With each passing day, it becomes increasingly clear that our national habit of living beyond our means has gotten us in a real fix. And the bailout package, by all accounts, doesn’t really do much except temporarily stop the bleeding. The problem is much bigger, and this great op-ed from the Boston Globe agrees with me (ok, I agree with it)…

A solution requires the country to begin to spend what it earns, reduce its mountainous debt, and address massive liabilities, restructure Social Security, pension deficits, military, and Medicare.

Now that won’t be so hard, will it? Where did I put that magic wand?

With that friendly, neighborhood doomsday message in mind, I wonder how our merchants are holding up under the increasing strain.