[GMScud]

I'm also thankful. I certainly am not taking it for granted. I spent a significant amount of time on the finance side of the mortgage industry, so when the bubble burst my job situation was tenuous at best. I was really stressed for a while, but I'm fortunate to have landed on my feet working for a phenomenal small company.

Working and living in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, it's easy to forget the economic climate around the rest of the country. It's so affluent, you just don't see the ill effects on a daily basis. When I was in Gainesville, Fl a few weeks ago it was really sad. So much dead real estate, and I saw a lot more homeless people than when I left that town two years ago. I also saw dozens of businesses that seemed to be doing fine a few years back that have shut their doors.