Market Pundits

As if I haven't depressed you all enough lately, I offer this cartoon -- my standard old couple in front of the TV. This is the time in our collective history where we all heard the iceberg scrape across the hull in early October, having seen it coming in September and possibly as early as in the spring. Now we wait as the ship lists slightly. We notice the First Class passengers being quietly escorted to the lifeboats, while those of us in second and third class sections are locked inside. Clearly, all the signs are there that the big ship is going down. In that situation, there is a mixture of surreal and serenity. We haven't yet touched the cold Atlantic water and the band plays on. Whatever happens at this point, will happen. It is out of our control. In spite of the eerie calmness of the moment, the fact of the matter is, the end is inevitable. It is not my desire to needlessly scare anyone, but I would be remiss to not point out what many pundits will not say publicly. This calmness is just a moment in time before panic sets in. I really hope I'm wrong and you can all laugh at me and my foolishness -- it wouldn't be the first time. That said, my intuition tells me this is much worse than anyone really knows, or is willing to share. And you thought I was a humorist. Ha!