Looking for proof that the economy is improving? Just count the number of chairs around the Thanksgiving table.

Improving consumer confidence is translating into an estimated 36 million people nationwide traveling more than 50 miles for the holiday, which is the highest number of travelers in two years, according to AAA.

Economic growth surged to 8.2 percent in the third quarter, an amazing spurt fueled by temporary boosts from tax cuts and mortgage refinancing.

While we are thankful that the economy is showing signs of recovery, we must temper our enthusiasm. Almost 3 million jobs have been lost in the past two years, and they are not being replaced. Among those are 18,000 or so Maine manufacturing jobs.

Too many people in the state live in poverty, and those numbers are growing. According to the Census Bureau, more than 35 million Americans live in poverty. More than 5 million children live in extreme poverty, which means their family income is less than half the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that is $18,400 a year or a full-time, hourly rate of about $8.46.

America remains a destination, a place of opportunity and optimism. For that, we should be also thankful. Even during our down times, the world still reaches for our shores.

It’s easy to become distracted by our good fortune. But during this time when many of us have plenty, with tables piled high with the trappings of a feast, we shouldn’t forget those who are struggling.


Age-old debate


The debate over coverage may be resolved in Washington, but it is still raging around the kitchen. The tone is less charged, and the discussions have nothing to do with Medicare, tax incentives or Byzantine public policy.

To foil or not to foil. That is the question we ponder as our minds turn from matters of state to matters of stomach for the food-friendliest of America’s holidays.

Good folks can disagree as they gather around the stove for the ovening of the Thanksgiving turkey.

For every recipe – and, it seems, for every family – there is dogma dictating the precise time and method for applying cover to a roasting bird.

Cover early or cover late; cover here or cover there. Cover the bird or leave it bare. Pass the lid, pass the foil. Forget the oven, go for boiling oil.

The country is deeply divided. We are divided. If we can’t agree as a people on how to cook a turkey, how in the world can we agree about Medicare reform, war or other weighty issues?

The National Turkey Federation recommends roasting a turkey at 325 degrees, no cooler, without foil. Cook the bird until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees and the breast hits 170 degrees. The temperature in the stuffing should be 165 degrees. Lose the lid and let the hot air circulate.

Foil takes a bad wrap. But, of course, who’s going to trust a Washington, D.C.-based bunch of turkey lovers with one of the most important meals of the year.
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