Some stray thoughts:

If you are old enough to remember the Jimmy Carter years, here swings that pendulum. Yes, it's deja vu all over again. As in the Carter era, the economy just cannot rev up. It begs for tax reform and tax cuts. It gasps for supply-side policies. And for less government. Just as it did then.

Democrats have another Mr. Unpopular president on their hands. Big majorities tell pollsters America's future is grim. Their president predicts death and worse by climate change. (President Carter predicted we would have only a few cups of oil left by 2000. Barely enough to light a candle. In memory of forests and minerals we would have also depleted to zero.)

Republicans face a dilemma similar to one of that era. Their candidate might - oh, no! - come from outside their establishment. Might be Trump or Carson or Fiorina. They canonize Ronald Reagan now. But they feared his ultra-conservative ways then.

Another stray thought: Do you ever wonder how we have survived our calamities? There was DDT killing off our creatures. And Alar on apples killing off us people. All our trees would soon be gone. We would be down to a few toilet tissues.

We were running out of space for our garbage. The foul air would kill us. If we croaked into a river or lake it would not matter - so polluted were they. The Soviets were about to nuke us. Before eating our lunch economically.

Then the Japanese were buying California and New York. Aids would wipe us out. Global cooling was about to... Correction. Global warming was about to... Correction. Climate change is about to... And we are running out of oil. And gas. And copper. And calamine lotion. And my Detroit Tigers flopped again.

Maybe old-timers should be allowed to wear medals and ribbons for calamities. Just like those generals and admirals we see on TV. "This one, ma'am? Why it was for surviving the inflation of the seventies. And this one was for Watergate. These ten are for the Clinton scandals."

They could be awarded by a new Department of Calamities. Yes, it is time for a new cabinet position. Secretary of Worries. He or she could report to Congress every quarter. On what should keep patriotic Americans awake these nights.

Speaking of medals: We should hang a few around the necks of these heroes. The birds who have to defend this president's economic policies. They have tough jobs. Made tougher by recent data.

1. This is the first recovery from recession in our history where median family income has fallen. It is 6.5 percent lower than it was in 2007.

2. Only 21 percent of small business owners say their businesses have fully recovered.

3. Income for those on the bottom rung is down 8 percent from 6 years ago.

Some guys have the job of rah-rahing the policies that gave us these results. They hoist flutes of bubbly to cheer the recovery.

Watch out guys. Incoming corks. From magnums of bitter champagne. Aimed at you.

Here's a new defense: Blame George Bush. He doesn't drink anymore.

From Tom...as in Morgan. Write to Tom at tomasinmorgan@yahoo.com.