Up Front

It's always something

As we read the news these days, I’m again re-minded of the words of wisdom spoken by the late, great Gilda Radner in channeling one of her many “Saturday Night Live” characters: “It’s always something” and “Never mind.”

Just when we thought that oil prices were under control, along comes a one-two punch to the midsection. As we write these words in early July, the price of oil is at an all-time high (ouch!) and the most venerable of all U.S. companies—General Motors—is on the ropes (double ouch!).

In case you’ve been busy dealing with your own problems these days, General Motors announced that it was going to lay off 25,000 employees and close several assembly and component plants over the next few years. While GM isn’t the economic barometer it used to be, its pain is still felt near and far, especially throughout a good chunk of the trucking industry.

Gilda was right. When it comes to the economy, “It’s always something.” Too bad that we can’t just say, “Never mind.”