Before Katrina, US Economy Faltering - 12% Drop in auto sales

1% off growth for fall? I put a question mark here as no one knows how the economy will react to losing a major American city, oil center, and port for months.

This is counterbalanced by the Feds responding by releasing tens of billions in emergency spending. Of course, all this money is debt financing putting the burden on future tax payers. Add to it this money flows directly to companies of friends of the politicians with little oversight.

Oil is the big uncertainty as the US has stopped the rapid rise in prices by drawing down emergency oil stocks and getting allies to also release 20% of their emergency oil stocks. This gets us through early November. By Thanksgiving world demand exceeds supplies again and the big shortage in home heating fuel shows up.

(entry edited for clarity)