Dear Ted Turner,

Yes, gas prices are high. The stock market was giving us a little growth this year, then it selfishly snatched it back. Things in Iraq are scary (I am grateful to have a job where improvised grenades are never thrown my way). Who knows how Ben Bernanke will fumble or fly at the helm of the Federal Reserve. Factories are closing. And there are some sick puppies out there who murder/rape/pillage around the country and the world.

BUT…most people that I know are FINE. Our lives are good. The sky is not falling. The economy is still trucking along.

I’m weary in my bones and my mind from the media “if it bleeds, it leads” attitude. Maybe if they weren’t always telling us that consumer confidence is down, we’d go out and buy something. The world I see on CNN (or insert other media outlets here) is not what I see in Fairfax, Cedar Rapids or Iowa. People are building houses near me like crazy. I see new cars driving down the block. One of my neighbors just got a new Suzuki motorcycle, an in-ground pool and a sprinkler system--not a lot of consumer fear there!

So, if the people trying to get ratings are crying “woe is our economy” again, let’s not play that game. No excuses. Get out there and sell yourself, your business, your product or service. People will buy.

(Yes, I know that KZIA is part of the media. We don’t, however, regularly write stories or emphasize the news as a topic of discussion. Entertainment is our game.)