The market traded off once Greenspan began speaking and said nothing on the economy.

This is a new paradigm. The fact that we have higher productivity has allowed the U.S. economy to grow more and grow more rapidly without triggering the usual inflation pressures.

The greatest tool we have for reducing the deficit is a growing economy because of the revenue that results.

Over the last five years, those numbers have been growing steadily. With the economy performing so well, sales of new and existing homes have been pretty robust and it's very common when people go to sell their home to do a little extra landscaping to improve the look of their place. Likewise, when people buy a new home they typically do a little fresh landscaping to make it their own.

It was a great number, no question about it. The worst-case scenario (now) is that the Fed only goes once. Going into this number, people thought the Fed would have to go three times. Now they can move slowly.

On a grander scale, when a society segregates itself, the consequences affect the economy, the emotions, and the ecology. That's one reason why it's easy for pro-lifers to eat factory-raised animals that disrespect everything sacred about creation. And that is why it's easy for rabid environmentalists to hate chainsaws even though they snuggle into a mattress supported by a black walnut bedstead.