Obviously, consumers just ignored all the dire warnings and kept on spending.

This administration ignored warnings that we were not prepared to deal with the aftermath of the war in Iraq. They ignored warnings that we were not prepared to deal with the aftermath of a serious hurricane along the Gulf coast. And, just to maintain foolish consistency, they seem determined to move ahead with the most massive expansion of immigration in the history of mankind, in spite of warnings that we are not prepared to manage such a program.

Consumers still aren't in a spending mood, ... This year is going to be modestly better. The emphasis is on the word 'modest.'

Consumers are not on a spending spree, but they continue to spend,

Traditional magazine companies couldn't imagine a launch like this. Relish is much more than a magazine. Consumers can come to the Web site, subscribe to the e-newsletter, and, uniquely, many will also receive Relish as syndicated columns within their newspaper as well. That's just the beginning. The key is the brand launches with a combination of consumer options, and advertisers can take advantage of the brand's engagement in many ways.

It's much more dire and severe for products that are not particularly sexy with consumers, which are diesel, jet fuel and heating oil,