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ATLANTAÛÓThe Southeast, a bastion of prosperity during every recent recession in the United States except for the one in 1974-75. suddenly is taking an economic beating.</br></br>This abruptÛÓand according to some, unexpectedÛÓdevelopment in the eastern half of the Sun Belt is an important indication of how severe the 1980 recession might be.</br></br>"We hear every day about how hard Detroit and other industrial cities of the Northeast and Midwest are being hit,Û said Charles J. Haulk. an economist at the Federal Reserve 3ank of Atlanta. Conversley "the people in the Southwest and West argue that, although they might slow down, they wonÛªt show an actual income decline.</br></br>Their performance in the 1974-75 re-, cessionÛÓand the strength of their aerospace industryÛÓgives credence to that assertion.Û</br></br>Haulk and other forecasters have had little difficulty predicting how the Northeast, Midwest and West would hold up during the recession.-But the economic performance of other regionsÛÓincluding ' the South! eastÛÓhas been far less predictable.