Pollsters poll on the strangest questions, don't they? Some genius at Bloomberg thought asking the question if the respondent personally was "better or worse off" than two years ago. Duh: "The survey, conducted Dec. 4-7, finds that 51 percent of respondents think their situation has deteriorated, compared with 35 percent who say they're doing better. The balance isn't sure. Americans have grown more downbeat about the country's future in just the last couple of months, the poll shows. The pessimism cuts across political parties and age groups, and is common to both sexes. The negative sentiment may cast a pall...