Inventory

Every morning I go online to check the opinion pages at three major Texas newpaper websites (Dallas, Houston, and Austin), and if there's a column that looks interesting I'll read it, then try to wade through some of the reader comments posted below. This daily routine allows me to keep a finger on the pulse of my fellow citizens and gives me a sense of what's on their (usually small and feeble) minds. It amazes me that people who cannot write three sentences in English without spelling and punctuation errors believe they understand all the world's complex problems and could correct every one if only given the opportunity.

The economy and the president are two favorite discussion topics, which is to be expected. Here's how things stand as of Saturday morning:

Fans of Limbaugh, Hannity, and Fox News are unhappy because Obama is too liberal. Liberals are unhappy because he's too conservative. People who claim to be moderates are unhappy because he's too radical. People who think of themselves as radical are unhappy because he's too moderate. People who have short attention spans and require immediate gratification are unhappy because he's not moving fast enough. People who live in constant fear of change are unhappy because he's moving too fast. Somehow, in spite of all this unhappiness, some polls show that about six out of ten Americans are satisfied with his job performance so far.

At least we all agree on one thing -- the economy sucks.