The economy seems to be stalling. Well, why wouldn't it? Credit card minimums have doubled, thanks to our friends in Congress. Gas prices have doubled. These two things alone should have a chilling effect on the economy. Since Congress and Exxon haven't granted us with pay raises, a bigger percentage of our budgets are going toward paying of our credit cards and buying gas for our SUVs.

So if two segments of our budget grow, then the rest of our budget shrinks, right? That means less money to spend on things like cable tv, high speed internet access, and groceries. Too simplistic, you say? Not when retail sales growth stalled in June.

Can this mean that Americans are finally wising up about the effects of credit card bills on their finances? Or does it mean we're simply saving up room on our cards so that we may celebrate the birth of Jebus by buying a gift for everyone we know?