Fiscal Cliff or Not, Is The Economy Already Stalling?

I recently reflected on a seeming parallel between economics and flying.  For those who have piloted an aircraft, they will be intimately familiar with a stall.  For those who have not, it is a condition of flight in which lift is reduced to such an extent that normal flight ceases and the aircraft becomes a brick.  Stalls can occur in a variety of circumstances.  The most commonly thought of condition is when the aircraft is flying too slow.  Once an aircraft stalls, in certain c...