Greetings once again. I hope you’re having a good week. There are just a few things I’d like to deal with today. One is the persistent pessimism I’m seeing in both the media and the polls. I just looked at Gallup’s daily numbers, and the phenomenon is clear. More than three-quarters of Americans believe we are in some sort of recession. 40% believe their standard of living will decline in the future. Almost a third believe the next generation will be worse off than this one.