Economy Watch Want Ads in metro dailies are a terrific barometer of the economy because these ads cost money and open the employer to those minority/women law suits, metro dailies are the last place you will see ads. Today in the LA Times there are a ton of ads. Electricians, Plumbers, Engineers, Tool and Die Makers, column after column for drivers; in short everything you can think of. There's a ton of jobs out there. A ton. Look for another HUGE number in the next Jobs report. Almost every retail store has signs in the window for sales people, copy shops ditto, and fast food places have signs out. No wonder the Democrats are talking about nothing but the war.