
Mr. Wonderful
You would think with two wars going on and the cost of energy over $100 in diesel, jet fuel and everything else, that we would be plunging into a recession. Not happening. The consumer is still strong even though their costs of housing have gone up. It's AI that's really helping us there, and everybody's hopeful at some point that we get costs down. That's the optimism that remains in the economy right now. Obviously, the administration can tell the success of the economy based on earnings, but earnings don't put food on the table. People in local regions in almost every state, and certainly the top 10 contested states, are being barraged by ads that say, "Look, everything's too expensive." But in Mid-America, or you're part of a small business which represent more than half the economy, you're feeling pretty good right now because your customer is still there for you. This is going to be a very close election, and will be based on how people are feeling about the future. It's always that way.