Recession comment: Just my humble opinion from the outside looking in...Recessions happen, we're overdue. China's GDP and demand for everything from oil to metals etc. will slow down once they have completed everything they have to to look good for the olympics. Politicians in power will spend and do all they can ahead of an election. After that the party in power needs to cut the expenses in their earlier years so that anger and memories will fade later on ahead of the next election. There are so many unsold homes in the US now that not one needs to be built for a year before unsold inventory gets used up. The US economy is driven 70% by consumer spending - where does that $ come from when you can't borrow more $ against the value of your home because the house price has stagnated or gone down? Look at housing starts over the past 50 years - they last peaked at 2 million, now down to 1.5; every other time they get down below a million, there has been a recession. Hey, it may not happen, but don't use patriotism to put your head in the sand - just be prudent - pay off some of your credit cards!

It's never too late to have a happy childhood!