Waiting for Speedway Fowler

Hard to say, but until today I'd been of the opinion that things were MUCH worse than anyone in power was letting on.

Today was the first time we stepped very publicly to the edge of the abyss.

And it's scary as it is, but there are signs it might be even worse than we suspect.

For instance, last month, U.S. imports from Japan dropped by FIFTY PERCENT.

That is mind-boggling.

There's also (and I can't find the cite or the actual percent, dammit) the alarming number of people who used their stimulus money to buy guns and ammo.

And the number of banks that are crashing in places like Belgium, Holland, Iceland and elsewhere.

I am not a fan of Sarah Palin - other than in that unhealthy watch-the-car-crash kind of way - but I will say this for her: she is the only lawmaker on the national stage who has - either from courage or stupidity - used the word "depression" when discussing the economy.

Then there's this email I read about two weeks ago:

Barack Obama will win this election.
But it doesn't matter.
The United States economy will completely collapse within 32 months of his inauguration.
The days of living like a king on your McDonald's paycheck will be over.
Complete Zimbabwe-style inflation followed by theft, murder, rape, starvation and suicide streaks like you could never have imagined will ensue.
Unplug the Internets, turn off your cable, hang up your car keys.
You're going to die.

At the time I thought it was crazy stuff.
I still do.
But not quite as much.