I GUESS I’LL GO CATCH THE GRAY MEN WHEN THEY FALL FROM THE 14TH FLOOR: USA 2008: The Great Depression. On the other hand, I remember my grandparents’ stories of the Depression, and they didn’t include cable or big-screen TVs. And Bob Krumm notes the prevalence of iPods, cellphones, and sloppy dress.

Then again, it’s April Fool’s Day.

UPDATE: James Joyner: “We’re certainly not in a depression. And any of us old enough to remember the 1970s know that this doesn’t feel at all like a major recession. . . . But the boom times of the last quarter century have recalibrated our expectations. The milk and honey are now fully contained within the river beds rather than flooding the streets. So, naturally, people expect the government to stop pretending that it doesn’t have a magic wand to wave and get on with making it all better.”