I called my cable and television providers this past week in an attempt to get my bills lowered and guess what? It worked! Okay, now I’m really getting worried about our economy. A year ago they would have laughed at me, now they’re willing to give me a “loyal customer” discount? Hmmmm, I wonder if that will work at the grocery store. I can just see it:

“I’ll give you $1 a pound for those apples”, I say.

The clerk replies, “Make it $1.25 a pound and I’ll throw in some toilet paper”.

“Fine”, I say, “but you’re carrying my groceries.”

Anyway, I digress. Seriously, I’m worried. No, our household isn’t in dire straights YET. But what if gas prices remain high, our home continues to depreciate and our taxes go up to pay for this $407 billion deficit that was in the headlines this morning? Can our government really afford to bail out Fannie and Freddie? Can they afford NOT too?  I need some reassurance. It’s hard to know what to make of it all if you’re not a fiscal expert who knows all the history. Some experts say it’s just a cycle; others call it the Fall of Rome. I need an aspirin!

I don’t know all the answers but I’m going to be extra friendly to my grocery store manager, just in case.

P.S. I wrote this in red on purpose.