Cape County bucks spending trends

The October sales-tax figures are still out for Cape Girardeau County, but early indicators are that they will be encouraging.

Cape Girardeau-area consumers apparently outspent the rest of the nation in September, when terrorist attacks seemed likely to keep everyone out of the stores.

The September sales-tax collections for the county were up 39 percent over a year ago.

The county has collected $4.73 million in sales tax so far this year, up from $4.56 million at this time last year.

The September sales tax figure was up 38 percent for the city of Cape Girardeau, although the check, received in November, may have included some auto sales from October.

Southeast Missouri State University economics professor Bruce Domazlicky was at a loss to explain why the local figures bucked the trend for nation as a whole.

Maybe there's no scientific explanation.

But county auditor Weldon Macke offers a possible clue to the area's economic strength:

"They listened to the president and went ahead and spent."