The 'wild card' is the consumer, who is in my opinion is in dire

straights. Over extended, under educated and with diminishing

earning and saving. This economy would be nothing without the

consumer who so far patriotically buying any garbage "made in china". Globalization is bad for the US economy as we don't

manufacture anything but bad movies in Hollywood. It was mentioned that we run a surplus. yes we had a surplus in California - it was wiped out by bad management and borderline

theft of resources - read "powercrisis". Similarily the US

surplus either will be spent on military build-up or just spent

by Congress on other nonense, like "buying friends" in the

middle-east for the "coalition" [img]/images/wink.gif[/img]

I know many have been talking doom and gloom of the economy

for many years without any consequence. It was similar to talking

about terrorist attach on US soil. Impossible many cried out.

US Intelligence will not let it happen. Terror and economic gloom

is not all different. Our "economic strength" is mainly smoke

and mirror statistics coming out of Washington. It's like saying

inflation is x without food and energy - who really needs food

and energy ? Remember you optimist - there are Lies, Big Lies and

statistics.