Readers suggested a topic on the economic future. "One topic of interest to me is just exactly how the recession/depression is most likely to effect the average person on a day to day basis. I was talking to a friend in Oregon about this last night and she maintains people will still get their houses cleaned, as the average working stiff doesn’t have time to do this (she cleans houses)."

"I said, nope, no go. Same with lots of other services, and she doesn’t believe gas could go down due to lowered demand. I do. Someone want to look ahead in the future one year and describe the average day for the average American?"

Another asked, "I’d like a weekend topic on what a depression would really be like. Personally, I cannot imagine it. I’ve heard all about the original from lots of my elders, but the reality is that they weren’t too affected because they were all farmers that owned their land and they had food a plenty and didn’t use plumbing/electricity."

"America is much different now. How would people eat? Would there really be “Hoovervilles”? Would everybody’s electricity and water really get shut off? I’d be interested in 'real-world' thought experiments about what it would be like."

One on employment, "How about a weekend topic on local job losses or job gains? The whole thing depends on jobs holding up."

One on general prices. "Ok so how can Secular Deflation affect America ? I’ve only know Inflation and growth my whole life. Hard to imagine."

One asked, "Which do you prefer, Inflation or Recession?"

One saw this, "I think Americans will start to save money. With Deflation saving money makes sense though the Government may call it Hoarding and try and tax it. So different than Inflation where we all saw the buy now or get priced out forever mindset."

Another predicted, "The big difference in a depression this time, as opposed to last time, is that people would have to get used to living without much if any credit, and with much less energy."

"One aspect would be a huge shrinkage in square footage per person consumed. People would have to move in with relatives. Even if the purchase price of housing became dirt cheap, there is still the operating costs to consider. IMO much of the shrinkage in spending would occur in housing."

"Automobiles would be next. Now matter how high energy prices are, gasoline savings alone will not be enough to help. America might shift from two cars back to one, with carpooling, telecommuting, and bicycle commuting."

"There will be pressure to allow more mixed use in existing use-separated suburbs, so people can walk to the store. With plenty of people looking for work as peddlers, the milkman and other vendors might make a comeback. Eating out would become less common."

"The MSM would continue to downsize, gradually replaced by semi-pro bloggers and entertainers with less overhead and less costly lifestyles, with new technologies making this feasible. Colleges and universities would have to cut costs, requiring more teaching from profs, to lower tuition or face losing customers to on-line education."

"There will be less air travel. Camping might make a comeback. The expansion of domestic servants into the middle class will reverse."

"And, asset values will deflate relative to goods purchased with work today, reducing the difference in wealth between those with savings and those without."

The Review Journal. "People in the Las Vegas neighborhood saw all the cameras and trucks and buses and police on the streets Thursday, and they began to trickle out of their houses to find out what was going on. Soon...they got their answer, as New York Sen. Hillary Clinton began walking up the street of low-slung houses near Eastern and Washington avenues."

"'I think we're slipping toward a recession,' she said. 'A couple of people that I met on the street, they work in construction. They tell me it's slowed down.'"

"Clinton and her busload of traveling press moved from there to the popular local Mexican restaurant, where a 'roundtable' that was actually square passed a microphone around to tell her people's concerns about the mortgage crisis and foreclosures."

"In broken English, one woman told Clinton how she wasn't making money as a broker anymore. 'I have no income at all,' she said. 'So how will I survive?'"

"Choking up with emotion, the woman said, 'In my neighborhood, there are brand-new homes, but the value is nothing. I'm glad you are here so I can tell you, because you're going to be the president, I know.'"

The Herald Tribune. "Holiday sales came in below most predictions and retail analysts say things are only going to get worse in 2008. The results were so bad, it had some retail analysts uttering that dreaded word: recession."

"'The holiday season was a disaster,' said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of a national retail consultant based in New York City. 'As far as 2008, the worst is yet to come. The consumer has the highest debt they've ever had, negative savings, and there is tremendous inflation on food and energy. The consumer is under water and getting worse.'"

"In addition the jobless rate has climbed to a two-year high of 5 percent."

The Bradenton Herald. "Local manufacturing employees are feeling the squeeze of companies reducing their operations or closing facilities entirely."

"'Typically, during the month of December, our applications rate drops to one or two a week because people aren't interested to put in applications and interview,' said Kirsten Regal, head of human resources for manufacturer Sun Hydraulics. 'This December, we received on average 30 to 50 applications a week. It was extraordinary.'"

The Atlanta Journal Constitution. "For the fourth consecutive day, people waited in long lines Thursday for a shot at a job at a new Wal-Mart in DeKalb County, pushing the total number of applicants beyond 10,000."

"That's four times the entire population of Avondale Estates, the community next to the planned Memorial Drive store."

"Beginning Monday, after virtually no advertising or any signs, the throngs of hopeful applicants continued to pour into a church converted into a job processing center — all vying for only 350 to 400 available jobs, according to Wal-Mart officials."

"Kamal Oliver, an employment and training analyst with a county organization that helped facilitate Wal-Mart's job fair this week, said the turnout dwarfed the numbers of job hunters who applied for a job last year at the Wal-Mart in north DeKalb County."

"'This says to me that a lot of people are looking for work,' he said."

The Desert Sun. "As the controversial Eden Rock project navigates La Quinta's city approvals process, officials and residents continue to debate what housing best fits the city's image."

"Much of the debate focuses on housing density. When complete, Cordoniz will have 142 two-story homes, at 10 units to the acre. La Quinta permits 16 units per acre in some areas."

"'They are an eyesore,' PGA West resident Cristina Deniel said. 'The homes are very, very close together.'"

"La Quinta Mayor Don Adolph, who lives at PGA West, had even harsher words for Cordoniz: 'The houses, my God, they're on top of each other. It looks like a tenement.'"

"Marylyn Moore, Cordoniz's sales and marketing director, said the prices ranged from $300,000 to $450,000. 'With the land costs and developer fees, the only way to make it work was with higher densities,' Moore said. 'We determined there wasn't anything new in La Quinta at this price point.'"

"When Cordoniz came up at this week's Planning Commission discussion on Eden Rock, Commissioner Paul Quill told a room full of PGA West homeowners he was proud to have approved Cordoniz. La Quinta needed more high-density housing complexes like Cordoniz, he said."

"Homeowners responded with loud jeers and boos. About half of them left the meeting."

"Afterwards, Quill said the higher-density designs would allow more people to afford homes in La Quinta. 'We're not all loaded,' he said."