An article about a U.S. Commerce Department ruling that some imported bottom-mount refrigerators were sold at prices unfair to American competitors led to several letters.

“There is no way that free enterprise businesses can compete and win against companies being underwritten by their countries.

“There is a core group of Americans who are being ignored in this NEW GLOBAL FREE TRADE economy. Not everyone can go to college or be trained for high tech jobs.

Construction spending across all sectors reached an estimated $816.4 billion in December 2011, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, a 1.5% increase above the revised November estimate.  The December figure is 4.3% above the December 2010 estimate of $782.9 billion.

Much of the gain can be attributed to spending on nonresidential construction, which totaled an estimated $288.5 billion in December 2011, 3.3% above the previous month. The latest figures were also a 2.4% boost over December 2010, where spending on nonresidential construction hit $261.8 billion.

Appliance maker Whirlpool prevailed in a preliminary finding by the U.S. Commerce Department that foreign producers in South Korea and Mexico -- including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics -- violated United States and International trade laws by “dumping” bottom-mount refrigerators in the United States.

Nationwide housing starts rose 14.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 629,000 units in June, according to the latest residential construction report from the U.S. Commerce Department. This was the highest pace of housing production since the beginning of the year, and was attributable to significant gains registered in both the single-family and multi-family segments, as well as every region of the country.

Sales of new single-family houses in April 2011 rose 7.3%, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, to an adjusted annual rate of 323,000. This increase over March’s figure of 301,000 units is still below April of 2010, when the estimated number of home sales was 420,000.

The median sales price of new houses sold in April 2011 was $217,900. 

Figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Jan. 31 showed a 7% increase in consumer spending in December 2010, compared with the previous month. This continues an upward trend: Personal expenditures also rose in November 2010 by 4%.

Personal income increased 4% for the second straight month in a row, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.