When you are talking about the nation's foreclosure crisis, you can't really talk about whether the glass is half full or half empty. The glass has tipped over on the table, and the only question is how much milk will be left when the market turns around.

Maine's experience offers a good example.

Sure, our foreclosure rate in June was better than that of 37 states, according to statistics released today by RealtyTrac. In New England, only Vermont (50th) had a lower ratio of households per forclosure.

Wrestlers and black belts in judo know how important leverage is to winning a match. Even physically weaker or smaller contestants can prevail, if they get the angles and the momentum working in their favor.

The same is true for people who borrow money to make an investment, whether that is to buy a corporation or a car. When the investment is going up in value, leverage can turn a small investment into a big profit. When it is going down, leverage gouges investors.

On its face, the letters-to-the-editor feature makes no sense. Every day, newspapers invite people to complain about the company's effort, so that the news organization can print and distribute those grievances to customers. It's kind of like McDonald's running notes on Happy Meals bags from customers who are angry that french fries and Chicken McNuggets make kids fat.

The idea behind letters is this: People will trust the newspaper more if they see that it is willing to share criticisms of its work with the public.

Investment professionals say that two base human emotions drive the markets: fear and greed. And we've seen fear driving the market for much of this year, with investors terrified by what oil prices might do to the economy.

In a broader sense, fear and greed also drive most of what goes on in the economy, with a dash of altruism thrown into the pot. It's a recipe that could lead to some major changes in the Maine landscape during the next decade.

I have a confession: I recently took some money out of the Maine economy.

I spent $6 at the Subway shop in New Hampshire and paid $3 to the federal government for the right to climb Mt. Chocorua in the White Mountain National Forest. No staycation for me this July 5.

Tough times often cause people to fantasize about retirement, especially on warm summer days like today. Never happens to me, of course. I'm speaking in general here.

People like my sister Lynda and her husband even make a hobby out of looking at possible retirement locales. They read articles about what to consider as they think about the perfect spot to kick up their heels. They seek out magazines that claim to have lists of ideal retirement locations.

When I first started paying close attention to Maine business news, the state was hurting from the recession of 1990-1991. Federal regulators were seizing banks, notably mine at the time, Maine National Bank , and businesses couldn't get access to credit.

These were the days when Porteous, Mitchell & Braun still had its flagship department store on Congress Street, just a stone's throw from Bernie's Fine Fashions, in what is now the Maine College of Art building.

People regularly called the newspaper back then, angry that we were causing the downturn -- or at least making it much worse -- by our coverage of those events. If only the newspaper would write some positive stories, we'd all be back on the path toward prosperity.