Before you decide in these hard times that you can no longer afford the better cuts of pork or beef from your local butcher, can I suggest an American product that lets nothing go to waste?

“(Demand for) Spam has always been good, but it has become exceptionally good and I’m sure that has to do with hard times,” Bartel says. The product’s low price, long shelf life and versatility are strong assets now, he adds.

In September, Jeffrey Ettinger, Hormel’s chief executive officer, reported that Spam sales were increasing by double digits.

According to Bartel, the current production is expected to continue indefinitely. Many workers are putting in 12-hour shifts, with some volunteering for even more to cash in on overtime pay. “When economic times are as they are right now, if workers can get overtime, that kind of puts a smile back on their face,” Bartel says.

This weekend when you go grocery shopping why not pick up a can or two? You don’t have to eat it now, and it will still be edible even if the Bush economy doesn’t stop falling until well into next year.

Keep a can of Spam in your pantry for years to come as a reminder of what 8 years of the best conservative fiscal policy had to offer our nation.