It truly is a Happy Thanksgiving!

You may think offering that special Happy Thanksgiving toast during your turkey dinner this year may be tough to do. But it shouldn’t be.

Sure, we’ve hit a bad patch on our economic road to riches that some may say has become a road to ruin. Greed and fear, the twin idols of Wall Street, have yet again reared their ugly heads. In response, wagging fingers are pointing at bankers, regulators and consumers who deceived the system and themselves.
But downturns, even as severe as this one, have a way of cleansing the system of its scoundrels. And it becomes the perfect opportunity to focus on basics.

I once asked former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca how he was able to convince labor unions and the government to give his company the bailout it needed to survive. He told me he simply put everyone in one room, locked the door, and refused to let anyone out until they agreed to a deal. He called it “putting a gun to everyone’s head”.

Tough times do bring out the best in Americans. And this is no exception. We are witnessing unprecedented cooperation between incoming and outgoing administrations. Polls show voters are giving President-elect Obama a mandate for change. And 146 years after Macy’s invented the concept of Christmas window displays in 1862, an audience of 7,000 consumers am hour will pass by its Fifth Avenue window this holiday season.

Let’s just get over the pity party and remember that stock prices in stable companies are a long term steal. Homes are more affordable and you will live longer to take advantage of long-term appreciation in those homes. The predicted 9% unemployment rate predicted for 2009 is a lot better than the 25% of Americans without work during the Great Depression.

So go drive to visit family and friends with gas prices down at least a buck, celebrating what amounts to a massive tax cut of $140 billion bucks. And give thanks for what we do have. That may be the best medicine for our sick economy.

(Brian Banmiller is a national Business Correspondent for CBS News Radio, free lance writer and public speaker. The former television business news anchor in San Francisco can be reached at brian@banmilleronbusiness.com .)