Pumping the Brakes on the U.S. Economy

Growing up in Dublin, my parents were of the firm belief that the streets of the city were safer without David behind the wheel of a car.  Consequently, I first learnt to drive in my early 20s on the backroads and highways of Michigan, with my future wife, Sari, as my instructor.  There were a number of perils associated with this including my tendency to ignore all traffic signs when focused on the task of steering the car or my habit of stalling out due a chronic inability to synchronize the application of the clutch and the accelerator.  It didn’t help that Sari would burst into a fit of giggles at the moments when I put us in the greatest and most imminent danger and was in particular need of quick and level-headed advice.