GallupPoll

Congressmen, lobbyists, and car salesmen have some of the worst reputations for honesty and ethics, as do business execs, stock brokers and real estate agents. And there's a reason why: The rules of their games are stacked against good behavior.

Most Americans say that if the price of gas rises to between $4 to $6 a gallon, they're going to make "major" changes in lifestyle. Well, get ready to change, America: In some states prices have already touched the $4 mark. But it could be ever so much worse.

More than half of those recently polled by Gallup said an income of no more than $150,000 would qualify that person as rich. When asked how much money per year would be necessary for them to consider themselves "rich," 53 percent mentioned an income of $150,000 or less, and 71 percent said an income of $300,000 would be enough.

U.S. economic confidence fell slightly in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. But consumers in the District of Columbia and states such as Maryland, Virginia, Utah and Massachusetts kept their confidence up. Here's why.

A recent survey by USA Today and Gallup of 1,008 people demonstrates that folks are increasingly pessimistic about the economy. No big surprises there, but some groups are feeling a lot worse than others. Five different types were identified in the study: Prudent Pessimists have the bleakest...