One of the most frustrating things about presidential elections is the minute-by-minute reporting of changes in the polls. It matters little, really now, how much Michele Bachmann impacts Mitt Romney’s bid so early in the election. And as you know, in a few months, you won’t be able to make a move without hearing of the most minute changes in the rankings—and by then we’ll be so polled-out that only the staunchest of us will care.  

In this age of information overload we do the same thing with the economy, watching every uptick and down in the stock market and employment stats with an eye to finding clarity (good or bad) in the muddy waters of this recovery.

As I’ve admitted before in this space, I ain’t no economist (Mrs S. handles the checkbook, and we’re all better for it) and how many pundits of economics or real estate have misread the tea leaves in recent months? I have on my desk a list of regulatory issues we face—everything from Dodd-Frank rulemaking and GSE reform to the news this week that the SEC is going to investigate private non-traded REITs.

Depending on outcomes, any one of these issues could have a dampening effect on a full-blown recovery--or none at all. There are a lot of issues in the air right now, and at the end of the day, where we’ll be when they all come home to roost is anyone’s guess.

How’s business? What are your clients telling you? Are you feeling confident? It’s great to have the data on hand, for nothing else than to know what the pundits are saying.  But those are the three questions that really matter.

By the way, who do you like in the upcoming presidential race?