Hope ish not slosht

The economy may be in the tank, swirling the drain, staring down its own six-foot-deep, pre-dug grave, etc., but really, America, we're in better condition than we were when it crashed in 1929.

And here is why I say we're far better off in 2008 than we were in the '20s:

You can still go get a drink after you've cried long and hard over the 20 pages from your financial planning company which tell you, essentially, that you're broke.

You couldn't do that in 1929. When people really needed a double (or triple) shot of something, they pretty much couldn't get one, and whatever they could get their hands on had likely been sitting in someone's bathtub for a period of time.

Ick.

So go ahead a weep over your non-retirement fund. And then go drink. As long as there are people drinking in this country, at least one part of the economy will be thriving.

And that's something we can all raise our glasses to.

Cheers.