We continue to hear that our economy is okay, lousy or in serious trouble. And we continue to hear media ads telling us we can put no down, reduce our mortgage and now is the time to buy. It's confusing.

Meanwhile homes for sale and more recently homes for rent signs begin to dot roadways and neighborhoods like political campaign signs the day before an election. Everything is gonna be okay or the end of the world is near. There appears to be no middle ground.

I listen to my radio sometimes when they have money shows on and I'm told that it's important to maintain some liquidity. And in these trying times that is advise that I can grasp. So I've laid in a large stock of Jack Daniels. I bought low and don't plan to sell. A large part of economics is psychological. Being liquid makes me feel good. I know that even if the worse prognosis is correct I have something to fall back on....a drunken stupor.

One thing is for sure. Money is tight. Banks just gave loot away months back. Tossed it at you. There were stories of homeless folks in the Gaslamp Quarter asking folks if they had a quarter..if the homeless guy ran across a banker, the banker didn't give him a dime, he gave the guy a 100-thousand dollar loan on the spot. Banker then sold the loan up to bundle into securities. Win-win.

Today banks have found that they are up to arm pits in lousy debt and comes to haunt. Now they are returning to days of yore with a vengeance. Even with top tier credit lenders are taking microscope to your financials and asking for heavy weight down payments.

We guess it's gonna work out. Market ebbs and flows. But maybe we put some folks in jail this time? Just a thought.

MUTTERINGS

**Saw a story on the TV news about an underwater car. Coming to a dealership near you soon. We pondered that this really ain't all that new is it? Didn't Ted Kennedy invent an underwater car a lot of years ago?

**And do you notice all the old folks ads on network TV news. Meds that stop you from peeing so much or letting you pee more. Heart stuff, sex stuff, arthritis stuff. Not many young folks attracted to Katie and company anymore?

**SD city residents awaken this day to a new law. As of today you folks MUST RECYCLE  your garbage, under PENALTY OF LAW. We don't know what recycle means. You can't throw away garbage? You separate stuff so that it can be made into new products? We already have recycle in SD City...it's called Bums. You toss a beer can away and a bum harvests it and takes it someplace to sell. We guess now the gummint will harvest the cans.

So the next time you see somebody rummaging in your garbage, it's not likely to be a bum nor a "freegan." Nope it could be your Mayor Jerry Sanders or your City Attorney Michael Aguirre.

And if you do not recycle? A big fine...as much as a thousand dollars...and after that, jail?

We don't have that problem here in the Valley. We toss our empty cans on the lawn and the goats eat them. We guess that's recycling, yes?

Oh and don't forget the grace period for drinking at the beach in SD City is over. Up til now the drink cops have been just giving out warning citations, figuring that you may not be familiar with the no drink ban. But now they figure that you should know so, as with the recycle MANDATE, booze hounds on the beach are subject to fines and possible incarceration.

Why do ya'll live there..in that city we mean?