HOW BAD IS THE ECONOMY? Even tooth-fairy payouts are shrinking. “A recent survey found that the national going rate has seen a 40-cent decline this year: From $3 to $2.60. What’s worse? A full 10% of kids are reaching under their pillows … and coming up empty. Compare that to last year when just 6% of kids found no reason to flash that toothless grin.”

UPDATE: Chuck Simmins writes with another indicator:

I spent a few hours on my birthday, Sunday, at the Finger Lakes Racetrack and casino. I’ve been going there 2-3 times a year for a few years now.

In what may be a true comment on the economy, the number of 1 cent video slots was overwhelming. It was almost difficult to find a quarter slot. Two years ago, the penny slots took up one tiny section of the floor. Sunday they were everywhere. Gotta wonder.

That doesn’t sound good.