When trying to come out of a recession or depression, rapid growth or innovation in a particular industry has proven to be a crucial element. Although the programs of the New Deal helped ease the pain of the Great Depression, most historians agree that the turning point for the economy was WWII. Increased factory production due to the war effort helped spark the financial system and restore some semblance of certainty to the markets.
After the economic decline of the 1980’s, the introduction of PCs and other personal technologies brought us back from the brink of financial disaster. Today we need a similar invention or innovation to get people excited about buying and investing. With the concern over global warming and peak oil, the clear answer seems to be something in the arena of alternative energy.