To talk of Republican-this or Democrat-that is neither here nor there at this stage in the game and is counter-productive IMHO. It is neither the Republicans NOR the Democrats that got us into this mess; but rather, it is the Republicans AND the Democrats that got us into this mess. The sooner we come to that conclusion the better.

It has been said that it’s a recession when your neighbor loses his/her job/house; but it’s a depression when you lose yours. This is where we are at right now.

You talk of empty retail/office space? Just take a stroll on El Camino Real in Carlsbad from south of College Blvd as I did on Monday. You’ll see the meaning of empty office space…and this in a supposedly high-end, well-managed city.