Hi there ewr,

Thought I would type a quick response to your post.

I'm sure you understand the stock market is not the economy. Its only one of several instruments which may sometimes lead to an accurate diagnose of the economy.

Stocks rise and fall for a variety of cause and effect reasons on a daily basis. Economic growth, prospective growth, unforcasted higher corporate earning all complicate the situation. I don't focus on the daily rise and fall of the market. You would be looking at the wrong numbers if you do. Look at the market performance over the last 20 or so years. Are things better now than back then? The next 20 years will be no different!

Companies, industry and commerce are run by people of vast diversity from one another in leadership, organizational management, discipline, vision, skill, insight and personality style like in everyday ordinary people. Its this diversity however that leads to stronger and weaker performers in terms of profitability.

If the aviation industry and general economy is to flourish and achieve maximum efficiency and long term growth from use of its most expensive resource OIL/FUEL then there must be a way to cripple and weed out the most weak of companies who do not adapt. This is a good thing. Airlines need to man up and start getting it together.

Nothing new here, owners/managers who do not get the most from those limited resources will face financial decapitation. Bankruptcy, losses and sometimes mergers accomplish this process and unfortunately people get laid-off but eventually get re-hired, retrained or of course retire.

If a business is falling short and failing to be competitive for whatever reason, is producing a product that is not desirable in the marketplace then the company will show a loss. Management and sharholders will rethink the decision making process, quality, policies and shake it up and change direction. If the sharholders aren't receiving dividends as forcasted then the CEO and others will be shown the emergency exit door.

Profits and losses work as a team in a never ending free market economy to replace weak management or weak products. This process evolves as a never ending circle, companies and entire industries will become more efficient. Achieving this level of never ending efficiency is paramount to the survival of airline or a hot dog stand. All the same.

If an airlines haults operations because of higher oil or other poor management decisions/gimmicks then obviously the management wasn't up to snuff and unfortunately hard working employees get hurt. Can't put blame on Exxon, Shell, or Halliburton for that one. It's your own airlines management fault at that point.

Lastly, I see absolutely zero evidence of an up and coming dark age of dire economic activity for the USA or the global economy.

I see just the opposite! With short term aggressive monetary policy changes, an oil industry speculators reality check combined with the advent of new technology/engineering in the next several years will have a huge positive effect on aviation and the oil industry in specifically.

Call me a capitalist idiot (Your words,)for not subscribing to the doom and gloom economic forecast but I'm seeing oil plunging 30 USD long term and taking a bunch of speculators with it to the poor house.

They zig, I zag! You will seldom find wealth following others.

EAHINC