The sky isn't falling

After reading the news and my favorite blogs this morning, I've decided to take a break from politics and world affairs today. Mostly I need a break from the melodrama: "The sky is falling! The economy is crumbling! The campaign is dirty!"

Nope the sky isn't falling and never will. The "economy" is an abstract. The wealth (the assets - in this case real estate) hasn't disappeared. The houses are still there. Okay, so maybe they're worth only half of what they're mortgaged for. And, yes those who have invested in these notes are now half as rich as they were before. And, yes, there will be a ripple effect in investment banks all over the world. And, yes there will be a credit crunch and we will have to put off buying six feet wide plasma TVs or spending the winter in the Caribbean using credit cards. That's not quite the same as the Great Depression which people somehow survived.

As for the campaign being dirty. We'll I can't remember any campaign ever not being dirty. Sure it's ugly but it seems to work. All I know is that I could never be a politician - not because I'm ashamed of the skeletons in my closet (and there are plenty) but because I could never dish the dirt on an opponent day in and day out. Only someone with an irony deficiency can do that.