Best GDP growth in 6 years

[Andrew]

http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/29/news/ec ... htm?hpt=T2

[toad857]

what goes up must NEVER come down. EVER.

[L K Day]

Let's hope the "recovery" continues and we don't see the feared double dip recession. There is absolutely no sign of things picking up here in MT where we tend to lag behind the national trends on both the way up and the way down.

[Wes]

Apple put 5.5 billion in the bank in one quarter, selling higher end toys during a recession. There is money out there to be spent and made.

But, there also might be a couple trends that while look bad on some stats are actually good.

The savings rate has started going up again - people are putting money away, rather then spending it. So, not great short term for the economy, but very good long term.

People are holding onto the big ticket items (cars, tvs, dishwashers, etc.) longer then before - so rather then buying a new car every couple years, they are holding onto til it is paid off, and maybe keeping it a bit past that.

[michaelarmand]

America will always be strong and resilient. Her people are hard working and responsible (in general). We need the government to behave the same way....which means we have to stop the irresponsible deficit spending. If we can get our debt in check we will be fine - promise!

[toad857]

always?

what if the cheap oil runs out? but then again, eggs should probably go in one basket because it's easier to carry them that way.

[ScrmnPeeler]

good thing i work for Ford.

[Izzy]

Yep, always. Even if the cheap oil runs out, and the basket with all the eggs goes to hell, and all our worst fears come true. Always strong, always resilient, indeed.

[michaelarmand]

always?

what if the cheap oil runs out? but then again, eggs should probably go in one basket because it's easier to carry them that way.

We adapt! There are many possible technologies that will replace oil. And oil won't run out overnight, it will be a slow process. The good news is we likely have 25+ years to figure this out....

[toad857]

You're right, it won't run out overnight. And i will continue to drive long distances to climb up walls in remote places.

But just to be clear--a technology can't replace a fuel. No matter how smart a technology is, it can't create high-energy chemical bonds (like the ones in oil) out of thin air. (only can, say, 200 million years of organic deposition do that).

(Hydrogen fuel cells? They take more energy to create than they will ever release. Solar panels? They could never supply enough energy to satisfy our needs that oil provides)

I just wanted to point out that all empires fall, the American one too. We're more naive than we care to admit. Blown up like an elastic balloon we are. When the time comes and we are forced to scale back, a big slice of humble pie awaits anyone lucky enough to be there.