-class purchasing power and discretionary spending capacity.
DURHAM IRON WORKS