Hi Bro Ben!

I think between a Rising Unemployment Rate, Falling Stock Market, AND Major Oil Spill..folks aren't expecting MUCH Improvement on the Horizon. The Press's been leaking factoids on How Much BETTER-Compensated GOVERNMENT Employees ARE..compared to the PRIVATE Sector...and last week leaked the fact we have 100 MORE Generals in the Military (600 currently) than we did back when 9-11 occurred while we have (I think they said) 100K LESS Troops in-uniform. (Those Gen's earn $160K a year...vs $50K-Less back in 9-11 Days.) Our National Debt equals our Gross Domestic Production currently.

The "Kicker" for me was the mention "The US now imports about 67% of its Oil"..when I'd thought it was just 20%.

I'm not particularly looking forwards to any more "Change"..unless it's Change for The BETTER..(but that usually requires more LOOT-Available to MAKE that Change.)

I'll give Obama credit for getting us MOSTLY out of the War in Iraq...but it's eating up about a Million-per-Marine annually to staff those forward-firebases in Afghanistan. (so said the Evening News on TV a few weeks ago.) I see all the Victims on Our Side as I walk the halls of the VA Hospital...(The VA, BTW, eats up 20% of the Federal Budget currently...&...you can expect THIS Bill to Rise..as long as we fund Wars Overseas..year after year.)

I THINK I'm a year-away from Retirement...Yet I've seen our Real Estate Values down here in FLA pretty-much HALVED in Value over the last 3 years. We've learned to "Live-On-Less"...I think it's HIGH TIME Our Government learned-The-Same...before we join the Greeks as a Nation-Insolvent..but on a Much Larger-Scale.

All's JMO.
Best Wishes, Good Luck.
Stan