Checkout Lines are the New Soup Lines

Somebody better tell the American consumer. The media says we're in a financial crisis. It's the worst economy since the Great Depression. Unemployment! Soup lines!

Maybe things are bad. Friday I did see Americans standing in lines, but it didn't appear those people are missing many meals. I want to tell them the new Xbox has no nutritional value. It goes straight to your hips.

Early data indicates an increase in Black Friday sales compared to last year. Perhaps my little Northwest Kansas community is propping up the nation. Every day at lunch parking lots are filled at fast food restaurants. But I bet those people are waiting for crumbs that are thrown in the dumpster.

Unemployment will likely go over 7 percent this week. It's obviously the tipping point to the Depression's jobless rate of 25 percent.

Somebody better do something to ease the pain -- like hiring an extra checkout clerk for lane 12.