An interesting new CNN poll is out and it seems that nearly half of the public believes that the nation is on the verge of another Great Depression.  That’s an amazing statistic especially when one considers that most people sit firmly looking out of the rear view mirror on these sorts of things. That’s to say that at most times, most people assume that the recent past will approximate the near term future.  Given that, the fact that nearly half of the public sees a Great Depression is profound.  Either the people have become a bunch of Chicken Littles or they’re seeing and experiencing something far different than  the recent past.