Remember, it was Americans using their houses as ATM machines that made the 2008 financial crisis so rough on the middle class.

FORBES: Economic End Times Not So Near, U.S. Seen Surviving 'Fiscal Cliff'

If you are trying to hit the ball straight down the middle of the fairway and you hook it into the rough, you know that you did not execute successfully.

FORBES: Winning Feedback: Lessons For Managers from The NFL

Rough-hewn cowboys gave way to women and foreigners, a more middle-class clientele that, in turn, attracted more players than ever before.

ECONOMIST: The sport of gangsters has become worryingly respectable

De Beers Group reports that high prices and strong demand in India, China, the Middle East and, surprisingly, the U.S. has resulted in a record for rough diamond sales.

FORBES: De Beers Diamond Sales Up 33%

But a look at some very rough numbers suggests that if the president and congressional Republicans want to compromise, there is a middle-ground.

FORBES: Mr. President, There Is A Way To Raise Taxes On The Rich Without Raising Their Rates