Recycling cycles.

I know someone who really enjoys the talking heads "news" shows on TV. I was never that taken with the level of expertise displayed, but the current state of the world economy coupled with some oft-heard, yet ludicrous opinions has brought out the hidden regulator in me. I would really, really like to outlaw these shows.

I'm tired of hearing about a new paradigm. Especially when the new paradigm seems to change oh-so-frequently to fit each new circumstance. It wasn't that long ago that a new paradigm was that real estate prices wouldn't go down. The new paradigm in place then meant that deflation wasn't possible.

Just recently, I walked into a room and unwillingly heard another talking head mention that there is a new paradigm in the world's economy - gone are boom-and-bust cycles, he droned.

Last week, I was at a lovely dinner party where someone mused about whether the age of consumerism was a thing of the past: maybe we'll all quit buying so much stuff we don't need. Consumer spending will probably be hampered for quite a while, but eventually, there will be people ready to burn through more credit cards.

I've also heard talk that pork barrel spending is a thing of the past - or at least something that won't be allowed in current ...