"We've been in business long enough to realize, to see through many cycles, if you will, and so you just see it through," said Elmont Betz, president of I.C. Betz Jewelers in downtown Columbia.

However, not all businesses downtown have his optimistic point of view. Britches has been open for eight years, and manger Shena Doerr said retail is down eight percent.

"This summer it was really slow. Compared to last year's numbers, we are down though," Doerr said.

Analysts said one reason sales have slumped is because of Wall Street, but the bigger reason is consumers have already spent their government stimulus checks.

From April through mid-July, the government handed out $92 billion in stimulus payments. The peak of these payments was in May, with $48.1 billion, with most of it going to cash registers. In August, this number dropped to $1 billion.

Betz said he thinks the economy will pick up again, and says his business will move forward.

"Don't listen to all the Chicken Little's saying that the sky is falling. We'll all be fine. Just get busy and do what we do as Americans," Betz said.

The City of Columbia reported sales tax receipts are slightly lower than one year ago showing business is flat, but not necessarily falling.

Two press releases from Blunt's office are available to read on KOMU.com. Click on the links above titled "Declining Uninsured" and "Blunt's Letter to the Post-Dispatch" to read the releases.