Trickle-Down-Size Economics: New Jobless Claims Jump

More bad economic news:

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits surged to a 26-year high last week, Labor Department data showed on Thursday, as a deepening recession forced employers to cut back on hirings.

The scary thing about this time is that, because of the interconnected nature of our economy, we're all vulnerable. Retirement savings have vanished. Home equity has disappeared. Mass layoffs are everywhere you look. The auto industry is on the brink.

And who has spotted a "microtrend" in all of this? Why it's none other than Hillary Clinton's former chief strategist, Mark Penn, who embarked on a career as a Wall Street Journalist (with help from an actual writer). You might recall the Clinton still owes Penn $5.8 million for his stellar work during the campaign. So what's Penn on about in his inaugural column? It seems that people all across America are stuffing their mattresses with cash. Also:

While almost every company in America is seeing a downturn, sales of home safes and vaults are surging. Sales of guns this year are up 8 to 10 percent.

In other words, the economy is causing us to cling to our cash and our guns like never before.