Wow, things out there are really bleak. Just how dismal is the economy? According to some poll CNN has apparently been conducting since 1997, most people in this country are pretty sure that everything is terrible, nothing will ever get better, and America is doomed to forever be varying degrees of "poor."

In all, 59 percent of those surveyed for a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll said they expect economic conditions in the United States to be poor a year from now, while 40 percent expect conditions to be good. That’s the highest percentage since CNN began asking the poll question in October, 1997

Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed said they expect the economy to be “very” poor a year from now, while 30 percent said they think it will be “somewhat” poor. At the same time, just four percent of those surveyed said they think the economy will be in “very” good shape next year, while 36 percent said they think it will be “somewhat” good.

Views of where the economy stands right now are even more negative. Eighty-four percent of those surveyed said they think the economy is in poor condition, while just 16 percent said it is in good shape.

That 16 percent figure seems a bit high. Of course those people also identified themselves as "in good shape," so there could be an accuracy issue here. [Politico]