Inside America

Is America entering into recession or not? For months, experts have been asked the same question with always the same unanimous conclusion: “we can not say for sure before it’s gone.” As the experts remain unclear, let’s poll average Joe! But again, the conclusion of street interviews is not as clear as expected by the media: “Mrs Baxter is sure of one thing: it is increasingly difficult to close the month.” Yeah, sure! Can you remember a time when Ms. Baxter recognized she was rich enough to afford all the nice stuff she’s been shown on TV?. But today, gas prices are rising more “than ever before”, and we’re told that speculators are gambling on corn prices. So for sure, today, Mrs Baxter truly must be another victim of the economic recession.

I do not know if America is heading into recession, but the Americans are close to having a nervous breakdown. Polled week after week about gasoline prices and declining purchasing power, the U.S. consumer finally cracked under the pressure of those torture interrogation techniques: “Yes! I must admit! Gasoline is getting more expensive and I will have to slow down on doughnuts!” He finally said it! Whew! See? We really are in the middle of a recession then!

Bad luck! I left France in the middle of a never ending “crisis” at $5 per gallon of gas in Paris a year ago, and here I am caught in the “recession” at $3.5 per gallon in Pittsburgh. Damned! Someone help me make my next move! What’s the price of gasoline in Beijing?