How optimistic are you that the economy will turn around in 2009?

I things will improve somewhat but feel many people will have to start learning to live a different lifestyl, cut back on all their goodies. I also believe the media (TV) make things sound way worst than they are this is not only on the business situation but on all things happening in the world today. I like your magazine very much and do subscribe to it and look forward to getting it in the mail, also pass it on to others who also enjoy it. Thanks you for such a good report on the world situation.

Canadians and the MSM need to be much more positive. Doom and gloom will get us into more economic trouble. Spend, spend.

I am optimistic that things will get better. I don't believe that government should be helping out the auto industry or that they should have bought out the CMHC mortgages that they did. Industry must stand on it's own two feet. Bailing out industries that have not in the past corrected their own problems do not deserve our hard earned tax dollars. Health care, education, infustructure, now they need our tax dollars. Not elitist industries that refuse to change with the times. Let them go into either refinance on their own or restructure and merge. Many people either retired or close to retirement have lost a lot of value in their RRSP's or RIF's. Where is their help. As for the financial institutions, the Bank of Canada has cut prime twice and they have not followed suit. You do the math.

Let us step up to the challenge of living within our means. Then the economy will reflect a realistic turn around. Living "green" as much as possible will motivate manufacturers to provide goods that will meet environmental goals - and it can be done. This I firmly believe.

We need the media to stop telling us how bad things were and are - let's refocus on what is going well. As Canadians we have intelligence, determinatio, and innovation. We are resourceful humans. Let's use these assets and get busy.

How did I get into this web? Are you checking if I read your weekly?

The only hope for the economy is to send profits down to serve higher wages. The unfairness of the growing disparity between rich and poor is the true problem, the base.

We generally lag a couple of years behind the US. The problems of our greatest customer of raw materials and other goods (the US) have not shown signs of improvement. Therefore, we have as yet, not seen the worst.

Every CEO whose company get a bailout should be forced to quite/get fired without a huge severance.. it was the CEO's decisions that got them into this problem.

There are too many people on the corruption curve and they should be controlled
Has no one heard of the French Revolution? Wait for it.

Demand for oil and other raw materials may slow, but how slow? We're at what, 2003 levels? The reports of disproportion are exaggerated disasters. If anything, we're learned not to trust financial analysts to predict the future. I can't see oil staying at the levels they are at currently. Not with the shortage of supply and the level of demand rather steady.

I chose the first option because the rest of them seemed so gloomy and without hope. Nothing is perfect but if we think the glass is only half full that is exactly the way is going to stay. You cut your garment to the cloth available and do the very best you can with what you have and resolve to improve - somehow! Canada is NOT the United States and at this stage of our development I think we have the brains and ability to do just fine thank you. If they are foolish enough to spend themselves silly and do the things they did we are not obliged to follow suit, are we? Think positively Canada

Your scale is terrible. Although "a bit," "very" and "not at all" isn't a very good response set, you made it so much worse by adding the descriptions. As an example, just because someone responds "not at all" it doesn't necessarily mean that that person also believes that "things are going to get a whole lot worse."

It is wishful thinking that the economy will get better without proper measures being taken and consequences being brought on for those who have been profiting from the situation and who are abusing the system. Unless these corporate criminals are led out in handcuffs, prosecuted, sentenced and redemptive measures required and taken, all motivation to work and save will be gone in the middle class. People are tired of working to benefit CEO's, sports and movie stars with excessive wages that they will never spend in their lifetime. This is the face of greed that certain weak minded or mean spirited middle class people support while thinking or dreaming they or their kids will make it one day and earn insane salaries on the backs of their fellow workers by supporting the insane salaries paid to the rich and famous. People's working conditions are being ransacked by CEO's and are being supported by this mean spirited middle class for god knows what reason or for what twisted mind set that makes one want to pit working people against working people. Who are these jealous and ignorant people of the lie who seem to get their kicks out of begrudging the working class out of their working conditions and salaries while CEO's are laughing all the way to the bank. Being any sicker than this one dies. People have not learned anything from Enron nor from recent situations requiring bailouts. People of the lie prefer living in denial of this big money grab while looking for scapegoats among the middle class workers in order to blame for example auto workers instead of the greedy CEO'S who have orchestrated and constructed the losses and continue to reap benefits while their workers are required to take cuts in pay and benefits again so that the so called lame duck companies can continue on producing garbage cars with built in obsolescence so car addicts of 200 HP plus muscle cars can get their rocks off on our highways and streets at the expense of workers. Recently the Teacher’s, built on worker retirement funds, rightfully got out of the Bell buy out instead of sinking money into a dying sink hole company that has no respect for it’s workers nor it’s customers: image is not respect. These economic scenarios are obviously supported by a network of cowards. We all know that January 2, 2009 was a legal holiday for retail workers. Yet, this year they had to work on this legal day off in order to support corporate greed and shopping addicts that just can’t get enough of them sugar crisps. These ridiculous people even go as far as insulting our intelligence by claiming that they were responding to customer demand. They even try to misuse polls and statistics to support the lie: social psychology 101. How stupid do these greedy people of the lie think we are?

The house of cards is coming down. We are about to enter a spiritual time where 'things' will be replaced with 'feelings'. We will be reminded through necessity of the value of family, community and faith.

The house of cards is coming down. We are about to enter a spiritual time where 'things' will be replaced with 'feelings'. We will be reminded through necessity of the value of family, community and faith.

Brian 1/4/2009 11:03:45 PM ET

Not only speaks WISELY but WELL on the issue. To paraphrase another man of great wisdom, "We are not close to the end of the beginning ... NOR can we estimate our difficult path through the labyrinth to the END."