Shop Till You... Save the Economy

The nationâ??s unemployment rate sits obstinately above 9 percent. The housing market is still underwater. Consumer confidence stinks, the stock market is schizophrenic, and the big banks have been humbled. We arenâ??t in another recession, according to the professionals, but it sure feels as if weâ??re stuck. To cure this listlessness, the following treatments have been applied: bailouts, stimulus packages, programs that arenâ??t called stimuli but really are in intent, blue ribbon panels, verbose op-eds, foreclosure assistance, short sale assistance, even interest rates that are essentially zero. And still, here we are in an ever-deepening rut, with elected officials bickering about the next steps.