Recession? What recession?

So... did anyone catch President Bush's press conference a couple of weeks ago on the recession - or the lack thereof in his opinion? He says we're in a "slow-down", but we are not on our way to a recession. I agree - we're not on our way - we're IN a recession! Everywhere I look I see the signs and I'm just your average run of the mill housewife/stay-at-home mom. I see it at the gas pumps (it was $3.08 today at Costco - the cheap place to get gas), the grocery store (milk is almost $4 a gallon, eggs over $2/dozen in most places and most of the stuff that I buy on a regular basis is going up constantly) and I have a few loved ones that are currently unemployed and having a very difficult time finding jobs in the white collar market. The housing market is in the toilet, the dollar is so weak we may as well move to Canada and inflation is out of control. No... we're not headed for a recession! Wake up and smell the coffee Mr. President - we're IN a recession.

Apparently our government thinks that handing out money will somehow help the economy. Not that I won't gladly take the $1200 plus that they're talking about giving us - we could certainly use the money - but do they really think that by giving all of us 'mericans cash money that it will somehow pull the country out of the horrible recession that we're currently in? Let's see... what will we spend our money on? Electronics from China, gas from the Middle East or better yet pissing it away by eating meals out? Personally we plan on sockin' it away towards the down payment on a house, but I'm guessing most people won't save it or even use it to pay off debt. Not if the retail sector has anything to do with it. I'm sure we'll be seeing and hearing ads for how you can best spend your rebate money on things like cars, at Home Depot or better yet gadgets at Best Buy that will technologically go out of date in a couple of years. I think in the end this stimulus package will end up helping the economy of other countries while our own will continue the downward spiral into an even deeper recession.

So there you have it - my doom and gloom prediction. I usually try to stay very far away from politics (just ask Trevor). I really can't stand all of the political mumbo jumbo. But, this whole talk of recession really got my attention since what I'm seeing on a daily basis is so contradictory to what our President is trying to get us to believe.