Oil Can

I was out in Burlington, NC, yesterday at 5PM, about the time you would imagine the interstate and local roads would be busy with workers returning home. The roads were strangely clear. Later, walking around a local strip mall, the sense of economic decay was palpable: the only business that was busy was Autozone, where customers were saving money by sitting under their own cars doing their own repairs. More than two thirds of the country's economy is dependent upon consumer spending. From working part-time at a local retail establishment, I can tell you that no one is hiring now, and employers that are not cutting positions are cutting employees' hours. That means less dollars for consumer spending. Which is also less dollars for the businesses tertiary to the retail sector, everyone from accountants to signmakers.