Economics has been called the dismal science, kind of like the economist who has forecast 10 of the last 5 recessions. I have a lot of friends who are economists, and they know that making forecasts is a very risky proposition. One friend of mine says, "Give them a date or give them a number but never give them both." When you study economics, you come across, of course, the law of averages, and this poem is called "On Average." Two economists were sitting in a small duck blind, peering across the field where the moonlight shined. These economists' job was to calculate various economic factors all across the state. They were widely known experts who knew economic measures so well that they were considered academic treasures. But they took a break from the numbers front to take part in this annual morning duck hunt. It was quiet all around this field as they waited for trophies that their hunt would yield. Then first light came on this cool gray day, and they heard a lone duck as they flew their way. Both economists fired as the duck flew by, one shot five feet low, the other five feet high. As the duck flew away, one economist said, "Well, on average, that darn duck is dead." Happy trails.