What Gives?

Here's a burning question I have: How is it that when the economic meltdown began, I reviewed the situation from a position as one who consumes within the economy, yet not holding a degree in economics, and advised those closest to me that this downturn was going to be severe, much more severe than the economists were saying and most likely would last a few years, not months?

Are most of our economists morons? Can't possibly be, right? Are they all on Barry's payroll? Pondering. Are they nonconsumers and therefore not witnessing what the rest of us are out in the mean streets of Macy's and Target? Magic Eight Ball says unlikely.

So what gives?

If a regular gal like myself can take a hard look at reality around me, within my community, watching stores and their dwindling inventory and ever widening aisles, observing smaller crowds in the shopping malls, hearing of those losing jobs, of those having trouble finding replacement jobs, noticing prices rising, concluding that the guys getting paid the big bucks are wrong, then what else are the talking heads wrong about? Or more to the point, why are they trying to convince us? How does that serve them? Smacks of denying it makes it true, eh?

Even bigger question: If Barry and crew couldn't get the economy right ( barry concedes jobless rate is climbing and will continue to climb) then why the hell would we trust them on cap-and-tax (which will absolutely kill jobs) or health care (which will absolutely kill some of us, we just don't know which ones yet)? WHY?!

Yet, for every action there is an equal and opposite action (ex: Obama gets elected = Not A Wonk is born). The Wall Street Journal gives us this: The Economy Is Even Worse Than You Think.

Maybe worse than Barry wants you to think, than his economists have been paid to tell you how to think, but for me it's confirmation.

Now give me my degree.