i'm old enough to remember the tough times in the early 70's and the hiccup in the mid 80's and this one is totally different. in the other times, inflation was going crazy, tied directly to gas prices and interest was going through the roof(my first house note was at 12.5%, but cd's were getting 10%. now interest is almost non-existent and gas bounces all around ,but we still pay it). the price we pay for durable goods has gone up some, but the price we pay for services has gone through the roof. i mean insurance and taxes. i've also noticed a lot of the lay-offs are in middle management, the top dogs are not going to cut their own throats and they still need the worker bees to make the honey.
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