Hello?!?! What is he smoking?...

Okay, once again I haven't posted for a while. Sue me! Procrastination. It's what I do.

A lot of the thoughts have crossed my mind recently for which I certainly should have blogged. Alas... timing is everything.

This one will be short because the truth is, I really don't have that much time available to blog. Nevertheless, I saw this interesting article in the New York Times...


Consumer Spending and Personal Income Slow


Here are a few memorable quotes from the article...

"The checks are the centerpiece of a $169 billion stimulus package that Congress passed at President Bush’s urging in February to jump-starting the stalled economy."

Note... see this posts title. (What is our President smoking?)

"Nothing is going right. Jobs are down, the stock market is wobbly, home prices are plunging and gasoline prices are at record highs."

Note... see this posts title. (I sure hope my $600 rebate changes all this.)

"All the problems have pushed consumer confidence to recessionary levels."

Note... see this posts title. (Maybe my $600 will improve my confidence?)

"Despite worries that consumers may end up using their stimulus checks to pay off credit card debt rather than spending the money to give the economy a boost, analysts said they believed that about two-thirds of the money will get spent this year, enough to keep the overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, in positive territory."

Note... see this posts title. (Now I'm not the brightest bulb in the bunch, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and predict that beyond a shadow of a doubt, 2/3 of the stimulus money will definitely not be spent in the manner that it was DREAMED of. See article title!)

"Private wages and salaries fell at an annual rate of $18.2 billion in April, the biggest setback in a year. Businesses have been cutting jobs for four straight months, with analysts forecasting a fifth month of job declines when the government reports next Friday on labor market conditions in May."

Note... see this posts title. (Nuff said!!!)