It depends on where you're at, though certainly here in the Inland Empire, it's hard to argue against it at this point.

But amid the dour economic reports comes the slightest sparkle of hope - one that in its own indirect way suggests that we the people understand that our fortunes rest with us.

Voter turnout during this presidential primary season is hitting levels not seen in decades, egged on to a degree by a fierce battle for the Democratic nomination but more importantly by a sense of empowerment embodied in the candidacies of a woman and an African-American.

More than perhaps any time in our history, the voiceless feel as if they have a voice, and the impact of that can, must and will be felt far beyond Pennsylvania Avenue. Those votes will help determine if and for how long America stays in Iraq and Afghanistan. They'll help shape immigration policy and, we can only hope, sensible economic reform.

While the current administration and Congress are trying to nourish an increasingly anemic economy with comfort food, in the form of tax rebates, we're hungering for something far more substantive.

This past week, Republican John McCain reiterated his plans, which call for making permanent the Bush tax cuts he once opposed, cutting corporate taxes and eliminating the alternative minimum tax. He also wants investment in job training.

Democrat Barack Obama has focused much of his economic plan on lower-income Americans,

 
through job training, expanding the earned income tax credit and increasing the minimum wage.

Like Obama, Hillary Clinton wants to raise the minimum wage and create safeguards against predatory lenders. The two have traded barbs on trade agreements such as NAFTA, but are both on the record in supporting - at a minimum - a re-evaluation of existing trade pacts.

There are other, better ideas out there - investing heavily in infrastructure, for example, could help kick-start a new, far more stable building boom and create countless thousands of new jobs in our community alone.

And yet, even with McCain admitting he's "probably better versed on national security" than the economy, the fact that all three candidates are being forced to address the issue can only help.

Especially with record numbers of voters planning to hold their feet to the fire.