It's the economy...King George

This coming week, King George will give to us little people his State of the Monarchy. One of the things we are sure to hear from his Excellency is that he believes all is well with our economy. Too bad no one believes him.

As poll after poll shows, despite what rhetoric "W" throws out there the reality is people are not happy with our economy. Instead of spending time spinning us, Bush would be wise to spend more time listening to the American people.

State of the Union? Not so good, most say.

A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken last weekend and interviews across the country this week found most Americans pessimistic about the economy.

"Six in 10 said the current economy was only fair or poor, and 54% said economic conditions were getting worse."

One of Bush's many challenges this week is convince people he has the ability to lead the country in the right direction and has plan do so. His problem right now is the American people don't think he does.

By 62%-35%, they were dissatisfied with the way things are going in the USA. That's the most pessimistic view at the start of a year since Bush took office. By 64%-34%, they said Bush didn't have a clear plan for solving the country's problems.

Could it be any of this has anything to do with that sentiment? Tax cuts for the wealthy, turning surpluses into deficits, doing nothing about rising health care costs, cutting programs for those who need help the most, and giving government subsidies to big oil companies while they enjoy record profits while we pay more at the pump.

Expect little change from Dubya this week and more of the same.