The unemployment rate is rising, the auto and housing markets are in shambles. The government is bailing out banks, printing money with abandon and handing out billions in stimulus checks.

But is the economy as bad as people think? Is a government rescue going to work? How long and deep will the recession be? Should we fear inflation or deflation? What about excess debt versus de-leveraging?

Brian Wesbury, an internationally known economist, will address these questions and more in what should prove to be an entertaining and informative event.

Wesbury shows that the future may be scary to ponder, but it will ultimately be profitable, globally and over the long haul. He reveals the real reasons behind the “Panic of 2008” and why it seems so much more severe than past crises.

He uncovers a history of entrepreneurship that you should trust, as well as explains how a V-shaped recovery can take place and how wealth you had thought you lost can be found again.

The traumatic economic upheaval of 2008 caused many analysts and investors to believe that any recovery would be fragile, short-lived and volatile. Instead, while the recovery has been relatively slow, it has been both persistent and consistent. Brian Wesbury, calls it a Plow Horse Economy.

It’s not going to win any races, but it’s not going to keel over and die either. This recovery is not a new normal something different than we have seen before, but in fact is being driven by new technologies the same thing that has driven growth in the US for more than two centuries.

This does not mean all is well. Large debt, big deficits, bad policy, high government spending and problems in Europe are all things to worry about. But, putting them in perspective is the key to successful investing and business management. Just maybe things aren’t as bad as you think.

Brian Wesbury, a winner of the Wall Street Journal’s annual economic forecasting award, nationally acclaimed speaker and author will help navigate these confusing and volatile times.