So you think it’s bad news that a recession has been “officially declared”? (Turns out, it started back in December of last year.) Puh-lease. First of all, it shouldn’t be news to anyone that the economy has been in the tank for a while. Unemployment has been climbing (from 4.4 percent in March 2007 to 6.5 percent now), and the stock market has been plummeting (down roughly 40 percent so far this year). Ouch!