Seeking economic stability

Life in the fast lane keeps getting faster. Not only did we experience rapid rises in gasoline prices through much of this year, but the stock market declines are happening at an accelerated pace – pulling down John McCain’s poll numbers at a brisk clip. Gasoline prices are now falling rapidly, dropping 64 cents a gallon in less than a month. At this rate, marketers will practically give away the stuff by Christmas. Oklahoma already has the lowest gas prices in the country, but of course this won’t last. Economic indicators tend to snowball, gaining speed in one area such as consumer spending as another (such as the jobless rate) accelerates. What would be nice is a slowdown in the trends, even if it means gas prices won’t fall as rapidly as they have been. Consumers inclined to demonize Big Oil for high energy prices tend not to praise Big Oil for falling prices. Scapegoating is a trend that never loses speed.

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