It's the economy, stupid.

It's been so completely relaxing here at work, in the retirement department, where on a "normal" day we have mobs of people inquiring about 2009 retiree benefit rates that are going to our board for approval and expecting, at minimum, to double if not triple and have not been announced. Essentially, the mobs are teetering on whether or not to retire, it involves fun stuff like GASB45, rate subsidy's and pensions. This keeps us quite busy -or did until yesterday when the stock market plummeted to the lowest since 9/11 and oh - P.S. one of our vendors for our 457(a) and 401 (a) accounts happens to be AIG.... Adding fuel to the fire - upper management has not issued a formal statement and the phones are ready to blow up.

What absolutely sucks - besides Sarah Palin, global warming and China putting lead in toys and melamine in infant food that is being shipped to the US - is that our economy has gone to shit and historically takes a dive right before every Presidential election.

On the upside of things, I hear that oil has dropped $4.00 a barrel - like we are going to see a price break at the gas pumps.

Sometimes, I really hate money.

EDIT**** - Gas did not drop $4.00 a galllon, as I originally stated - more like a barrel.