>Frankly, the US economy is quite healthy as far as the long term is concerned. We have weathered 2 minor dip recessions and seen unprecedented growth since the early eighties without anything like the downturns of prior decades. Increased trade has lessoned the burden on Americans alone to consume our products and increased our exposure to lucrative foreign markets and vice versa.

How could any economy be healthy (long term) with an ever increasing trade deficit ?? It stumps me.

>The truth is there's no such thing as poor in America. While some may have less than others, in relation to the rest of the world, America's poor are wealthy.

Have you been in Europe at all? In europe the poor have access to affordable healthcare.
very enlighting when you read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States

>The very idea that American's experience "hard times" economically is laughable. Only our spoiled, ignorant and arrogant populace could "feel" downtrodden while living in the greatest economic vehicle the world has ever known.

Wrong. The EU is a substancial bigger economy than the US.

>Feelings are not fact despite Oprah's influence. Facts are facts.

It seems that you have to get your facts right. You make a few blunt statements that are demonstratebly wrong.

>The dollar is rising. The oil trade is unwinding. Stocks successfully tested and bounced off the critical 11k line. The feds have jumped in with a boatload of bailout money. Exports are booming. Tourism is up.

How could you draw that conlcusion on such limited day. A few weeks back the euro topped 1.60 USD? what is giving you the conclusion the oil trade is unwinding ? It it just too short to draw that conclusion.

>It's time to chill out, check your feelings at the door and look at things objectively.

That is one thing I admire in americans, the undenyable and unconditional optimism.

Walter,