Free Republic

As we roll along, I reflect that it's already been a long war for those of us in action, a harsh life, deprived of many of the most ordinary comforts. For many, it's been at least three hours since the last taste of biscotti and cappuccino macchiato. There is little to protect us from the brutal weather or road conditions, except a well-sealed vehicle with a soft suspension and air conditioning. We have scant access to information about anything outside of our immediate area, other than twenty-four hour cable news, a satellite dish, cell phones, and the internet. Since the...

Survey: Californians Pessimistic About Economy, Leaders Most Of Those Polled Called Budget Deficit A Big Problem POSTED: 2:44 p.m. PST February 25, 2003 UPDATED: 5:39 p.m. PST February 25, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO -- A new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California finds Californians deeply pessimistic about the state's economy, fearful of a war in Iraq, and skeptical of elected leadership at nearly every level. The poll found 28 percent of Californians believe the economy and jobs are the biggest problems facing the state and 60 percent said their region of the state is in an economic recession. Seventy-one...

LONDON: When you talk about pessimism, Germans are ahead of all. An international survey has found that Germany is the "most pessimistic" country in the world with only 13 per cent of its citizens having a positive outlook towards life as against 90 per cent of Chinese. Europe's largest country stole the title from Argentina, whose citizens' optimism - despite the continuing plight of their own economy - had risen by five per cent since last year, according to the survey by Gallup, published in Die Welt. The poll questioned a total of 15,000 people in 15 countries if the...