Well, the first decade of the new century is over

And the punditry is scrabbling about, looking for a name for it. There's a lot to be said for the decade--we avoided the disaster that could have been January 1, 2000; we spent money we didn't have like mad and had a thunderingly good time; we elected our first crypto-socialist president.

But during all of it, a funny thing happened. Funny like the dog in a Sherlock Holmes' tale. That is to say, nothing happened. Except inflation.