Sometimes you need to get out to figure out what's going on. What's really going on.
Economists rarely do. Pollsters never do. But I do and here's what I see: A booming economy.
Not across the board, but enough to make me think twice about crape-hanging economists who say otherwise. I mean, if we're all so scared about terror, why are so many of us flying this summer?
Why are we putting up with the long security lines and constant threats and incredible inconvenience? Maybe because being at a fun place trumps getting to that fun place?
And if we're so scared to spend money, why is it so many of us are? At retail stores and car lots. At amusement parks and beaches. Small town hideaways and big city hotels.
If we're so nervous to get out, why are those hotels sold out and restaurants booked and Broadway shows filled and ballparks crammed?
Why, in the face of higher gas prices, are we driving in record numbers?
I'll tell you why: Because we're Americans and we're more upbeat than downbeat. More gung-ho than uh-oh.
You know, there is much wrong with this country. But our propensity to spend and have fun isn't one of them.
Someone once told me economists don't like to smile. Sometimes, I wonder if they even like to think.
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