Don Brunell - Thanksgiving is about neighbor helping neighbor

For too many Americans, the last three Thanksgivings have been pretty lean. Our nation is suffering from the longest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Particularly worrisome is an online survey by the Enumclaw Courier-Herald that found two out of three people believe the true spirit of Thanksgiving has been forgotten. That is discouraging.

There is plenty of depressing news these days to justify that attitude.

One in 10 workers is drawing unemployment, and when you add the number of people whose unemployment benefits have been exhausted or who have given up looking for work, the figure is nearly one in five.

Our debt-ridden federal, state and local governments are not in a position to swoop in and save the day.

Our national debt continues to skyrocket, and our federal government is borrowing money at record rates from countries like China. In fact, David Walker, comptroller general under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, says if we don't change our ways, in 2040 our entire federal budget will go to paying just the interest on our national debt.

Particularly troubling is the fact that federal taxes are poised to increase next year. The Bush tax cuts are set to expire and the death tax returns to its 2001 level, where grieving relatives must pay more than half the value of the family business or farm to the federal tax collector.

States like Washington are between a rock and a hard spot. Unlike the feds, we can't print money or borrow from China. When the Legislature comes to