Big-Ticket Phobia Stalks The Nation

There’s an odd asymmetry in the way people react to gasoline prices. When prices rise, people always say it means they have less money to spend on other stuff. But when prices fall? Prompted by a query that noted the recent drop in gas prices, 31 percent of respondents to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll said it makes them feel they “have more money to spend on other household items.” But 61 percent said it “has not made a difference one way or the other.”