Perhaps the Sky Isn't Falling

There has been so much negative talk about our economy, it's surprising that anyone would have ventured out over the weekend, but apparently, America is much more resilient than the Eeyore's of the media. According to the Associated Press, the number of shoppers over the weekend hit record levels and for many retailers, it's make-or-break time.

Personally, I'm not surprised one bit. I know that times are tough but lest we forget what the holiday shopping season truly is about - friends, family and sharing faith with one another. We do so by purchasing gift items for one another, sharing a little piece of ourselves during this time of year and the Looby family is no different. Regardless of what the mainstream media believes about how "bad" things are, the holiday season always brings out the best in most of us.

The stock market has reacted favorably as well, seeing strong gains across the board and this amid the turmoil in the Middle East, the disruptions of the Occupiers, and in parts of the country, inclement weather.

How good was the weekend? Well, 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites which is up from 212 million last year. The average holiday shopper spent $398.62 over the weekend and that seems about right...I think that's what we spent on Thanksgiving dinner alone.

You see, the sky isn't falling after all and I believe very strongly that the economy will pick up and this holiday season is just the beginning.

David

Joe Pa's Legacy Tarnished

Penn State University will probably never be the same and Joe Paterno's legacy will forever have an asterisk, being forced out due to several sexual abuse allegations levied against his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. Unfortunately, the media seems to love every minute of this terrible situation with their relentless focus and pursuit to topple everyone associated with Penn State solely on the basis of allegations.

There was a time in this country when we embraced the "innocent until proven guilty" principle, but with the 24/7 media culture, it has been cast aside with impunity - it's all about the headlines. The allegations against Jerry Sandusky are very serious and child abuse should never be tolerated or overlooked. But the truth is, we really don't know the details nor will we for quite some time. The real question to ask here is why has this become a Joe Paterno issue as opposed to a Jerry Sandusky issue? According to sources, Paterno informed campus police and administrative officials after being told what had been witnessed by Michael McQueary, who, by the way, has apparently retained his job at Penn State even though he failed to report the alleged incident to any police official.

This whole turmoil reminds me of the Duke lacrosse team situation a few years back regarding the alleged rape of a an exotic entertainer that had been hired to perform for the team. ESPN vilified the team, its coach and the university, only to find later that the allegations of rape were not true and there was prosecutorial misconduct of Biblical proportions that lead to the disbarment of lead prosecutor Mike Nifong. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done as the coach was forced to resign, the season was canceled and the students wrongfully charged left the university altogether.

One way or the other, the truth will come out and we'll find out whether or not Joe Paterno deserved to be fired from his position at Penn State. But in the interim, we'll see the media feeding frenzy reach epic proportions and more people will be accused and their reputations tarnished. Only a court of law will determine whether it is/was deserved or not.

It's a sad situation all around and if the allegations are true, then those involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

David