bleak forecast for new home building

News item:6/3/08. The U.S. Commerce Dept. reported construction activity fell .4% in April following .6% decline in March.Spending has not increased since Sept. 2007.New home building dropped 2.3% in May,the 26th consecutive monthly decline.Construction spending has been falling for more than 2 years.Earliest prediction,with no guarantee,out of slump is spring 2009. Skilled Labor is caught in this vise. Mortgage lenders have severely tightened loans.Tradesmen cannot sit idle and wait for this crisis to play out.They have bills to pay and dependents to feed.