‘The open question is whether we’re in for a bad couple of years, or a bad decade.’

Something has clearly gone wrong with the economy. But how bad are things, really? And how bad might they get before better days return? Even to many economists who recently thought the gloom was overblown, the situation looks grim. The economy is in the midst of a very rough patch. The worst is probably still ahead.

From a good survey of current conditions in today’s New York Times.