I&#x27;m in Iowa. Growing up (in the 70&#x27;s) cars were largely rusted-out hulks. Then new cars started appearing, so that almost every car on the road was shiny and new-looking by the 90&#x27;s.<p>Now the rust is showing up again, and I don&#x27;t think its the weather. Its the economy, and the general slide of the middle class.<p>Maybe we need a &#x27;rust index&#x27; to measure mean spending&#x2F;affluence?