Chicken Little

This morning I woke and found the cheery headline of, "Just Another Horrible Day for World Markets," on my online news service. I read (ok, glanced) the story relating how the European and Japanese markets were just responding to how terrible our own market performed last week. In essence, we suck. Its like despite all of the efforts of the government to stimulate our economy, we still insist that the sky is falling. I really don't think you can spin this, folks.

In many ways it reminds me of why I HATE doing long term therapy with clients. When I was working with substance abusing adolescents it was like watching a giant train wreck coming towards you knowing that there is nothing you can do to stop it. The substance abuse was due to the escape factor of the abusive family of origin and the abuse usually was a product of the parent's own substance abuse which was yet another escape from their childhood abuse. Do you see where this is going? Yup, nowhere fast. Its the chicken and the egg thing all over again. By the time I was finished doing this stint in my career I determined I would rather gouge my eyeballs out with melon ballers or pull my toenails off with dental hygienist equipment than do 50 minute therapy sessions for chronic cases.

Our economy is a chronic case on some level. There are many factors that could be causes or effects: the housing market, the weak dollar, our oil dependence, Bush's politically spun war on terror, the mortgage companies, whoever lowered the lending rate in the first place to entice the mortgage people to give the deals, outsourcing, NAFTA, Greenspan retiring, the Democrats, the Republicans, hell, we may as well throw in global warming, mice nuts, and obesity while we're at it. This isn't "Its a Wonderful Life" where the neighborhood all pitches in to save Bailey's Saving and Loan and someone gets wings. Nope, this is a train wreck and everyone is passing the buck for not figuring out who installed the brakes.