While the average Joe is hurtin’,
3M, Xerox, Halliburton,
Coca-Cola, Caterpillar —
all their bottom lines were killer.
American Express, UPS,
and their success is great, I guess.

But over at the central bankee,
Ben Bernanke
sounded cranky.
Sales are drowsy.
Credit’s lousy.
Housing pain
is up again.

So clearly there’s this wide divide.
Will these global firms provide
the jobs to stop the slide
and turn the tide?
I just, I can’t decide.

Democrats
faced the facts
about the so-called carbon tax.
There’s no Republican that backs it.
Since it lacks the votes,
they axed it.

And a study of summer vacation
shows it’s not a relaxation.
Either we spend it working a lot
or we fret about unanswered e-mails we’ve got.

If you’re sitting under a coconut tree,
I hate to say this —
Do not go to marketplace.org.