Are we a nation of whiners?

[SamIam]

Phil Gramm, economic advisor to Senator McCain thinks so.

In an interview with the Washington Times, Phil Gramm, a former Texas senator who is now vice chairman of UBS, the giant Swiss bank, said he expects Mr. McCain to inherit a sluggish economy if he wins the presidency, weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."

So, do you think we're in a recession? Can we make this "imaginary" recession go away if we all think happy thoughts? If I say to myself 1,000 times, "Gas is only $2.00 per gallon," will I be pleasantly surprised upon my next visit to the pumps?

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners," he said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline" despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.