There's a cheery thought for the morning but I have heard of car plant layoffs in Ontario, store chain closings in Upstate New York, stock markets dropping...sorry...correcting, truck sales off due to a swift shift in the market due to gas prices. Plus, for the first time since Bush Sr., it looks like American is entering a phase of political negativity where at least some large part of the population does not think everything is swell despite what the other folk say. What to make of it?

Well, first thing is it has been so long since there was an actual recession in Canada - as we avoided the IT bubble pangs pretty much - that it might be hard to see one coming. Time was they came every three or five years and gave everyone the boot. I dimly recollect from my youth that you knew money was getting tight when the restaurants start to shut. No sign of that yet. That and there was only tea on Saturday night.