As I write this column, millions of Americans are straining under the pressures of a fickle, unpredictable economy. Tens of thousands have lost their jobs in recent months, the stock market is giving new meaning to the word "volatility," and gasoline and food prices are surging to record highs. On March 24,2000, the S&P 500 index closed at 1,527. At the time of this writing, it's struggling back and forth at about 1,388-a 9.1% decline from its peak six years ago.
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