MSNBC reports as BREAKING NEWS that retail last month was off, by a lot.  BREAKING NEWS, people.  It is a complete surprise to everyone that consumers spent less last month, as the economy tanked, than before.  Also:

The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales fell by 2.8 percent last month, surpassing the old mark of a 2.65 percent drop in November 2001 in the wake of the terrorist attacks that year.

Did you see that?  This crisis is now officially worse than 9/11.