Volume 1 - February 25, 2009

I think I follow politics and the economy as close as my grandparents did, and that is saying something. My grandfather was the Mayor of Brisbane, CA and there were only 3 TV stations....they consisted of mostly ABC Sports, the Lawrence Welk Show and CBS Evening News. There wasn't a lot of things on TV to take your attention from the events of the day, local and afar. My grandfather always told us we were going to have another depression soon. Now he was saying that in the 1970's to 1990's.....and sure, it's not a long shot prediction, but he was emphatic about it. We used to say "oh yeah grandpa"...whatever. He told us of the depression era stories, how he befriended Al Capone when Al created the unemployment soup kitchens to gain public support in Chicago. How hamburgers were a nickel and when you couldn't afford that, you sat at the diner and ordered a hot cup of water....to add ketchup that sat on the table for tomato soup.

So as I look as I survey the land from atop the hill, I see a lot of tomato soup and very few "happy meals".......to be continued.