All this TALK got us into this mess. Was there underlying weakness ...probably... but when the media preached for two solid years of the looming recession and how bad it would be... no wonder that the vast majority of Americans and others worldwide have curtailed SPENDING. FYI.... SPENDING by consumers accounts for 70 PERCENT of our economy.... and when the media and their masters succeeded in convincing everybody that the economy was headed in the toilet... guess what... self fulfilling prophecy. This economy wont get better until people start spending money. Which NOW that we really ARE in a recession is difficult.