Want to be a politician or raise money for a start-up? You need the Web Economy Bullshit Generator.

Until recently I was a fairly confident person. I took buses and trains both here and in other cities.

But after being mugged in Seattle’s Westlake Center transit tunnel, I lost my happy thoughts. To paraphrase the little kid from “The Sixth Sense,” I see bad people – everywhere.

I’m not talking a “Greetings from Schaumburg!” ashtray, either.

Four of us will be sharing our stories today at the SaveUp 2011 conference. Well, parts of our stories – we’re limited to 12 minutes apiece.

Our fellow DealPros voted the four of us having the tales they most wanted to hear. We’ll be talking via live stream, and you’re invited: If you RSVP and then “attend,” your name will be entered into a drawing for an iPad 2.

I took an overnight flight from Seattle to JFK Airport for the SaveUp 2011 conference. In the words of Arlo Guthrie, “I looked and felt my best” when I arrived. Here’s what’s already happened in the past five and a half hours: