Consumer confidence down for fifth month in row

This is not surprising. The media is looking in the wrong places for indicators. It's not the stock market, which has a life of its own. It's not the economic experts who write the columns and the books and talk on TV. They are not out and about, seeing the empirical evidence. One of the problems is that the government has been like the little boy crying wolf for so long that no one believes any Democrat. And the Republicans are so focused on winning in November that there aren't any of them that will say anything positive. This is why the party system as we know it has to go. Both parties' missions have nothing to do with making life any easier for any of us. Ask any of your friends if they go to any malls where they don't see tons of people. Ditto for restaurants. Downshifting a vehicle does not make it stop. It means that it is adapting to new road conditions. That's what's going on with the economy right now. Downshifting. But, again, the big thing is that it is no one's best interest to say that the economy is doing well and picking up. No one will believe the Dems and the R's ain't gonna say it.