2009 Skinny Cow Year

A woman I know sold her business last year that she had run for over 20 years. When asked if it was successful she said, "Well, there were some fat cow years and some skinny cow years."

2009 looks like it will be a skinny cow year because of the banking crisis. The good news is that for most americans this means driving a Ford Escort instead of a BMW. Having basic cable not HBO. Prepaid cell phones instead of unlimited minutes.

I'm not callous towards those who are suffering from this turmoil. I'm just trying to put this into perspective so I don't go crazy. Day after day the market goes down and the media has cited the Great Depression so many times that even I am getting scared. I'm pretty sure that during the Great Depression most americans were saving string and tin foil and probably had three sets of clothes, two sets of everyday clothes and one set of Sunday best.

Jane Bryant Quinn said, "I wish you every increase, but if the gods frown there are worse things in life than stepping down."

America will be fine - the skinny cow will get fat again. In the mean time I'll cut back on media in my diet.