Outsourcing is good. 325

I thought, however, that the eroding middle clbutt would weaken the base from which the government gets a fair portion of it's revenue. It has not had much effect yet, so I could be wrong. Doesn't this also increase our trade deficit, unless this will allow us to increase exports?

The deficit is too large for most people to comprehend and many do not know the difference between the deficit and the debt. Given the personal budgets many individuals have (mbuttive Credit Debt card debt, little or no savings, living a higher life style than one can afford, etc), I'm not suprised the national budget is not a bigger issue.

Sorry about your mom's illness. It does illustrate that it is not only our health which can impair us, but also that of family members.

I'll keep that in mind. I'm looking to start shiifting my career in the next year. I do not want to spend the next 30 years programming anyway. Working more with people is where I eventually want to end up. Even though my main function at my current job is programming, I do, at times, have the opportunity to do some of the other functions you mention above. Being able to adapt is very important, but with all the gloom and doom stories I've heard the last year, it was looking like there would be nothing left for which to retrain. Hopefully this is an overreaction.